The current edition of ICC 600 is the 2008 edition. The purpose of the ICC 600 standard is to establish the minimum requirements to safeguard the public health, safety and general welfare through design, construction and installation requirements for residential buildings sited in high-wind regions.

Harris is a graduate of LSU School of Architecture and Harvard University Graduate School of Design. He opened his eponymous firm in 1982 and has over 29 years of experience designing residential new construction and renovations in high wind zones of the Gulf South region. Harris taught design at Louisiana State University’s School of Architecture for 10 years. He completed three grants documenting the durable architecture of the region. He helped author guidebooks on residential construction details as a technical advisor to the Southern Forest Products Association. Harris lectures frequently on design and at this year’s AIA National Convention, he co-presented the program titled “Rebuilding the Gulf Coast Vernacular for High Wind, Water, and Hurricanes.” He is former chair of the AIA’s Small Project Practitioners Knowledge Community. The firm’s residential design work has been featured in the Robb Report, The New York Times and Businessweek among others. His work has garnered numerous local, regional, and national design awards.

About ICC.

The International Code Council is a member-focused association dedicated to helping the building safety community and construction industry provide safe, sustainable and affordable construction through the development of codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process. Most U.S. communities and many global markets choose the International Codes.

The International Codes, or I-Codes, published by ICC, provide minimum safeguards for people at home, at school and in the workplace. The I-Codes are a complete set of comprehensive, coordinated building safety and fire prevention codes. Building codes benefit public safety and support the industry’s need for one set of codes without regional limitations.

Fifty states and the District of Columbia have adopted the I-Codes at the state or jurisdictional level. Federal agencies including the Architect of the Capitol, General Services Administration, National Park Service, Department of State, U.S. Forest Service and the Veterans Administration also enforce the I-Codes. The Department of Defense references the International Building Code for constructing military facilities, including those that house U.S. troops, domestically and abroad. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands enforce one or more of the I-Codes.

For more information on the ICC see http://www.iccsafe.org/AboutICC/Pages/default.aspx

Harris organized the floor plan so that every space, with the exception of the guest bedrooms, has to be walked through and experienced every day. To make the home more intimate, he eschewed long hallways and linear rooms. “A lot of times you see large homes with rooms arranged like a string of pearls—one pouring into the next,” says Harris. “The plan here wasn’t to create some kind of maze, but to have each room naturally flow into the next along the slope of the hill so that it would feel organic.”

Read the article online.

About Robb Report

For over 30 years, Robb Report magazine has served as the definitive authority on connoisseurship for ultra-affluent consumers. Robb Report not only showcases the products and services available from the most prestigious luxury brands around the globe, but it also provides its sophisticated readership with detailed insight into a range of these subjects, which include sports and luxury automobiles, yachts, real estate, travel, private aircraft, fashion, fine jewelry and watches, art, wine, state-of-the-art home electronics and much more. For connoisseurs seeking the very best that life has to offer, Robb Report remains the essential luxury resource.

Welcome to the emotional roller coaster of a construction project.

Over the years I’ve found that every client, no matter how even-tempered, experiences a tumbling jumble of emotions while their home is being built. Perhaps that’s not surprising given the emotional investment in a home. But what is surprising is that these highs and lows prove so predictable you can track them on a chart.

To help my clients grasp this, I always give them a copy of the Funk Chart the first time we meet. It’s a whimsical graph that helps them manage their expectations during the wild ride ahead.

I first came across the Funk Chart about ten years ago when a colleague, Anne McCutcheon Lewis, FAIA, gave a talk at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The concept rang so true that I asked for permission to use the chart in my own practice. I’ve tweaked and modified it over the years, but it’s based on Anne’s original concept.

Emotional Road Map

I love the Funk Chart because it helps you visualize the entire process of building or renovating a home, starting with the architectural drawings and moving on through pricing, demolition, and framing—until you finally reach the last turn of the doorknob and the celebration party.

The right-hand side of the chart details the full range of emotions you’ll experience as you move through the building or remodeling process, from seriously aggravated to off-the-charts happy.

Best of all, it shows which emotions you can expect to feel when, with graph lines depicting the roller coaster ride for everyone involved, including you, me, the kids, and the family dog.

The bad news? You’ll feel irked and aggravated at times. The good news? Those emotions are short-lived and completely normal at some phases in the process.

Predictable Dips and Peaks

I’ve found that clients always feel good at the design phase but become agitated when they receive the construction bid, even if it matches their budget. Why? Because a home is usually a family’s biggest investment and making a major decision is stressful.

On the flip side, I’ve found that clients always feel ecstatic when the roof deck is finished and the Sheetrock goes up: it’s starting to look like a home! But black clouds drift down during the flooring, tiling, and cabinet phases: why is it taking so long?

While the ups are great, the downs can take an emotional toll. Some clients become so anxious they want to fire everyone, stop the project, and flee to a Pacific island. If that happens to you, get out the Funk Chart, take a deep breath, and remind yourself that, hmm, I’m right on target; Kevin told me this would happen, it’s all part of the process.

Trust me, if you’ve selected an architect with a track record of delivery, it will all be OK, and I’ll remind you of that repeatedly as we go through the process. Before you know it, you’ll be back to ecstatic—wildly in love with your new home and ready to throw a celebration party.

As for the kids, the architect, and the family dog, they’re feeling ecstatic too. The only ones left unhappy are the rodents and pests—because they were driven off at the demolition phase.

© 2011 Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

“Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC designs custom homes to satisfy, support and sustain our client’s best life, to be an authentic expression of their site, lifestyle and culture, while remaining rooted in history and expressive of the times. For more information on Kevin or the firm go to www.kevinharrisarchitect.com.”

Just as a pilot first takes a view from 5,000 feet and then glides lower and lower as he nears the runway, so I approach design projects by first taking in the big picture and gradually zeroing in on the details.

I refer to the process as the hierarchy of design—a sequence that begins with the neighborhood (the big picture) and then drops lower and lower to focus on the lot, floor plan, and style.

Step One: the Neighborhood
The first decision you’ll make when building or renovating a home is what neighborhood to live in. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of choosing one that appeals to you and your lifestyle. Why? Because one house alone can’t change the character of an entire neighborhood—no matter how perfect your own home is.

I also remind clients that it’s important to choose a convenient neighborhood: one that’s close to work, school, and basic shopping. You want to be able to enjoy the sanctuary of your home instead of spending much of the day in your car.

Step Two: the Lot
After you’ve found the neighborhood that’s right for you, you’ll need to select a lot. The one you choose will end up influencing your home’s design—whether you’re renovating an existing house or building from scratch.

For example, I always consider privacy issues when sketching floor plans. Lots are getting smaller and smaller, so factoring in privacy for my clients without sacrificing outside views is an important part of my design process.

I’ve seen far too many gorgeous master bedrooms that lack privacy, prompting the homeowners to install heavy blackout curtains that turn the room into a cave. And that’s a shame, since outdoor views are psychologically important, providing openness, sunlight, and a sense of connection to your surroundings.

Other considerations from the lot itself that influence design include soil conditions, drainage, and whether the utilities will be above or below ground. And if the lot is an unusual shape, all the better—I’ve found that the challenge of building on an odd lot often leads to a more interesting home.

Step Three: the Floor Plan
After I’ve considered the neighborhood and the lot, I turn my attention to your family’s lifestyle. My goal is to design a floor plan that fits you like a custom suit of clothes. For example, if your family is an active one with kids involved in sports, I’ll include a drop zone by the garage entrance equipped with individual lockers where everyone can stash their gear.

I think carefully about what each room in your house needs to accommodate and how the rooms flow together within zones, both inside and outside. I also consider the experience that guests have as they approach the house, as well as the functionality of the floor plan when you host larger groups. The end result is a livable and accommodating space for your family’s everyday use as well as for entertaining.

The Final Touch: Style
Only after I’ve created your home’s floor plan do I begin to consider style. Style is the outer layer of a home and comes at the end of the process—much like dressing a model in a tailored suit or flowing gown: same model, different style.

To determine your likes and dislikes, I spend time absorbing the style file you’ve created of images that resonate with you. This is where I zero in to fine-tune the details: Do you like a light and airy feeling? Wood beams? Hard materials like stone?

After I’ve developed a strong sense of your individual style, I begin to apply those elements to my design, dressing your home in a way that’s unique to you—one that not only reflects your style preferences, but has a comfortable functionality perfectly suited to your neighborhood, lot, and family.

© 2011 Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

“Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC designs custom homes to satisfy, support and sustain our client’s best life, to be an authentic expression of their site, lifestyle and culture, while remaining rooted in history and expressive of the times. For more information on Kevin or the firm go to www.kevinharrisarchitect.com.”

Evernote is so easy and intuitive that even if you’re intimidated by new technology, you won’t have a problem with it. In fact, Liz and I wouldn’t be surprised to find you using it for all sorts of things—from grocery lists and movie reviews to those great ideas that pop into your head when you’re out walking your dog.

As Liz says, “Evernote is like a friendly little elephant who’s easy to work with and never forgets.”

How does it work?

Basically, Evernote stores your thoughts and photos in a private cloud on the web and lets you access them, anytime and anywhere, through your mobile phone or any computer. It’s so flexible that you can grab images and content as you run across them, whether it’s a photo you find on a website, an idea in a book or magazine, or a sofa you spot in a display window.

So … if you’re out shopping and a sleek bathroom sink catches your eye, you could snap a quick photo with your cell phone and email it to your Evernote account, along with a note on where you found it. (Tip: Don’t forget to take a photo of the tag so you’ll also have the price and dimensions.) Evernote will instantly add the photo to your account, along with any comments you’ve included. You’ll then be able to view the information from any of your devices, and share it, too—even with people who don’t have accounts.

Easy way to organize

Because Evernote is organized by notebooks, you can easily create a separate visual notebook for each room: living room, kitchen, bath, and so on. Then within each notebook, you’ll add notes. These could be:

• Photos of products or rooms you love along with your comments
• A scanned page from a book or magazine (or a photo of that page)
• Complete or partial content from a web page
• Links to web pages that interest you, along with notes about what you like

To help you visualize this, here’s a screenshot a style file on an Evernote account:

Four ways to add content

When you register with Evernote, you’ll be provided with an email address unique to that account. You can then add content to your Evernote notebooks in one of four ways:

• From websites. The easiest way to save images and content from the web is by installing the free Web Clipper extension. The add-in allows you to right-click what you want to save as you browse the web without having to open a new window for Evernote.
• From your desktop. You can cut and paste content and images directly into Evernote, just as you do in word processing.
• From your mobile phone. You can take a photo and email it to the Evernote email address that was created for you, using the @ symbol in the email subject line to assign it to the proper notebook. For example, a tub photo would have a subject line Tub@bathroom, which would place it in the bathroom notebook in a note titled Tub. You can also add tags to your subject line for later searching, as in: Tub@bathroom #faucet #paint.
• From your email account. You can email a link, photo, or PDF to Evernote by sending it to the email address that was created for you.

The friendly elephant

Evernote is so easy to use that you’ll be up and running in no time simply by watching the introductory slide show and playing around. Once you’ve created your style file with this program, you’ll be able to share your notebooks with anyone. If you’re working with me and my staff on a design project, share it with us, as each picture speaks volumes. The photos you collect will help me absorb—on a deep visual level—the styles you’re drawn to and what resonates with you in a home.

Grab, store, and view. It’s as simple as that.

Just like cell phones and high speed Internet, you’ll soon wonder how you ever lived without it.

* Evernote allows you to add up to 60 megabytes of free content every month. For those who have more to save and share, for $5 per month or $45 per year, you can upgrade to a premium account that allows you to add up to one gigabyte per month.

© 2011 Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

“Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC designs custom homes to satisfy, support and sustain our client’s best life, to be an authentic expression of their site, lifestyle and culture, while remaining rooted in history and expressive of the times. For more information on Kevin or the firm go to www.kevinharrisarchitect.com.”

Absorbing impressions of your style is a chameleon-like exercise for me: It involves putting myself aside and focusing on you.

The process starts by my asking you to create a style file of photos with short notes about what you like about each one.

Visual Vocabulary

I prefer photos because words are woefully inadequate for describing style. What one person sees as traditional isn’t the same as someone else’s. Only through a photographic style file can we be sure we’re speaking the same visual language.

A style file doesn’t have to be elaborate and can take many different forms—but what each has in common is that they help me understand, on an emotional and artistic level, what you want in your home. By looking at the photos and reading your comments, I absorb your likes, dislikes, and the colors and shapes you’re comfortable with.

The process can also serve as a reality check. You may come to me and say you want to spend $40,000 on a kitchen remodel, but then your style file shows appliances like a Viking range and a Subzero refrigerator that add up to $35,000 by themselves. At that point, we’d need to talk about adjusting the budget or changing some of the elements—and the best time to do so is early in the process.

What can a style file look like?

One of my clients was a beautifully organized woman who created a notebook filled with photos from magazines, with notes next to each about what she liked. She poured enormous energy into this style file over the years and the end result was really helpful.

Another client might bring in a stack of books and magazines with sticky notes on the pages she wants to call attention to. If you use this approach, we can scan the pages you’ve flagged to create an individual style file for you. (And, by the way, we have a large library of gorgeous coffee table books—showing architectural styles from Spain to the Caribbean—that we’re happy to lend out.)

We also recommend Evernote, a free online note-taking program. I’ll write a separate blog entry soon on how to use this great new tool, but the important thing to know is that it allows you to right-click and save website images that catch your eye—along with photos that you take with your iPhone when you’re out shopping.

A final suggestion is to create an inspiration board: a collage of photos that you like, along with comments.

Whatever method you use, don’t over-think it. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself by choosing every light fixture and faucet. Instead, focus on including those images that truly speak to you.

How do I use a style file?

Going through a style file is a complete right-brain activity for me. As I sort through the photos, I may ask clarifying questions. But more often than not, I’m completely silent. It may appear that nothing’s going on—but my brain is working at full speed, taking in nonverbal cues and forming impressions. By the time I’ve finished viewing the file, I’ve developed a strong sense of your individual style, including the mood and feeling you’d like in your home.

One question I’m often asked is how the process works when a husband and wife have different styles. I actually love the challenge this presents. The art here is to create a unique blend that appeals to both of them—a Design DNA, as I call it.

Over the years I’ve found that the exercise of creating a style file is worth the effort every time. A style file allows me to know in my bones what resonates with you. I can then draw on my thirty years of architectural experience to design a home that makes your heart sing.

© 2011 Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

“Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC designs custom homes to satisfy, support and sustain our client’s best life, to be an authentic expression of their site, lifestyle and culture, while remaining rooted in history and expressive of the times. For more information on Kevin or the firm go to www.kevinharrisarchitect.com.”

How do you choose an architect? And how does an architect choose you? Before embarking on a project as central to your family as your home, you must feel confident that the architect you’ve chosen is right for you and is fully engaged with your need and desires.

For new homes, I’ve found that scheduling a free, one-hour meeting with potential clients is the best way to give us a chance to get to know each other. After an hour spent talking about the home you envision and our design process, we’ll know if we’re compatible and will work well together.

My focus is on you, not me

People often ask me, “What is the Kevin Harris style?” Truth be told, there isn’t a single Kevin Harris style. For some architects, perfecting a single or signature style is a great business model that can produce lovely homes. I don’t, however, practice architecture as tailored versions of a single style. Instead, I prefer an open design process where the style results from the natural expression of you, your site, and the region in which you live.

My designs always begin with function—that is, the unique needs of your family—and gradually progress towards an expression of your style. As a result, my homes are as rich in personality as their owners.

So, if you’re hoping for a house or renovation that reflects your personal style, fulfills your family’s needs, and blends well with your site—then I’m the perfect match for you. My passion as an architect is to design a home so well suited to you that a close friend would be able to drive down the street and know at first sight which house is yours.

From a Tuscan villa to classic Southern

If you look through my portfolio, you’ll find that over the course of thirty years of design work, no two of my projects look the same. This is because the likes and dislikes of my clients are always different, and I thrive on the challenge of designing homes that reflect those differences. I have a deep appreciation for a wide range of architectural styles and love the creativity involved in designing a home that resonates at the deepest level with you and your family.

Aside from your interest in creating a unique home, what else do I look for in you? I hope to find an appreciation of good design and the impact it has on daily life. I also want the sense that we can have a fun, comfortable relationship working together.

In fact, in the end, feeling comfortable with each other is the most important consideration of all. From that, all else will flow.

© 2011 Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

“Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC designs custom homes to satisfy, support and sustain our client’s best life, to be an authentic expression of their site, lifestyle and culture, while remaining rooted in history and expressive of the times. For more information on Kevin or the firm go to www.kevinharrisarchitect.com.”

• Get the design right the first time, avoiding costly mid-project changes
• Negotiate the contractor’s fee, usually at substantial savings
• Guide the project from start to finish, making sure it’s all done right and that you end up with the house you paid for

So what does it cost? Architects sometimes charge a fixed fee, but more typically it’s 12% to 15% of the construction cost.

At my firm, for renovations, I always start out with a Design Consultation. For new construction projects, I schedule a free one-hour meeting to see if we’re right for each other. If it’s a good, comfortable match and we decide to work together, we move along to the design and construction phase.

From Sketch to Nails

Some architects will sell drawings only—but we’re a full-service firm, so I stay involved from the first site visit to the final nail. I prefer it this way because I always fall in love with a house during the design process. I feel compelled to follow it through until it’s born. This is the only way to ensure you get the home we envisioned together, along with the best value for your money.

Over the years, I’ve developed relationships with some truly great contractors. It’s my standard practice to ask them for a bid that spells out the vendors they plan to use, each vendor’s cost, and what their markup will be. Once those markup costs are upfront for everyone to see, I’ve found that the contractor’s fees are typically much lower than is usually the case: 10%-15% of the cost instead of as high as 40%.

After completing the design, my role is to guide the contractor’s efforts so that the end product will play a starring role in a lifelong love story featuring you, your family, and the home you build or remodel.

© 2011 Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

“Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC designs custom homes to satisfy, support and sustain our client’s best life, to be an authentic expression of their site, lifestyle and culture, while remaining rooted in history and expressive of the times. For more information on Kevin or the firm go to www.kevinharrisarchitect.com.”

“Do I need an architect?”

I hear this question several times a week—and it’s a good one, without a simple yes or no answer. The short answer is: it depends . . . and I’ll explain why.

First, let’s talk about new home construction:

If you’re a young couple buying your first house—one you don’t plan to live in for more than five years—I’ll become your Uncle Kevin and say, “Your best bet is an existing new home.” This is especially true if your budget is less than $200,000. Later, when you’re ready for your second or third home, one you know you’ll be staying in for a while, that’s the time to see me.

On the other hand, if you’re ready to build a home to live in for years and are working with a budget of $500,000 or more, then I’d say, “Absolutely, you need an architect.” You want to create a home that fits your family and matches your personal style, a home you absolutely love and can envision sharing later with your grandchildren.

But what about that gray area for new construction budgeted above $200,000 but under $500,000? Here there’s no right answer, but the factors to consider are how long you plan to stay in the home, how individual your family’s style and needs are, your knowledge and comfort level about construction, and how sensitive you are to good design.

What about home remodeling?

This is one case where I always advise using an architect, whether you’re embarking on a complete renovation or simply adding a room. It’s the best way to avoid a blundering mistake that ruins the lines and spirit of your home. This is especially true when you have a tight budget and can’t afford to spend the money twice. Your best protection is to have an architect make sure you get it right the first time.

So the only question to ask yourself is whether you want to involve the architect from start to finish—the full service approach—or if, instead, you opt for a design consult.

A design consult is a service where I come to your home and meet with you for three or four hours. For a flat fee of $800, I examine your house, talk with you about what you’d like to accomplish, and review pictures of what you like. I study the floor plan, the flow, the elevation, the plumbing and, especially, the roofline. There’s nothing worse than an addition that looks tacked on, like feet on a fish.

What would your remodel look like? I sketch options to show you.

I sketch out ideas right there when I’m with you, showing you options and giving you a ballpark estimate of what each approach would cost. At the end, the sketches are yours to keep. If you like, I can give you names of several young architects who can help you refine the plans—but many times you’ll be able to go straight to a contractor.

I love these remodeling consults because they keep me in touch with the residential work that I started with 20 years ago. I find them incredibly interesting because I’m forced to design within the constraints of what’s already there. The houses with the tightest constraints are often the most fun: I love solving the puzzle, and I’ve done so on projects from estates to bungalows.

© 2011 Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

“Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC designs custom homes to satisfy, support and sustain our client’s best life, to be an authentic expression of their site, lifestyle and culture, while remaining rooted in history and expressive of the times. For more information on Kevin or the firm go to www.kevinharrisarchitect.com.”

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© 2011 Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

“Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC designs custom homes to satisfy, support and sustain our client’s best life, to be an authentic expression of their site, lifestyle and culture, while remaining rooted in history and expressive of the times. For more information on Kevin or the firm go to www.kevinharrisarchitect.com.”