Studio Build

Taking it to Another Level

2009-07-23T16:58:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say that I've been slacking the past couple of weeks. The reality is that I've spent the past couple of weeks building a new and better blog. I felt if I wanted to take studiobuild to another level an improved website was a must. I've spent the last couple of weeks customizing a wordpress.org blog to fit the format I like. I've added more content, bigger pictures, and much more information about me and studiobuild and what this thing is all about. In a few weeks this blog will just redirect to my new site, in the time being if you currently link to this site please change your links to help me with my transition. The new site is www.studiobld.com please check the site out and let me know if you find any bugs.

In other news I will be featured in the House & Home Section of the Kansas City Star this Sunday. So run to the newstands!

WDB Project; Wrapping Up

2009-07-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

A trip last week to wrap up the details in Wichita. The project is 95% percent done. The clients decided to go ahead and have me build the upper wall cabinet now, we had postponed this portion of the project due to the budget but now that all the numbers are in I have the go ahead to build and install it. Here are some pics more to follow once the room is furnished. More photos available on my flickr site.

WDB Project; Lights are In

2009-07-06T10:03:00.000-07:00

Received and email with some pictures from the client showing the progress. A few pics of the lights installed. There will be a opaque diffuser installed to finish off the lights. Currently the tile is being installed and grouted. I'll be travelling down to finish up all of the Studio Build projects this week and touch up any areas that need attention.

Wichita Design Build Project

2009-06-26T13:01:00.000-07:00

This week I loaded up a trailer and headed to Wichita to do some installation on the bar and the ceiling. After three long days a lot of progress was made. We installed the bar and the the supporting wall, installed all of the support work for the ceiling and framed in all of the light cavities. Most of the work was done in Kansas City and I brought it down and assembeled on site. The pictures are a little lacking not a lot of lights in yet along with a lot of dust in the air doesn't lead to good photos.

Wichita Design Build Project - progress

2009-06-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

Progress is flying along. I should be installing the rest of the Studiobuild pieces in another week. Justin sent us some pics of the cabinets installed.

KCHD Awards Gold Award

2009-06-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

I got one award put together to photograph for the upcoming issue of Kansas City Home Design. I can't show all sides since it shows one of the winners so these photos will have to do for now. Photo's by Bob Greenspan Photography.

Kansas City Home Design | Design Excellence Awards

2009-06-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

Studiobuild has been hired to build a series of 54 awards for Kansas City Home Design magazine's Design Excellence Awards. Initially the project was viewed as an easy simple project, however we failed to realize the complexities involved integrating the text involved with an award with a form that can be replicated that many times. Studiobuild also entered a few projects so there is a chance we may be building awards for ourself, nothing like a little pressure. The awards are constructed of a concrete base (it helps having a concrete guru available to help) with a solid walnut cap. The pic is from the first run of pouring the bases.

Mantle Installation

2009-05-26T14:30:00.001-07:00

On Memorial Day I decided to make a 13 hour workday and take the trip to Wichita to install the mantle. Installation had a few minor issues but nothing a little time and a little fine tuning couldn't handle.
The fireplace before the install. Luckily the previous mantle had the blocking installed in the masonry so that helped to anchor the new mantle.
A shot of the future bar area, drywall is done waiting on Ikea cabinets and paint.

Loading up the Mantle for delivery.

2009-05-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

Some pics of the mantle after I got it sprayed with Lacquer. The green stripe is just masking tape, but I really like the way it looks. That stripe will be painted, once we decide on the color.

Solid Walnut Mantle

2009-05-20T18:47:00.000-07:00

The mantle for Wichita is taking shape fast. One more day and it will be ready for installation, I plan on making the trip and doing the install on Monday. The form is very simple as well as the method of construction, the trickiest part of the project is taking every precautionary measure in assembly to allow the wood to expand and contract with the seasons. Since it is a mantle it will have wide quick changes in moisture level and that could lead to splitting or warping.

re_lume chair

2009-05-07T11:41:00.000-07:00

Finally made it by to take some pics of the re_lume chair at Urbana. Mind you these are not fancy studio pics and the chairs don't even have all of the coats of finish on them. But this should give you and idea of the final form. As soon as I get a set of six done I'll be getting some studio photos taken of them.

Recycled Chair

2009-05-04T08:34:00.000-07:00

A hectic week preparing for the gallery opening at Urbana last week. I struggled with the chair design for most of the week, but in typical fashion pulled things together with just enough time to get it all done.
I worked through the design at full scale with some scrap Maple I had on hand. I tried to document the entire process, but as I got more crunched for time I forgot to photo the stages.
Rotated the legs a bit, changed the taper on the seats. I really struggled with the seat.
I skipped about a days worth of frustration with the pics. Taking the chair apart cutting carving glueing. Then I realized that I had to start the final chairs or I wouldn't have time to finish. So here is a pic of the Mahogany glued up for the seat and back of one chair.
Then magically they completed themselves and loading up in the truck ready for delivery. I'll be taking better pictures in a few days check back for some details of the chair.

Busy Weekend

2009-04-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

Had a very busy weekend of work. Bob Greenspan was kind enough to give me a little of his time on Sunday to take some really nice pictures of the Ipe Planters.

Exciting News

2009-04-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

Just got out of a meeting with James Reves at Urbana Modern Furniture Studio, looks like studio build is going to have a few pieces on display next friday. Its the second First Friday event of the year in the Crossroads Art District of KC, should be a really fun and cool time. The pieces will be for sale. Keep checking back next week for updates of what will be in the gallery.

Landscaping update

2009-04-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

Wrapped up the finishing touches on the landscaping project. Just waiting for the planter parts to get back from the powdercoating and galvanizing.

Planter Mock Up

2009-04-09T07:26:00.000-07:00

Finally got all the pieces for the planter and assembled one to work out issues. Obviously I tweaked a few things and I'm going to have to have the end panels trimmed so they sit down flush. Decided to have the ends powdercoated, and the brackets galvanized. So looks like finished planters won't be around till the end of next week.

Mantle Joint

2009-04-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

Slowly making progress on the mantle in the midst of trying to get the planters built. I detail of the corner of the mantle test fitting.

Planter Update

2009-04-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

I've been busy the last few days working out the details of the planters. Working with local artist Robert Stel on the steel bracket fabrication. He's a wizard with metal, we've been working on several options for the steel, cold rolled, hot rolled, bent, welded. Looks like we've got all the details figured out and I should be getting the brackets this weekend. I'm really excited I think they are going to turn out really nice.

Ipe and Steel Planter

2009-03-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

A little impromptu project came together this week. Working on a small landscape intervention for a repeat client, through the design process we determined that the program called for a flexible design that allowed the client to change out sculpture and patio furniture frequently. Fixed beds and permanent screening elements limited the flexibility. A little digging and I found some local FSC certified Ipe scraps for a good price allowing us to recycle waste into a usable product. So Here you have the Ipe and Steel Planter - I'm working on a fancy name for it ISteel sounds like a titanium ipod or something. I am making several of these planters and the color options are unlimited so if you like what you see place your order now!

Progress

2009-03-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

Just a pic of the mantle under construction.

Consultation

2009-03-24T13:37:00.001-07:00

We have been getting several request for small scale project consultation. Its a really unique service that we are adding to our arsenal. I low cost quick consultation that helps you solve your problems. Often times people hesitate to hire someone for advice it is expensive to go through the entire design process. More often than not a little small scale design intervention will greatly impact a space.

It is a simple process that usually begins with an email to us that says something to the effect of help me with a little design project. It can be a piece of furniture you need help building or buying, a quick landscape design question, or even a home remodeling question. Every project is different and for an inexpensive fee we provide design insight, product expertise, and construction experience.

With Spring officially sprung here are a couple of landscape projects we have worked on in the past few weeks.
A new client asked us to do a quick design study of their existing home and help develop an overall plan for the updating of the exterior of their home. The client is handling the landscape installation on their own, we were strictly their for ideas and expertise. After a few meetings and some light design work we came up with a design plan for reworking their front landscaping a new color scheme for the house to tie everything together.

A previous client wished to clean up and landscape his front yard before a party coming up in a few weeks. Studio Build is going to be working on the installation so a quick sketch showing the design intent to get him to sign off was required. A little bit of work in sketchup was all that was needed to move forward. More pictures in the coming weeks.

Wichita Design Build Project - Construction Bid Set

2009-03-11T14:08:00.001-07:00

Construction is going to begin soon on the project. We are starting to build several pieces of the project next week. The bid set drawings went out to a local contractor today so hopefully the numbers come in favorably and the project will begin soon.

Wichita Design Build Project - progress

2009-03-06T13:18:00.000-08:00

The project in Wichita is coming along nicely. Knowing construction was not going to start until the spring of 09 the design process on the project occured at a very leisurely pace. Studio Build is going to be bulding several of the more complex portions of the project. More updates to follow.

Mahogany Bench

2009-02-08T10:20:00.000-08:00

Lawrence Mid Century Modern Update

2009-01-02T15:13:00.000-08:00

Well I'm almost complete with my little project in Lawrence. The flooring is installed and I'm getting pretty good at installing that floating cork floor. I scrounged up a couple more little projects here and there and I'll blog about them as I get some work done on them. It looks as if the construction side of Studio Build has hit a little slow patch so the next couple of weeks will be spent in the office doing some design work. Maybe if things stay slow I'll get to build some furniture, I have a pile of Mahogany in the garage thats just screaming to be used. If you have any projects that could use my services feel free to email.

Lawrence Mid Century Modern

2008-12-05T06:30:00.000-08:00

Studio Build is working on another Mid Century Modern project in Lawrence currently. It started with a redesign and remodel on their kitchen but due to financing the kitchen remodel is going to have to wait. We are replacing the flooring in the majority of the first floor with new Cork planks from Black River Flooring. More pictures as we get into construction in the next week or two. The house was built in 1955 and designed by the architect Warren Heylman, a Washington State architect. It has some really cool features, including original Mahogany paneling throughout.

Wichita Design Build Project

2008-11-02T17:27:00.000-08:00

I was hired a few months ago for what is probably the official first Design/Build job. I've done many projects in the last few months with some design with a lower case d. This is the first job that the Design/Build process is starting with Design with a capitol D. The project is in Wichita, Kansas working for an awesome client. The recently purchased a large Mid Century Modern home that had an unflattering addition put on sometime in the 80's. So the first phase of the project is to remodel the existing Bar and make it work cohesively with the living room of the home. Here are some images of the design in the Schematic Design phase. The ideas were expressed and the client loved the direction the project is taking. They even said one of the nicest compliments I've heard in a while, "wow we never would have thought of doing that" The design will be resolved in the next month so more images will follow, construction is slated to start next spring.

Landscape Design

2008-10-12T18:46:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of a recent small project we tackled for a repeat client. It was a fun little project the owner had a stack of limestone on his property that we were able to use for a small retaining wall/ edging. We hauled in 8 dump truck loads of dirt, took away two dump truck loads of brush, and spent about $800 in plant material. Two days of hard work later we made a huge difference for his back patio.

before

after

Walnut Platform Bed

2008-08-27T18:42:00.000-07:00

Recently I completed the construction of a Walnut platform bed. After searching and searching and being unhappy with the availablity of a reasonably priced bed that was constructed with quality hardwoods. I decided to design and build one for myself, the process was drawn out over several months and worked on between various other jobs. The design of the bed went through many variations and ultimately changed during the actual construction of the bed. I think of design as a fluid process and often the best design decisions occur mid construction.
This was the design of the bed when construction commenced.
A photo during construction in the shop.

Retro Inferno Record Storage

2008-08-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

This project is a custom designed record storage unit for Rod Parks, owner of Retro Inferno here in Kansas city. Retro inferno is Kansas City's premier shop for mid century modern furnishings, so as you can imagine he has pretty decent taste. These photos are of the finished product. The piece is made up of individual units allowing it to be arranged and re-arranged many times to produce a new form. The shell of each unit is constructed of Baltic birch plywood with the back being walnut plywood. This allowed for a nice contrast in color and created a great backing for Rod's collection of Nelson clocks. You can see more images of this project in this months issue of Kansas City Spaces magazine.

First Project Completed!

2008-08-12T20:32:00.001-07:00

Work wrapped up on the Castillian Project a few weeks ago. The rotted beams were removed and replaced followed by some caulk and paint. The before and after pictures don't really show how much work was done since we just replaced the beams. Around the new pavers we hand shoveled in about 9 tons of Dakota River Rock. As with any project a few hurdles jumped in our way but we worked past them and ended up fixing a few electrical issues along with our project.

Castillian Project under construction.

2008-07-11T07:27:00.001-07:00

Work has started on the project. Demolition took place on Tuesday and the concrete was formed and poured on Thursday. We went with a slightly dyed concrete to set the steps off of the new driveway once it goes in. Next we will remove the rest of the rotted material and rebuild the arbor. More pics to come.

A shot after demolition.

Current Work

2008-06-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

The latest project is a new entry patio for a Drummond Castillian. Not a large project but it should be a fun one. Construction is slated to start in a few weeks, so I'll be updating pictures and drawings of the design.

The main challenge of the project is reworking the entry sequence into the house by replacing the concrete walkway with something appropriate.

Custom Dresser Design & Build

2008-06-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

This custom dresser was a collaboration with the client. Constructed of Baltic Birch plywood with solid Walnut and Paduak drawer fronts. Special attention was paid to the selection of the Walnut to get a consistant graining.

A shot of the dresser in location.

Detail of the Baltic Birch and Paduak drawer pull.

The Baltic Birch was mitered on all edges.Detail of the Drawers. Full extension drawer hardware with Baltic Birch drawer boxes. Walnut drawer bottoms.

Detail of the connection between the Paduak drawer pull and the Walnut drawer front.

The dresser was completed in the Spring of 2008.

The Manifesto:

2008-06-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

StudioBuild started with the idea that integrating the process of designing and building is the best method of project delivery. StudioBuild's hands on process is a method that evolves with each new project type. With an extensive construction background and on going relationships within the field, we feel that in order to properly serve our clients it is best to take the traditional Architect as Master Builder role. Spending time working out a design and the process of construction with our own hands in addition to thinking them out conceptually on paper.

Currently we are in the process of becoming licensed Architects, a process that started at Kansas State University College of Architecture, followed then with internships at several Kansas City Architecture firms. Now that we have completed the internship process we are studying and preparing to take the licensure exams.

Our wide range of experience and interest spans many forms of design and construction. We are interested in any project type or scale, no project is too large or too small. We are comfortable working on everything from your entire house, your kitchen, your kitchen table, to your kitchen sink. We like remodels, new construction, furniture design, and landscape design. So if you have a project in mind and want to have some fun with the design build process please contact us.

jerad.studiobld(at)gmail.com