karen chew designs and studio

Go with the flow...French drains and this example of a simple dissipator. Keep rainwater flowing away from your foundation and house, with well positioned downspouts and gutters.

Batten down those hatches: - here's some basic homeowner guidelines.

Check your local Public Works Department for free sandbags and other types of help.

Stay away from problematic standing water, especially if near sewer systems. The water can be tainted, so keep yourself and your pets from wading in it.

Winter Storm Preparedness | City of Redwood City Visit www.RedwoodCity.org/StormPrep for storm updates and more info on what to do before, during and after storms. County residents can now dial 2-1-1 for non-emergency storm information, such as sandbag pickup locations, shelters, and reporting downed trees.

Things have changed up cost wise, time wise, etc. as you can imagine and have read about. The desire and need for remodels and alterations has grown substantially as people continue to balance home and work life, let alone working from home.
Do expect a longer timeline for everything, from design phase to plans, permit processing, even before construction. Patience is key.

As the tiers continue to shift downward (and stay that way), do check in with your local Building and Planning Dept folks to see if their permit processes have also shifted. Lots of work going on these days - ADU's, Jr. ADU's, additions, remodels and the feeling that "wfh" has pushed these projects forward.

Yeah, it's a bummer that lumber and steel prices have soared - hang in there. With some luck, it'll decrease as transportation costs settled back down. Hope springs eternal.

http://smsf-mastergardeners.ucanr.edu/Monthly_Garden_Checklist/
Seeing that we're all spending more time at home, here's a great garden checklist for those of you in SM and SF counties, approx /zone 3.

They've got a wonderful free monthly newsletter. Classes are via Zoom and feature Master Gardeners with excellent advice and information.

Monthly Garden Checklist - Master Gardeners of San Mateo & San Francisco Counties

Here's the link to San Mateo County's Building and Planning Dept. Covid19 schedule and info: https://planning.smcgov.org/press-release/department-services-update

Department Services Update | Planning and Building

Here's Redwood City's Shelter in Place regs for construction projects. It's fairly typical in relationship to other jurisdictions, but please do check with your local Building and Planning Dept. folks.

At this time, life safety issues and urgent repairs will get highest priority, then projects in progress, then new projects.

SIP/Covid19 added a few months of waiting for one of my bigger addition/kitchen remodel projects, but we got the permit and can now start building.

Cover photo: the guys are framing and setting up to install a radiant floor system.

Thinking about building an ADU/Accessory Dwelling Unit on your property? Here's a good example of what's required for an ADU - Redwood City's checklist. It's comprehensive, fair and a good place to start. Keep in mind that you'll need to check with your specific Building and Planning Department folks, but this will give you an idea. If your property is in RWC proper, then this will definitely apply to your project.

https://www.redwoodcity.org/home/showdocument?id=19438

Not much to update re. San Mateo County Building and Planning Dept status! You'd have to check in with your local City Hall folks to see how open they are for business. Each jurisdiction differs from another.

That being said, this is still a great time to plan, design, and explore your project desires. I was able to measure a 1,500 sf home in a few hours last week while masked. I then use that data to create an existing floor plan that serves as the baseline for the project. More to come!

Do check with your local jurisdiction's current public health orders regarding residential and commercial building projects. In some areas, we've got a go sign, but with attention to social distancing, wearing facemasks and taking careful precautions among contractor and crew members, homeowners, design professionals, and CIty staff.

Stay strong and healthy, everyone!

Hello - looks like our SF Bay Area might slowly work into reopening. Let's all be safe (than sorry). I've been working on some remodel/addition projects remotely and will continue to do so until we get a bit more traction and distance from Covid-19.

Do check into your local Building Dept.'s Shelter-in-Place rules if you're interested in remodeling. In some cities, you may be allowed to apply for permit with proper documents, while in others, the Building Dept is closed.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Live around the SF Bay Area, esp San Mateo County? Thinking about remodeling your kitchen or bathroom? You can start the process now, since you're hanging out at home.

First, purge and reorganize. Get rid of those unwanted personal belongings, recycle old books, unfinished craft projects and the like. Whether you donate, sell, barter or toss, it will help you create better feng shui and bring more energy to your home. The last thing you want is an expensive remodel and/or addition storing stuff you don't want.

We can work (almost or all) remotely on your project. The first thing I'll need are accurate dimensions of your existing floor plan. In most cases, I usually visit once to meet you, which now can be done via Zoom; another visit to measure, and maybe another visit at another time to take exterior measurements.

Next steps....
1A. I can come out to your home (with gloves, mask, and freshly-washed clothes) and I'll take all interior measurements in order to generate an existing floor plan. If your windows and walls are relatively free and clear to get to, I won't have to touch anything in order to measure walls, windows, closets and anything existing. I'm happy to wipe down any surfaces that I've touched anything as I leave each room.

Or 1B: If you can read a tape measure, I can teach you what you need to measure - ie, all walls (length, openings), windows (size, type, location on wall), rooms, etc.. - so that I can generate an existing floor plan for you. Accuracy is highly required, especially if you're thinking about adding on. This might be a preferred route to keep things super clean.

From the existing floor plan, I'll create schematic designs that reflect your wishes and desires. If you need a hard copy to work from (best way), I'll have copies made and sent to you or drop off if you're especially in or close to Redwood City. I can also simply scan and email to you for feedback. I sketch by hand for ease and simplicity, and I include lots of notes so you'll be asking yourself the right questions and working towards informed decisions.

When we've arrived at a design that really meets your needs, I can then begin the drawings for a building permit. In some cases, there will be other steps and permits.
More info to come soon! Hope I can be of help to you.

Sheltering in place? If you need a distraction, consider a little spring cleaning. Feng shui wise, it will help move stagnant energy and get things purring again. One shelf, five minutes at a time will work!

I'm one who's sensitive to dustbunnies, so I use a bandanna and my aircleaner if I'm doing a deep cleaning of any particular room. Once I'm done, I use a spritizer with water and maybe a drop or two of a lemon, peppermint, or lavendar essential oil and mist the room. Since water is heavier than dust, the particles will find their way to the ground a little faster. I'll vacuum, then maybe one last spritz.

In the meantime, take care of yourselves - lay low, work, rest, read, be with your loved ones or use tech to stay connected.

Sketching up some fun garden ideas before I send this out. As this couple love to entertain, we could open up the Great Room with full height wooden cafe doors, creating an exterior living room with fire pit focal point. The pathway leads to an Italian dining table and chairs. Enjoy al fresco dining under a pergola covered with bouganvillea, perhaps with some chardonnay grapevines.

At the top (street side) is a bocce court with small tables to enjoy a sip of limoncello or fine Port. Fast-growing, drought-tolerant Italian Cypress trees line the back of the the yard for privacy and some southwest shade.

There's enough room to tuck in herb and veggie alcoves and a box garden for freshly picked morning growies.

Curious about your home and property's past? Here's one example - Redwood City introduced new mapping tools. I use the GIS tool every time I need to know more about a particular house, past permits, zoning info, basic geodata.

Check out your local city's website for similar tools. I'll post more, too.

Redwood City’s New Mapping Tools Search zoning regulations, flood zones, historic districts, permits and property information with new online tools

karen chew designs and studio updated their business hours.

Lot coverage: I'll always encourage you to speak to your Planning Dept folks first and foremost. The typical formula for lot coverage refers to the sum total of the buildings' footprint on your residential property, ie the house, garage, accessory structures that have a permanent foundation, decks taller than 18" and more.

The term lot coverage ratio is the proportion of this sum total divided by the property's area, in square footage.

For neighborhoods in Redwood City, the maximum ratio is 40%. This means that the total sum of all of the buildings cannot exceed 40% of the property area. If your property area is 6,000 sf, then the max is 2,400 sf..

FIgure out your current building footprints, add them up, and then you'll know approximately how much more you can add.

Keep in mind that there are other requirements. We'll talk about that soon.

Busy! But not too busy to chat with you about your residential construction project. Take your time and gather info beforehand:

a. Talk to your local Planning/Zoning Department folks. Find out which zone you're in and what the parameters are for your project.

b. Chat up the Building Dept people, too. They're lonely and like to talk to homeowners, especially nice ones. Find out what the submittal requirements are for your project.

c. Get an idea of what you'd like to change and/or add to your existing home. The more you know, the more it helps us understand your daily routines and special occasions.

To be continued!

Remodeling? Consider getting a HERS tester out to do some simple and relatively inexpensive tests on the heating system, especially pressure test the existing ducting. For about $100-125, the HERS Rater will seal the house up as much as possible, then pressurize the house with air in order to test the seals of the ducts.

Awhile ago, an HVAC contractor was a bit huffy and swore that their ducts were tight and the work was above average. The project required a HERS test, so the ducts were tested and results showed approx. 25-29% leakage. That's a lot of paid-for heated air escaping into the attic and not going into the house. Duct connections tend to be at angles, so there's more chances for leakage.

He had his crew fix all of the ducts and the final test showed less than 5-6%.

If you're in the Bay Area at this time, this might help your outdoor activity plans...

www.purpleair.com

Green 101: CalGreen kicked in as a overarching jurisdictional response to LEED and Build It Green rated single family projects. In general, brand new homes will be required to follow LEED/BiG pathways, plus a side of CalGreen regs, which are the barest of bones of the two other programs.

Smaller additions and remodels will comply with CalGreen regs.

You'll have to look for the submittal requirements of your local Building Department - most are online now.

Thinking about remodeling, adding on? Do check (and recheck) your local zoning regs first. You want to understand some of the basics:

a. Front, side, back setback requirements: It may be a set dimension or a percentage of the lot width.

b. Lot coverage, FAR/Floor Area Ratio, and/or any required formula for the maximum allowable amount of building footprint. Some jurisdictions include covered porches, decks, temporary sheds, etc..

c. Maximum height allowable: if you're on a relatively flat lot, this requirement is approx. 2.5 stories for single family residences, or about 28-32 feet. Check for specific numbers.

d. Any public utility easements, heritage trees, underwater creeks/waterways, hillside lots, unusual characteristics of the lot, area or neighborhood? Check for specifics.

In most towns and cities, there's a number of different zoning districts for residential neighborhoods as well as commercial areas. You need to find out which regs are applicable to your home and property.