CDK Architects

We're happy to be included in Austin Home Magazine's 2018 Resource Guide: Architects, along with many other skilled professionals.

http://www.austinmonthly.com/AHM/November-2017/2018-Home-Resource-Guide-Architects/

2018 Home Resource Guide: Architects The quality of architecture in Austin has received rave reviews thanks in large part to the plethora of skilled professionals who have been practicing here for years.

Loving these creative "under-stair solutions" from Dwell.com.

https://www.dwell.com/article/10-smart-and-surprising-under-stair-design-solutions-1941e111

Here's a photo of an under-stair china cabinet we did for one client. We're always looking for opportunities to get creative and think outside the box...let us know if we can help you!

10 Smart and Surprising Under-Stair Design Solutions

Thank you to Tribeza Magazine for featuring us in their October 2017 issue. We're honored to be included!

http://tribeza.com/local-love-unique-features/

http://tribeza.com/magazine-currentissue/

Local Love: Unique Features - Tribeza Sometimes building something new requires a little out of the box thinking. We asked some local architects to share some of the more unique features...

New article for Dwell.com written by Jen Hill of CDK Architects. If you're considering hiring an Architect, you will probably find this article useful!

https://www.dwell.com/article/how-to-work-with-an-architect-68421cf8

How to Work With an Architect Use this as a guide to finding the right architect for your new home or renovation—and what to expect during the process.

We are so honored to have one of our new homes (Architect Jen Hill's personal residence) featured in the fall issue of Austin Home Monthly. On newsstands now!

Thank you to Fireclay Tile for featuring CDK Architects in this blog post!

https://www.fireclaytile.com/blog/full/installation-stories-at-home-with-chaine-homme/

Installation Stories: At home with Chaine Homme

Things to consider when designing and building a new home in Austin, Texas. It will be interesting to see how things change when CodeNEXT is implemented in 2018. But for now, here are some things you need to know.

https://www.dwell.com/article/everything-you-need-to-know-when-designing-and-building-in-austin-texas-7034fe61

Everything You Need to Know When Designing and Building in Austin, Texas Austin is a rapidly growing city. In March, the U.S. Census Bureau ranked Austin ninth among all U.S. metro areas for population growth from July 2015 to July 2016. The region’s population went up by 2.9% (an average of 159 people per day) during the one-year period.

Another article for Dwell.com. This one is about LEED for new homes. Jen is a LEED Accredited Professional and an advocate for sustainable design and construction.

https://www.dwell.com/article/all-your-questions-answered-about-leed-for-new-homes-35178c4e

All Your Questions Answered About LEED For New Homes You may have heard the term LEED used to describe “green” or “sustainable” buildings. But what exactly is LEED and why would you choose to pursue it for your new home? We’re here to break down the mystery and clear up some questions you may have.

Jen's latest article for Dwell.com. Enjoy!

https://www.dwell.com/article/qanda-with-an-architect-about-what-its-like-to-design-your-own-home-13f453d1

Q&A With an Architect About What it's Like to Design Your Own Home When you're an architect, designing your own home is a dream come true. Or is it?

This is a new home that replaced an existing 1949 home in Rosedale. The design concept for the new house is “Mid Century Modern Meets Modern.” This is clearly a new home, but we wanted to give reverence to the neighborhood and its roots.

It was important to us to re-purpose the old home. Rather than demolishing it, we worked with our contractor to disassemble the house piece by piece, eventually donating about 80% of the home to Habitat for Humanity. The wood floors were salvaged and reused on the new fireplace wall.

The home contains 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, plus a home office and a music studio, totaling 2,650 HVAC square feet.
One of the home’s most striking features is its large vaulted ceiling in the Living/Dining/Kitchen area. Substantial clerestory windows provide treetop views and bring dappled light into the space from high above.

There’s natural light in every room in the house. Balancing the desire for natural light and privacy was very important, as was the connection to nature.

What we hoped to achieve was a fun, flexible home with beautiful light and a nice balance of public and private spaces. We also wanted a home that would adapt to a growing family but would still fit our needs far into the future. The end result is a home with a calming, organic feel to it.

New article for Dwell.com written by Jen Hill of CDK Architects. Enjoy!

https://www.dwell.com/article/6-main-tips-to-consider-when-designing-your-home-for-a-growing-family-951d5673

6 Main Tips to Consider When Designing Your Home For a Growing Family Designing a home is a big commitment. An even bigger commitment is deciding to grow your family. How do you create a home base that’s comfortable for a family of two, but will also function well for a family of four—or more?

Google has a new tool for helping you figure out if your home is a good candidate for solar panels. Check it out!

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603866/googles-new-tool-says-nearly-80-percent-of-roofs-are-sunny-enough-for-solar-panels/

Google’s new tool says nearly 80 percent of U.S. rooftops are sunny enough for solar panels The company’s Project Sunroof lets you look up your house and helps you decide whether to invest in your own clean power plant.

A few progress photos from a project in south Austin. Phase one of the project includes a new screened porch, deck, window wall, bedroom bay window, and roof.

This a really good article about a home in Austin that was designed for a wheelchair user. It explains how good design truly is universal.

http://austin.culturemap.com/news/home-design/02-06-17-houzz-east-austin-home-tour-accessibility-universal-design/?utm_source=daily-digest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=website =0

East Austin hilltop home expertly marries contemporary design and accessibility Universal design's purpose is simple: to create a home that anyone can live in comfortably. Often that translates into mental images of ramps and stairlifts awkwardly installed as an afterthought, ...

We are so proud of our friend Brad Deal (one of CDK's founding members) and his winning film. Take a look for yourself.

More about Brad:

Brad Deal is an assistant professor of architecture at Louisiana Tech University. He is also a filmmaker and the winner of both the Grand Prize and People’s Choice awards for the AIA’s recent I Look Up Film Challenge. His film, Arch 335: Rebuilding Medcamps, is the product of a lengthy collaboration with fellow professor Robert Brooks, Assoc. AIA, and Medcamps, a nonprofit organization that provides free summer camp experiences to children with chronic illnesses and disabilities. In just three minutes and 30 seconds, Deal captures how design has impacted Medcamps’ mission and how architecture’s influence can lead to better lives.

https://vimeo.com/180375122

ARCH 335- Rebuilding Medcamps Film by Brad Deal and Michael Tolar Produced for the 2nd Annual AIA I Look Up Film Challenge

Concrete pour today at one of our new homes in the Zilker neighborhood. More construction photos to come soon!

A fantastic TED Talk about the healing powers of architecture.

https://www.ted.com/playlists/428/the_emotional_impact_of_archit?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=playlist&utm_term=art-design

6 TED Talks on the emotional impact of architecture Examine how the shape and angles of your surroundings can deeply influence the way you interact with the space and people around you.

Our Rosedale home is shaping up nicely! Much of the exterior is finished. Interior drywall is almost complete. Next up: wood floors and cabinets, then tile. Very excited about this one!

Brentwood Kitchen Remodel is complete! Our clients are happy and enjoying their new kitchen. You can see the photos here:

http://www.cdkarchitects.com/portfolio/brentwood-kitchen-remodel/

Brentwood Kitchen Remodel | CDK Architects

Job sign is up for our new home in Rosedale. We're excited to partner with Ranserve, the general contractor, on this build.

Foundation extents are marked and rebar forms for concrete piers are being assembled for our new build in Rosedale. We expect the foundation phase to take 6 weeks. The project should be complete in December of this year. We will post plenty of photos along the way!

CDK Architects is excited to be designing the new space for Sweet Ritual, a vegan ice cream shop located in Austin, TX. Whether you're a vegan or just someone who loves ice cream, Sweet Ritual is THE PLACE to go when you've got a craving for something sweet. Check out their Kickstarter for some awesome perks!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sweetritual/sweet-rituals-brand-new-location?ref=video

Sweet Ritual's Brand New Location! Sweet Ritual is moving into a new location all our own so we can expand our awesome dairy-free ice cream offerings. More vegan treats!

With a quickly growing family, our clients were running out of space in their existing 1,500 square foot home. We remodeled and expanded their existing sunken living room, raising it up to the same level as the rest of the house, and giving it a new roof, fireplace, windows, and french doors. The doors exit to a new covered back porch, providing a comfortable outside space for our clients to sit and rest while watching their children play in the back yard. We also added two kids’ bedrooms, a bathroom, laundry room, coat closet, and space for a built-in desk. The new bedrooms were situated so as to allow light to stream in from two directions, giving them an airy feel and providing nice backyard views. The end result is a more spacious, light-filled home that meets the needs of this family of five.

Photo credit: Jon Bolden

Sometimes small changes can make a big impact!

In this particular example, our clients had planned to add a small office space towards the back of the carport. Our suggestion was to add the office to the front of the house, which would allow us to simultaneously improve the home's curb appeal. We are so pleased with the progress so far.

The first photo is the project before construction, and the second one is an "in progress" construction photo.

We will share photos of the completed project in a few months!

CDK Architects is proud to be featured in the "Who's your architect?" ad in this month's Texas Architect magazine. The image is a shot of a home remodel that we did. Thanks to AIA Austin for the opportunity to be their featured architect for the September/October issue. For more photos of this project (and others), visit our website at www.cdkarchitects.com.

http://issuu.com/taartdir/docs/ta15_09.10_webpreview/40?e=1238403/15216582

(Preview) Texas Architect September/October 2015: Design Awards This issue features the Texas Society of Architects 2015 Design Awards. The 13 selected projects represent a range of typologies, styles, and a distinct Texas vernacular. In their final selections, the jurors — Karl A. Backus, AIA, of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson; Alex Krieger, FAIA, of NBBJ and Harvard…

Last week's Pro Tip Tuesday from Red Chair Market features some tips from CDK Architects about how to bring natural light into spaces such as bathrooms and closets. Natural light is not only great for illuminating spaces, but is also scientifically proven to increase the health of building occupants. Check it out here:
https://www.redchairmarket.com/blog/2015/08/17/pro-tip-tuesday-bringing-light-baths-closets/?utm_source=Red+Chair+Market+Newsletter&utm_campaign=fadb23a47f-pro-news-9-22-14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e30e436121-fadb23a47f-115441825

Bringing Light to Baths and Closets Bring natural light in to closets and baths with clerestory windows.

This was CDK's first venture into the world of retail design, and it couldn't have been for a yummier company. Bourbon Street Candy Co. is rapidly expanding, and we're delighted to help! This is the company's first Austin location. Their second location, in Lakeline Mall, opens soon. After that, it's North Star Mall in San Antonio. Here, beautiful, custom wood cabinetry and dark, rich colors highlight the candy itself - which is definitely the main attraction.

Photos by: Jon Bolden

Back of House Before Renovation

We replaced an existing, leaky roof deck with a beautiful new deck & screened porch for our South Austin clients. They are very happy with the results! Photo Credit: Adolfo Moreno.