3. Greenwood Beach Road, Tiburon, CA Challenges This landmark quality residence had every conceivable challenge a project could have including a combination of logistics, sensitive ecological concerns, tight spatial constraints, complicated shotcrete designs, complex MEP design/build contracts with integrated active solar hydronic heating systems for the house and pool. Also, the electrical system was designed for future PV retrofit. Since the plan incorporated a 75' Olympic length infinity swimming pool retainer wall built six feet over the high water mark of the SF Bay, I worked with inspectors from the SF Bay Conservation and Development Commission insuring conformance to strict environmental mitigation standards. The other main challenge was that the project was also adjacent to the Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary and Interpretive Center that attracts thousands of people every year making access a daily issue. The initial challenge was that the owner dismissed the architect before the project began. This left the owner, the engineers and me to deal with an incomplete set of plans. Despite these hurdles and 128 change orders, the project was completed 2 months before the outside delivery date and only 5% over the $3.7M initial budget.
5. Edgewood RoadRedwood City, CA Insurance Replacement Springs Construction contracted to replace a vintage farmhouse built at the turn of the century that had burned beyond repair. There were plenty of pictures and a footprint, however we could not use the existing foundation due to the seismic engineering criteria necessary in California. The plans called for a pier and grade beam foundation with 16” diameter piers at 15 foot depth. The soil report showed standing water and a creek stone layer at 8’ in the test bores closest to the adjacent live creek. My experience on another job taught me that most or all the piers would have to be cased which would add an unknown cost to the foundation contract. I met with the engineer and designed a floating slab foundation which had a footing depth of 36”. This saved the home owner over a hundred thousand dollars on the foundation alone. Other value engineered features brought the home within the insurance replacement budget.
7. La Honda RoadWoodside, CA Dream Victorian With our family growing out of our little house in Woodside, California, we decided to build a new home on the adjacent lot. My wife requested a Victorian style house. Since I grew up in San Francisco and worked on vintage homes there, I knew how those houses were built. Start with a shell and dress it up until you run out of money. Three and a half miles of molded stock and a hundred cast plaster and Fypon ornamental brackets, corbels, plinths, etc. we had an authentic Victorian in the redwoods. This home was three stories and 4500 sq. ft.
9. Park AvenueSan Carlos, CA The Perfect Remodel The family in a 1400 sq. ft. home in San Carlos decided to do a major renovation and second story addition after they just completed a high end kitchen remodel. Due to California seismic and engineering codes, we must add a lot of structural steel and retrofit hardware so we built a plywood cocoon around the kitchen and completed this project in less than six months. Since this original 1950 vintage home had no insulation, we tore off the stucco, installed seismic hold-downs, insulated and installed shear ply on the outside leaving the interior drywall undamaged. With ever changing engineering codes, small lots and planning restrictions which make it necessary to offset the second floor walls inside the lower floor, it is always a challenge to complete these projects in six months. I have been involved in the design and construction of dozens of second story additions in the San Francisco peninsula.
11. Harding AvenueRedwood City, CA Swiss Chalet Upon returning from a high school leadership camp in Leysin Switzerland, my son Mike brought back pictures of very old high mountain Swiss homes. He asked if we could finish our personal residence project witha Swiss style, so I let him design the railing detail. We simulated the carved beam ends of a 250 year old chalet with Alaskan Cedar glu-lam beams sawn to shape. I have always liked to do different themes with the houses I design & build. This 2300 sq. ft. house is great for entertaining because the open floor plan naturally flows outdoors to a large tree shaded patio. To line up the existing house and detached garage, I had to make a ten degree bend in the home. This gives a distinctive visual perspective to the front elevation.
13. Vera AvenueRedwood City, CA Classic Craftsman This Craftsman House is a design that was instigated the building department. We bought the house as-is. When we demolished the sheetrock we found that the structure was butchered so badly and termite damage was so extensive that the building department said, “get it out of here.” We used the same floor plan and raised the ceiling height to 9 feet. Then my wife asked if we could do a craftsman style. About that time a friend who is a stone mason from Norway wanted to come to the States for the summer and help finish the house. He certainly out did himself with his signature touches. This house was fun to design and build.
15. Eaton AvenueSan Carlos, CA Art Deco Craftsman The CEO of a silicon valley computer chip company bought a small house on the border of San Carlos and Redwood City. The home was on a year round creek so care was taken to comply with California Fish & Game regulations to mitigate the effects of the demolition and construction of this 2 story home with a basement. The basement consisted of a game room, wine cellar and utilities. Craftsman style renovations are very popular in this neighborhood. The exterior stucco was troweled to an extremely smooth finish which made the home very elegant.
16. Princeton Storage Company, LLC11,000 Sq ft Commercial Storage Facility 201 Airport St. Half Moon Bay, CA
17. Princeton Storage CompanyPrinceton by-the-Sea, CA Commercial Storage Facility One of the first projects upon receiving my contractors license was building an 11,000 sq. ft. self storage facility at the harbor. This 37 unit business has proven to be a profitable investment. It is and always has been 100% full. In the early 80's, the opportunity arose to purchase a half acre of land at the fishing harbor in Half Moon Bay. The zoning was changed from residential to commercial/ industrial in order to support the airport, marine and fishing business which are all located in the area. The airport along with the 369 berths for commercial fishing and recreational boats has made this property a great investment.
18. Design/Build 5000 sq. ft. live-work In 1995 these live/work units were designed and built for a local business concern by Princeton Construction Co.
19. Live/Work Project in Princeton Harbor District 6000 Sq. Ft. project Half Moon Bay area.
20. 3500 Sq. Ft. Warehouse in Princeton Waterfront design brings diversity to the district architecture. Designed by W. H. Baskin.
21. 3500 Sq. Ft. Warehouse in Princeton This space is the home of Mavericks Surf Shop. The Mavericks Surf Competition is held in an area near here where some of the biggest and most dangerous waves attract the best surfers in the world.
22. 80 unit Mini-Storage building Mini-storage built for Coastside Self Storage in 1989.
