News

Things This Architect Was Thankful For in 2012

Happy Holidays, Everyone! It's that time of year again, and that means Jeff reflects on all that has happened in the last year of personal and professional life. As always, it's been an exciting year!

Jeff Pelletier

December 24, 2012

PHEW! 2012 has been one hell of a year!

I'm still here.  The last few months have been super exciting here at Board and Vellum and they've been setting up for a rewarding 2013 with a slew of projects starting construction.  I went into 2012 knowing that it would be the busiest year of my life both professionally and personally and I can confirm that I was indeed spot on with that determination.  So much great stuff happened and it has been a pleasure to get to know some new clients and help other clients move into their homes or places of work.  Helping people see the finish line on their projects is one of the greatest rewards of what we do here at Board and Vellum.

So, in no particular order here are the things that made me grateful in 2012:

• Bungalow West finished the majority of construction (with some exterior work left to be completed in the spring) and the clients are back in their house and loving the new space.  I can't wait to get some photos of this addition as I'm really happy with how it turned out.  There's a great lesson in this project for how to be a dedicated and involved homeowner as it really pays off during construction.

  
  Loft in one of the children's bedrooms. By adding a loft, a small bedroom gains some extra square footage and additional 'cool' factor.

• I'm a dad now! When I mentioned that I knew I'd be busy both professionally and personally, this is what I meant!  My partner, (er, husband now that it is legal) and I had been planning to have a child now for 3 years and this year it finally came together.  On December 16th, our wonderful surrogate gave birth to our awesome little son Kellen.  It has only been 8 days but I'm settling into the lack of sleep and feeding rituals.  I can't wait to see what kind of man he'll become.

  

  

• Storybook Style Remodel. I've been working on this project behind the scenes for a while now but this was the year that we got the scheme we wanted nailed down and I think the clients are going to be so pleased with how it finally turns out.  This house is going to be full of whimsy, traditional detailing, and cozy spaces.  I LOVE getting to work on a variety of design styles and this is one I find myself waking up at 3am and jotting down sketches for.  Fun!  And here's a little history on what "storybook style" actually is.

• Small retail projects are super rewarding. One thing I need to better convey on my website is how much retail work we do here at Board & Vellum.  Retail is about 1/3 of our project mix and a good chunk of that are very small projects for clients who have a very specific need to add some seats to their cafe or figure out an exiting issue with the Fire Department breathing down their necks.  Solving complicated code problems is what we do here and I love helping clients solve their problems.  Being an architect isn't just about designing the killer spaces but also about helping people operate their business with a peace of mind that what they are doing is to code.

• Amazon.  This one is pretty random but 2012 was the year I really embraced my Amazon Prime membership and realized how damn handy Amazon was.  I had used them for years but never relied upon them the way I do now.  I know there are some haters out there but for me there just isn't any better online retailer out there.  The fact that they are TRANSFORMING the local economy is another massive plus.  I can't thank them enough for instilling confidence into the people who live in Seattle.

• International Style Kitchen and Bathroom Remodel: This isn't one of my bigger projects but is one of my favorites that just started up a little over a month ago.  This remodel and addition is for a historically significant International Style house and the clients are so involved and so caring about how it all looks.  I can't tell you enough how much I love what I do!

• Finished Basements! I've written about this before but finishing up a basement is such a great use of space and your remodel dollars.  I'm working on a couple right now but there's one that I LOVE.  By sheer coincidence, these clients are incorporating a LEGO room into their plans.  I can't even begin to describe how cool this is.  And I'm even designing a recessed cove in the ceiling for a LEGO train to circle the ceiling!!! THIS IS SO COOL!  I swear if I didn't need to pay my bills I'd do this one for free.

  

• I'm back in my house.  Starting in March I moved out of my house for a full house remodel.  We're now back in and although things aren't 100% finished, it is starting to feel like home.  In the new year, I'll be getting it photographed and I can't wait to show it to you as I'm very proud of the way we were able to make the home live so much larger with no actual additional space.

  
  Here's a shot of the Master Bathroom.

• Ryan. Ryan has blogged on here a couple of times and since he started here back in April he's made such an enormous impact here at Board & Vellum.  Ryan has worked his butt off and made a great impact on each project he works on.  He's been helping out the other two guys who help out from time to time (I joke that Board & Vellum has two and change employees) and helping set a standard of excellence in all that we do.

  
  Photographed by Gordon Lee.

• Ada's! Construction started this past week on Ada's Technical Books and Café on 15th Avenue East.  There are so many other projects I'm so grateful for that I haven't mentioned but this is one that is so dear to me because it is in my neighborhood.  Being an Architect, one of the most important things to me is to provide a positive benefit to the community I live in.  I want to see the work that I design contribute to a greater sense of neighborhood.  This adaptive re-use of an older house with an addition of a newer modern structure is EXACTLY the kind of project that reflects my values.  This project has it all and I think it will be such a community asset.  Bookstore, office space, cafe, community room, outdoor seating.  AWESOME!  Coupled with the fact that we get to work with a stellar contractor, Model Remodel, and this is something that will be a source of much reward in 2012!

For the sake of brevity, I'll stop at 10 things but there are so many more.  The Modern Cantilevered Residence will be starting construction, I'm working on a freaking hookah lounge (come on! how awesome is that?), I'm working on some sweet second story additions, we have a new house (the Urban Farmhouse) in for permit, a great little backyard cottage, and Board & Vellum will be going on three years!  How time flies. There's so much to be grateful for but first and foremost, I am grateful for the ability to do what I love for a living and help out good people.  It doesn't get any better than that if you ask me.  Stay honest, stay dedicated, treat people the way you'd like to be treated yourself, and good things happen.

Happy Holidays, Everyone!