Craftsman Style Interior Detail - Wainscot INTRODUCTION Before The Architect added this Craftsman Style interior detail text on wainscot to a plan set's D5 [5th sheet of cross-referenced details], after recognizing that design guidance could be formative, and ought to be identified as... ( added 1 year 250 days ago.)

Stone and Brick Masonry Watertables – Custom Home Design Tips This e-article addresses watertables in context of both custom home design and construction. DEFINITION ( IN EXTREMIS ) A watertable (this custom home designer's spelling preference; a/k/a: water table, water-table; offset, rarely) – ... ( added 1 year 273 days ago.)

Planning a Radon Mitigation System For a Custom Home – Radon Mitigation System Design and Construction INTRODUCTION This article addresses practical aspects of radon mitigation design and construction in a custom home plan.* SETTING THE STAGE Before The Architect (BTA) was chosen recently to develop a custom home plan, including a radon... ( added 1 year 273 days ago.)

Stud Wall Design Standards INTRODUCTION Almost everybody’s got ‘em – stud walls. They’re the bones of almost all houses in the US . Building them is mostly regarded as commodity work. Did you know that the design of wood stud walls can ( added 2 years 130 days ago.)

Home Lighting - Interior Design Case Study #3, Advanced Applications INTRODUCTION This is the third of three case study articles on the interior design of home lighting as uniquely presented in Before The Architect custom home plans This advanced applications article may better be appreciated by... ( added 2 years 133 days ago.)

Home Plan Design – Design Harmony and Proportion INTRODUCTION This article is meant as a reference toolbox for home plan design harmony and proportion. The author prefers to deal with the practical how-to of it subsequently. The author, a custom home designer, suggests that there's a place in... ( added 2 years 136 days ago.)

Home Lighting - Interior Design Case Study #2, Advanced Applications INTRODUCTION This is the second of three case study articles on the interior design of home lighting as uniquely presented in Before The Architect custom home plans. This advanced applications article may better be appreciated by... ( added 2 years 137 days ago.)

Home Lighting - Interior Design Case Study #1, Basic Application INTRODUCTION This is the first of three case study articles on the interior design of home lighting as uniquely presented in Before The Architect custom home plans This article starts up slow and easy The other two... ( added 2 years 141 days ago.)

Home Footing Drain, Slab Drain INTRODUCTION Drainage from runoff and below-grade water poses primary concern for lots of folks Loss of property and health get involved This subject is fundamental to the safety of a home’s occupants These... ( added 2 years 145 days ago.)

Home Building – House Frame Work, Part 2 INTRODUCTION This article is the second of two about the fundamental materials and methods of house frame work in building a home HOUSE FRAME WORK Smoke-stopping Shall be At fireblocked abuts to habitable... ( added 2 years 147 days ago.)

Home Building – House Frame Work, Part 1 From my perspective as custom home designer, draftsman, and builder, a master carpenter has the toughest job of any tradesman on a site, being the one not only to lead in forming up a structure from two dimensions of lines to three dimensions of... ( added 2 years 148 days ago.)

Exterior Masonry Wall Construction INTRODUCTION This article is about guidance in the construction of an exterior masonry wall of a single course, or wythe, over blocked or placed concrete wall. DESIGN STANDARDS IN CONSTRUCTION OF AN EXTERIOR MASONRY WALL, OR WYTHE ... ( added 2 years 153 days ago.)

Home Frame – Floor Structure, Ceiling Structure - Joists INTRODUCTION This article is about home frame standards for joists. Way more than you'll likely find anywhere else. Home frame "joists" can be end joists or joist ends, common or field joists, head joists or joist heads, ribbons... ( added 2 years 155 days ago.)

House Finishing - Trim and Clad INTRODUCTION A small part of this article is about clad refers to and extends code Most of this article is about house finishing trim and clad sorted out during years at the granite knee of life experience Rushing... ( added 2 years 158 days ago.)

Home Electricity – Electrical Circuit Design INTRODUCTION This article is about one major matter of crucial interest – electrical circuit design. Home electricity is a frequent hit on Before The Architect’s website. Electrical circuit design in a home seems to some... ( added 2 years 159 days ago.)

House Finishing - Doors and Windows INTRODUCTION Doors and windows are key to custom home design – interior and exterior Both command lines of sight Additionally, doors command traffic patterns ( added 2 years 160 days ago.)

Home Plan Detail - Door Plan INTRODUCTION Home plan detail of door and window plans demand close attention and a lot of specifics. This article is about home door plan details. ( added 2 years 161 days ago.)

Home Foundation Design Details – Concrete Design INTRODUCTION A home foundation design of concrete is not forever, but you won’t know the difference in your time For some, concrete designing details for a home foundation – mixing concrete and placing concrete – is their day job ... ( added 2 years 162 days ago.)

Home Floor Design - Home Finishing Flooring Standards INTRODUCTION Designing home finish flooring involves standards of science and art. The science is mostly about materials stability and durability. The art is about experience in preparation and application. This... ( added 2 years 164 days ago.)

House Concrete Projects, Reinforcement - Rebar Design Standards INTRODUCTION Foundation contractors can be as obdurate as their medium when it comes to house concrete projects, including reinforcement rebar design. If they’re engineers, too, this litany won’t surprise ‘em much at all. But... ( added 2 years 165 days ago.)

Home Stock Plans – The Good, Bad, and Ugly INTRODUCTION As custom home designers, drafters, and home plan consultants, Before The Architect has been asked its opinion of stock home plans – You know, already-done home design plans, home building plans of a few to several sheets... ( added 2 years 167 days ago.)

Home Electrical Design, Electrical Devices - House Receptacle INTRODUCTION The most common electrical devices in a home are receptacles and switches. This article is about house receptacles. Herein after You’ll come across home electrical design guidance which Exceeds... ( added 2 years 167 days ago.)

Home Electrical Design, Electrical Devices - Home Switch INTRODUCTION The most common electrical devices in a home are receptacles and switches. This article is about home switches. Herein after You’ll come across home electrical design guidance which Exceeds... ( added 2 years 167 days ago.)

Learning Design - Home Design Career Training - A Letter to D. A recent, college graduate asked how we custom home designers at Before The Architect could guide her in developing her passion for professional design, in learning to design. Herewith, in reply . . . . . . . . . . . . Dear D., ( added 2 years 168 days ago.)

Home Deck Designs - Deck Safety, Attaching Deck to House INTRODUCTION This article is about crucial safety in design and construction of deck ledger attachment. Know a swell way to wreck a deck? Break things? Hurt people? Poorly attach the ledger to house structure and the deck... ( added 2 years 174 days ago.)