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Constructional design and cost estimates
or: questions architects can’t really answer, but why you should totally hire one.
When you’re thinking about starting a building project of any kind, two standard questions are: “Will it stand up?” and “Can I afford this?” Unfortunately, for an architect, these questions can be difficult to answer. In our projects, we can give rough estimates, but we rely on professionals to help us with detailed projections.
A cost estimate
A while ago I was asked by someone what it would cost to build a new set of stairs. The information that I had to go on was that it concerned an existing attic ladder that was to be replaced by proper stairs. The hole for the current ladder would need to be plugged and new stairs would have to be added elsewhere. The floor was made of concrete and the floor height was about 2.6m (8.5ft). The new stairs had to be made of wood, with one corner.
My first reaction was along the lines of: it depends on the kind of stairs you want to build. But I asked a professional building cost estimator and he replied in about an hour with the following information:
Demolishing stairs and sealing the hole: €500
Painting the ceiling: €200
Making the new hole: €2000
New pinewood stairs: €1200
New hardwood stairs: €2500
Placing the stairs: €800
Painting: €500
Of course, these are also rough estimates, but much more detailed than what I would be able to offer on my own.
If you have a question about costs, the best thing to do is to get in touch with a cost estimator for larger projects, or just ask a contractor for a quote directly.
A construction estimate
Another time, someone else asked me about a hobby of theirs. They had recently bought an apartment, which was built in 1988, and they wanted to know if they could store some material. It was about 600kg that would occupy about 1.4m². The floor in question was the ground floor, below which was a parking garage and above which were three more floors. The load bearing walls were 150mm reinforced concrete.
For me, this was not enough information to go on. I asked someone I know from university, who’s in the construction design business. She said:
If I had to estimate, the total weight of the floor, including safety factors, is already about 25.86kN/m² and about 5.80kN/m² would be added to that. That’s an increase of over 25% and I’m pretty sure they didn’t reinforce the floor to take those kinds of loads.
So to be safe, I advised this person not to try it out. If you really want to know something about the construction of a building that you live in, the best thing to do is most likely to go to your local city archives and get the drawings for your building. Especially for newer buildings, there should be plenty of information to use. Getting a construction estimate for a simple job, like an addition, can be as cheap as a few hundred euros or dollars.
How can architects help with these kinds of questions?
Even though these are not the kinds of questions that architects normally deal with, we can often make informed guesstimates that would tell you something is or is not possible. But more importantly than that, these kinds of questions are often part of a larger project. For instance, the stairs could be part of a house renovation. In such a situation, it is never a bad idea to hire an architect. We regularly take care that technical details involving construction are taken into account, and we are able to work towards a budget.
So if you are considering a building project and don’t want to deal with cost estimates or constructional design yourself, definitely consider hiring an architect!
cover photo: Samuel Zeller
Madurodam Expansion
After a lengthy battle, theme park Madurodam has recently secured approval from the city council of The Hague for its expansion, even though its previous expansion was allowed on the condition of no further expansions into the Scheveningse Bosjes—Scheveningen Forest, a public park. The expansion into the park is the reason many people disagree with the plan; they feel that green space should not be sacrificed for tourism. Estimates say that at least 100 trees will have to be cut down for the current plan, which calls for a 6,000m² enlargement.
Earlier plans were aiming for 42,000m² and 17,000m². The 6,000m² compromise is the main reason that several parties in the city council, who were against earlier plans for expansion, now voted to allow Madurodam to expand. Some parties are against the current plans and several nearby residents’ organizations are planning a protest.
But I say: why compromise at all?
In this case, we should be able to have our cake, and eat it, too. Take a look at the Bosco Verticale tower in Milan. It’s a set of towers that hosts over 900 trees in their 111 and 76-meter heights. It proves that buildings and green space can integrate beautifully.
One winter evening I was inspired and did a quick Photoshop of how Madurodam could expand without taking away from the Scheveningse Bosjes—even adding trees to the current stock. It’s not great in terms of artistic quality, but the point is that I think it should be doable to allow a Madurodam expansion without the negative consequences. It would keep the owners of the park, as well as the city council and residents happy. Not to mention the trees!
Tiled floor or wood floor?
Don’t you just love a nice wooden floor?
The question
The first question for this blog comes from Texas. Loretta asks:
Would you please look at the floor plans attached with:
- Kitchen and entry tile; the rest wood floors
- Entire entryway and kitchen tiled; wood stairs with tile landing (2nd floor will be wood, so stairs should either match tile or wood upstairs)
- All wood floors except entry
…and let me know which of them work?
Attached were the following pictures:
The answer
In general, you can say that putting wooden floors in a kitchen is a bad idea. Spills happen—a kitchen is inherently a messy environment. You wouldn’t want to drop an egg or olive oil and have it leave a permanent stain on your beautiful floor. There are exceptions to this rule; you could install site-finished wooden floors or an engineered hardwood floor. The reason these work is that they have a finish on top of the wood. For more information, check out this handy guide by The Spruce.
But you should also keep in mind possible scratches and dings, especially in the kitchen, as well as regular wear and tear on the wood. This is the main reason for tiling the entryway—this is a high-traffic zone that will see probably the most foot traffic in any given house.
As far as price goes, wooden flooring can cost anywhere from €15/$17 – €25/$28 for a traditional, non-glued floor, to €25/$28 – €35/$40 for a glued wooden floor. Tiled floors can go from €15/$17 – €60/$67 for ceramic tiles, to €30/$34 – €80/$90 for natural stone. These prices are per square meter.
One thing you’ll have to watch out for when combining a wooden floor with tiles is that the wood and tile will likely be a different thickness. You can usually solve this with the screed floor. It’s nicer if everything is equal, no tripping hazard. Another consideration is the way the wood meets the tile. You can get creative with this: check out this example on Pinterest. Patterned tiles also work well (Pinterest link), or using one floor board as a delimiter (Pinterest link).
So for practical reasons, I would go with option B. Although personally, I wouldn’t do the landing in the stairs with tiles. I feel like that would break up the flow too much, as you’d go from tile, to wood, to tile, to wood.
Postscript
In the end, Loretta went with all wooden floors, to make it easier. Connecting wood to tile floors is not entirely straightforward. There was another practical consideration, as she was not yet living in the house. It’s always better to make a decision when you can actually experience the space. However she admitted that she will probably have to replace the wood in the kitchen at some point anyway, so we may see tiles yet!
cover photo: Breather