Author: cammi

In the 11 year history of Custom Design Services and in the accumulation of years of our experience, we are often asked by new clients to share our education and skills. In those early discussions we talk about our education and experience leading up to working for our clients through CDS and we always explain that we are not architects, but building designers. Some people have never heard of a building designer and some have specifically come to us because we are not architects.

In 1857 a group of architects formed the American Institute of Architects in order to prevent masons, carpenters and other craftsmen from calling them selves architects. News of the organization spread rapidly and only 30 years later, there were chapters in 11 other cities. In 1886, Louise Bethune became the first woman member of AIA! In 1897 Illinois began licensing their architects and it was more than 50 years before all other states were also licensing architects. Frank Lloyd Wright chose not to be licensed until he was in his 70’s and in which prior to that time he designed and built over 300 homes.

Today there are thousands of building designers, like Wright, practicing with out an architectural license. The difference between an architect and a building designer is simply….well there’s actually not much difference in residential design. We design homes and provide construction documents for permitting, bidding and construction. If the city or neighborhood requires it; certified designers can seal the plans as well. Just like architects, designers must follow all the building codes and deed restrictions. The difference is that you are likely to find a great value in the services of a building designer because the fees are generally lower. Designers are also limited to designing homes less than 30,000 square feet, but I am sure that would not be a problem for most people.

One thing to be certain of is that designers and architects alike are suitable and capable of designing beautiful, functional and sustainable homes and either has different levels of talents. The difference for homeowners will be to find the personality and talent that fits their project.

Many designers are certified! Look for the C.P.B.D. (Certified Professional Building Designer) after their name. We are tested in an intensive 20 hour nine part exam on design, code, structure, and architectural history to name a few, by NCBDC, a national, private and independent testing agency. At Custom Design Services, we are proud to have 4 certified designers on staff and we are all members of TIBD and AIBD as well.

Cammi Klier; C.P.B.D. Founder
I am the founder of CDS 11 years ago next month! I have 18 years of experience in the residential home design field and worked for both an architectural firm and a national home building company leading up to the start of CDS in 1997. My degree from Texas State University is a BS in Interior design with masters’ level course work in Landscape Architecture.

Debra Blessman; C.P.B.D. Partner
I have 28 years of experience in the residential home design field. I have worked for a home builder as well as two architectural firms in that time. At the beginning of 2007 I joined CDS as Cammi’s partner. My degree is a five year BS program in Housing and Interior Design that I received at Colorado State University.

Carter Shackelford; C.P.B.D. our resident expert on permitting
I began my career in Pasadena, CA under the watchful eyes of an A.I.A. Architect and Seismic Engineer. I recently returned to Austin, where I graduated from the University of Texas in 1997.

Rob Smith; C.P.B.D. a master of details and construction documents

My 18 yrs in the Land Development Industry gives the team at CDS a unique perspective in site planning on environmentally sensitive and difficult lots. I pay close attention to integrating your residence w/ the natural conditions of the property. I am a conservationist and I believe we should live with our environment instead of restructuring it.

You will have an opportunity to visit with us at the Austin Green Living Home Products Expo on April 18 – 20. Please come by our booth and say Hi, we would love to meet you!

I would like to express sincere gratitude for all those who have enjoyed reading and given us such wonderful feedback about our newsletter. We love to hear from you! Since 2006, I have been the sole writer, but in the coming months you will hear from our other designers and their specific expertise.

In the words of my partner, Debra; “I really think the level of personal service we give is the most critical and striking difference. I really want people to understand about the importance of the orientation of their home and how they are going to live in it and how they will use that home, or why it will be a problem that they want to have vaulted ceilings thru-out the entire house or why they can’t put an HVAC unit under the stairs……and it just goes on from there. It’s not just a design; it’s kind of an enclosed ecosystem! Yes, it should be pleasing to the eye and follow design theories but most importantly it must function for the inhabitants and be a place they love to be in and grow in.”

Using daylight is one of the most delightful ways to light your home. Natural light is a better quality of light and gives you the ability to see true color, the light is broad rather than focused, and its FREE! It is also changing throughout the day which has a relaxing quality.

The first thing to know about daylighting is to know your sun angles. At the Spring and Fall Equinox (March 21, September 21) the solar noon angle is 60 degrees. The Winter Solstice (December 21), the solar noon angle is 37 degrees and the Summer Solstice (June 21), the solar noon angle is 83 degrees. Keep in mind that when the sun in our region is high noon, the angle from 90 degrees is toward the South. This is why the light from the North is so nice; there is never any direct sunlight.

In our region, it is about the time of the Spring Equinox when we begin to need cooling in our homes. So it stands to reason that if we can cover our South facing windows at a 60 degree angle, we can keep out unwanted sun when it is warm, but invite it in when it is cold. Consider that the lower your window is to the floor, the longer the overhang or window cover should be.

For the East side windows, protect those rooms you desire to keep the morning sun out of, but let it shine into a breakfast room or master bathroom! The West side needs to be covered well by covered patios or deep window overhangs. Trees and hills help on this side too. The North side will never get direct sunlight, so let the light in!

Doing these things can keep the direct sunlight out of your home where it is not wanted, but let indirect natural light in. Here are some ways to use windows to let in more natural light. Use high windows along the top of a wall, especially if you desire light on a West wall, or if there is an unwanted view. Clerestory windows are a great way to capture indirect light, especially when the direct light bounces off of a wall first before entering your space. On North walls, use wide windows to not only let in the light, but also the outdoors making your rooms feel more spacious.

In interior rooms, use a partial wall from an adjoining exterior room to let the light filter in. Open floor plans are great ways to distribute light with out walls, but creating partial walls to help divide spaces can let the light in where it is wanted. Also consider tubular skylights which reflect the light inside the tube creating a bright, but natural light source.

Lastly, when designing your home, remember to properly orient your home to allow desirable natural light into the rooms where you want it most like the living rooms and bedrooms. The long side of your home should face North and South, leaving the shorter sides and less surface area to be exposed to the East and West. If you are currently living in a home where undesirable light is keeping your blinds closed, consider building a roof overhang to let only the best daylight in!

Happy New Year, dear friends and thank you for enjoying my newsletter over the past year. It has been great to hear your feedback about my articles, thank you for that too. I have written about many topics, some not having to do with Green building but Green living. I believe these 2 go hand in hand.

It is great to see what is currently happening with people “Living Green”. Green is everywhere; it is the “in” thing. This is good, even if for some it is just a fad. You see it everywhere, more organic choices in more grocery stores, more awareness and knowledge about alternative treatments for what ails you, and more ways to recycle and buy recycled products. For example, not only are organic food choices good for your body, they are also good for our ground water because fewer chemicals are being used on our crops. And it is good for industry; it has non organic growers and producers wondering “Hmmm…how can I get in on this?”. Creating Green living practices for yourself and setting an example for others puts more demand on the supply of natural and organic products.

For some of us, the beginning of living Green was recycling, some were interested in building their home Green and others wanted to provide a more natural lifestyle for their families. For some it was a way of life they already had, then when it hit the news they said “Hey, I already do that!” and went out to learn more. Help others get their start in living Green!!

Here are a few tips on recycling right! Did you know that these things cannot be put in your recycling bin?
– Paper clips and staples can jam a recycled paper machine and ruin a whole batch of recycled paper. Make sure you are careful that you remove these from your paper before it is recycled.
– Anything that has a waxy coating like paper milk containers, juice boxes and paper gift bags cannot be recycled. These papers cannot absorb water and cannot be made into a pulp to be recycled.
– Only #1 and #2 plastic bottles can be recycled at the curb, and throw all caps and lids in the garbage.
– Box board cannot be recycled at the curb. Box board is thin card board from cereal boxes and the like. But don’t throw it away, collect it in a paper grocery sack and take it to a recycling center like Ecology-Action.

You can recycle at the curb:
– cans like soup and pet food cans.
– corrugated boxes, but they need to be flattened and tied with a string.
Here is a great poster from Austin Energy that you can post next to your recycling area at your home. http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/sws/downloads/recycling-info.pdf

If you would like to recycle more, Ecology-Action takes many items that cannot be recycled at the curb. It is simple and you can find out more at their website, http://www.ecology-action.org

Stay Tuned… for an upcoming newsletter about Day-lighting your home. How can you get the most out of the Sun’s power for lighting?

Also, watch for an upcoming newsletter about plug load.  For most residences, our typical energy use is for heating and cooling, lighting and anything that is plugged in to our outlets. Our appliances alone can account for about 40% of our total energy use; one big one is computers that stay on 24/7. What is your plug load?

Please help me do a little survey:
Do you know where your electric meter is? Can you read it? Here is how.

Try this:
Look at your meter with the following things in use, then turned off. Email your results to us at info@cdshomedesign.com
Computer and monitor
TV
Microwave
One incandescent light in a typical room (if you use only compact fluorescents, good for you and omit this one from the survey!!)