Lines To Designs

02/01/2026

Teri Ave
The idea is to add two 20' high boy containers as a second story one bedroom adu without affecting the existing structure. It's also a design exercise using/drawing shipping containers.

The property on Teri Ave in Torrance has a covered patio area extending off of the living room which lent itself to be a space in which the containers could be installed upon a steel frame above.

These containers are very small. I'm getting about 275-300 sq ft of floor area for the two depending on how you choose to measure it. Even if you use 1-5/8" metal studs and allow 1" for spray foam insulation there is very little room for anything but the basics.

There are some serious weather proofing issues here where the steel frame carves into the existing structure. Of course I'm not sure of the exact dimensions, but in hindsight there's probably not enough room to accomodate the concept. You'd have to cut the patio roof off at the wall and then raise the steel frame above the roof, which would create its own height and stair problems.

I still like it, and was happy to dive into the shipping container thing and to continue evolving cabinets, stairs, windows, and roofs. I thought steel storefronts and windows would be appropriate here, so I also drove into that a bit.

08/16/2025

Another hypothetical design, an over the garage ADU, 451 sq ft delux studio in Torrance, C

05/18/2025

Ben Whelan is not the kind of carpenter to wax poetic about the joys of framing a wall or redoing

05/16/2025

RichardGage911:UNLEASHED! · Episode

05/13/2025

Another Personal Drawing Project:
The Site:
6134 kokanee ln po***ck pines ca 9572654 acres/23522 sq ft
El Dorado County
Needs septic, water & power avail
It's been on the market for over 300 days and lists for 45k
Slopes downwatd and has a seasonal stream
Zillow says the topography is forest

West facing is the most favorable orientation since it is sheltered from the cold eastern winter winds and the harsh summer sun and has favorable exposure to the beneficial prevailing summer winds and a nice view.

When I looked at the site, it didn't seem to be nearly as steep as google's terrain interpreted it to be. The apparent steepness seriously complicates and raises the cost due to the extensive foundation work required.

The idea was to design something simple and favorably situated on the site, while also distinctive and attractive with good resale value.
Single Bedroom w/desk, bath w/big shower, kitchen w/island, laundry/utilities rm, built-in cabinetry, covered deck w/built in seating/rail, about 700 sq ft, 20'x35, and is intended to be a comfortable no frills home in a beautiful private forest setting for a couple.
It has a carport with storage and is set back to accommodate an additional parking space.

02/03/2025

LA, the city blighted by fires, had some of the most innovative houses in the world, writes a British-born expert who has lived there for half a century

06/13/2024

Initially conceived as a kitsch small hotel in the image of a monitor barn with a raised center aisle, it became a luxury one bedroom house with an ADU over the garage.
Main house is a one bedroom plus an office, one full bath plus a powder room, master suite, easily configured into a 2-3 bedrooms, big kitchen, dining and living areas.
Lots to talk about here, I know, a little ambitious.
Sq footage:
Main house: 1200 sq ft
Adu/stair: 609 sq ft-studio, essentially with a kitchen, bath, closet, storage, and a living/office area and doors opening to the patios.
Indoor patio: 180-accessible by both residents, a community space.
Garage/utility rm: 580-laundry room is accessed by door between the garages.

The property is at 5202 Wooded Glen Rd in Grizzly Flats, Ca, an essentially flat site.
The community is in the El Dorado forest at about 3500 ft and is an area that got burned out in 2021 by a wildfire when about 1000 homes were lost.
The property is selling for 20k and is zoned for three buildings. It's a little far from civilization for my tastes, but the area may redevelop favorably.

02/24/2024

A $34 million dollar shark tank.

Listen to this episode from Detailed: An original podcast by ARCAT on Spotify. In this episode, Cherise is joined by Scott Crawford, Partner, and Hanna Kato, Associate from LMN Architects in Seattle.They discuss the Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion in Seattle, Washington.You can see the project here...

02/16/2024

Listen to this episode from The Surfer’s Journal presents Soundings with Jamie Brisick on Spotify. The mastermind behind large-scale production of the surfboard blank, Gordon “Grubby” Clark’s pioneering of polyurethane foam in constructing the modern surfboard enabled the progression of surf...

01/30/2024

This is my site of pictures that I've taken of architectural and design items that I happen upon as I trip through this world. It's a personal design resource as well as a reflection off my passion for architectural design, carpentry, woodworking, and construction.

A Design Resource Page for Dovetail Construction.www.dovetailconstruction.tumblr.com.

12/13/2023

Here's my carpentry site, on case you're wondering.

A little handyman carpentry job I did for Rick: Fixed the flow of water coming in during a rain storm by replacing the threshold and door shoe and by replacing the rotted jamb and trim work and then...

12/12/2023

Animation of the previous drawing