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COVID-19 Pandemic: Is there a silver lining to the black cloud?
By Lorianna Kastrop, Vice President/CFO, The Kastrop Group, Inc. Architects As I’m writing this, I am praying for the soonest possible...
Lorianna Kastrop
Apr 10, 20203 min read
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Case Study: 640 Maple Street, Part 3
Now Complete! In case you missed them, here’s the two preceding parts to this blog series. Part 1: The Vision and Design Process Part 2:...
Lorianna Kastrop
Jun 5, 20182 min read
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Residential Design: Include your pets in your plans
We consider the needs of children, possibly aging parents/in-laws, and our client’s tastes and desires when designing or remodeling homes....
Lorianna Kastrop
Apr 6, 20183 min read
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Accessory Dwelling Units: The changes to California state law that you need to know
By Lorianna Kastrop, Vice President, The Kastrop Group, Inc. Architects The Bay Area is experiencing a housing availability crisis and...
Lorianna Kastrop
Jun 28, 20173 min read
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The Importance of a Preliminary Construction Estimate
By Lorianna Kastrop, Vice President, The Kastrop Group, Inc. Architects One of the services we provide to our clients is to obtain a...
Lorianna Kastrop
Jul 13, 20162 min read
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Difficult Times for Small Projects: Contractor Bids per square foot way over average
By Lorianna Kastrop, Vice President, The Kastrop Group, Inc. Architects We are seeing a disturbing trend when getting contractor bids for...
Lorianna Kastrop
Jun 29, 20163 min read
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Follow-up on a lost project lead: We told you so, but aren’t happy about it
By Lorianna Kastrop, Vice President, The Kastrop Group, Inc. Architects “Upside Down House,” in Bispingen, Germany. I would like to share...
Lorianna Kastrop
Dec 8, 20153 min read
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Just for fun: Different viewpoints on property value
By Lorianna Kastrop, Vice President, The Kastrop Group, Inc., Architects The point that I’d like to make with this joke is that as we all...
Lorianna Kastrop
Aug 11, 20152 min read
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Home Office: Can you get the tax deduction?
By Lorianna Kastrop, Vice President, The Kastrop Group, Inc. Architects For telecommuters, the home office must be established at the...
Lorianna Kastrop
Mar 31, 20152 min read
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Structural Engineers’ Dilemma: How to deal with bad advice from a City or County Planner?
By Lorianna Kastrop, Vice President, The Kastrop Group, Inc., Architects Lately we have heard that some jurisdictions (cities or...
Lorianna Kastrop
Nov 4, 20142 min read
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Architect or Designer– What’s the difference?
Many folks mistakenly think that architecture and design are basically the same thing. Architecture can only be performed by a licensed...
Lorianna Kastrop
Sep 9, 20142 min read
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Project Creep: A Cautionary Tale
Unforeseen conditions can sometimes cause a construction project to grow from what was originally planned into a bigger project. When...
Lorianna Kastrop
Aug 26, 20143 min read
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Water Saving Ideas for Home and Office
Water is precious in California, and we are currently experiencing a severe drought. We must integrate water saving features into the...
Lorianna Kastrop
Aug 12, 20143 min read
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Remodel for your own needs and enjoyment
For someone who doesn’t really like to cook, I LOVE my new kitchen. You’ve heard the old expression, “The cobbler’s children have no...
Lorianna Kastrop
Jul 15, 20143 min read
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Project Management: Expect the Unexpected
I just listened to a webinar sponsored by the Stanford Center for Professional Development. The speaker was Sam L. Savage and the topic...
Lorianna Kastrop
Mar 25, 20143 min read
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Architect or Starchitect?
The other day we received a referral from a friend who told us that her son and his wife wanted to remodel their home but were afraid to...
Lorianna Kastrop
Jan 29, 20143 min read
2 views


Windows Create Magic
At the holidays I’m always cheered by decorations in the windows of homes and businesses. Other than signage, windows are the most...
Lorianna Kastrop
Dec 19, 20132 min read
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Want to build next summer? Now is the time to start.
It is very common for businesses and homeowners to wait until the springtime to get started on improvements to their buildings. Better...
Lorianna Kastrop
Nov 12, 20132 min read
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Project Sites — What is Ordinary?
The other day a potential client contacted our company for a consultation about adding on to his home . We asked for his address and a...
Lorianna Kastrop
May 1, 20132 min read
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Ask an Architect #1
Editor’s note: Welcome to Ask an Architect, a regular feature on the Kastrop Group blog. Each question is answered by Principal...
Lorianna Kastrop
Sep 12, 20126 min read
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