By Lorianna Kastrop, Vice President, The Kastrop Group, Inc. Architects Ice Sculptures at Hometown Holidays in downtown Redwood City As a...

By Lorianna Kastrop, Vice President, The Kastrop Group, Inc., Architects Lately we have heard that some jurisdictions (cities or...

By Marie Barron, Designer & Lorianna Kastrop, Vice President, The Kastrop Group, Inc., Architects The October 17th anniversary of the...

Carpeting used to be thought of as the “anti-green” flooring material. The industry used VOC’s (volatile organic chemicals) that...

The Common Misconception Many folks mistakenly think that architecture and design are basically the same thing. Architecture can only be...

Unforeseen conditions can sometimes cause a construction project to grow from what was originally planned into a bigger project. When...

Water is precious in California, and we are currently experiencing a severe drought. We must integrate water saving features into the...

When a building owner or developer assesses the feasibility of building out a property, the limiting factor might not be construction...

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...

If you bought an artist’s painting, it would probably never occur to you to paint over it or alter it in any way. If you have the...

On July 1, 2014 new Title 24 standards will go into effect. California’s Title 24 is the part of the state building code that defines...

When you call a lawyer and ask for their professional advice and they talk to you for half an hour, you expect to get a bill for half of...

By now almost everyone is aware that most architects don’t draw their designs at a drafting table with a protractor and a t-square...

I just listened to a webinar sponsored by the Stanford Center for Professional Development. The speaker was Sam L. Savage and the topic...

We just got a call from a potential client who wants to get her home “legalized”. Legalization is a process whereby an architect works...

One of the most common questions in our business is “What triggers the need for a building permit?” The law is not completely clear on...

“If you build it, they will come,” is an oft-quoted expression from the baseball movie “Field of Dreams”, but it holds true for business...

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...

Happy New Year everyone, and along with a fresh calendar comes a revision to the building code. The new code is called the 2013...

At the holidays I’m always cheered by decorations in the windows of homes and businesses. Other than signage, windows are the most...