Waldo Fire: Rebuilding or Restoring Your Home

The Waldo fire in Colorado Springs, Colorado was devastating and our hearts go out to all that were affected. Numerous employees at Godden | Sudik were personally affected by this event and we would like to help by providing as much helpful information here on our blog. 

Below you will find the content issued by the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department on homeowners' options for rebuilding their homes. Please visit their website for more information http://www.pprbd.org/.

In response to the catastrophic fire in Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Regional Building Department will

use the following scenarios to assist those who lost or suffered damage to their home. Any one of the

following 4 scenarios may be used when applicable. Upon completion of the scope of work defined for

a permit associated with scenario 1; 2 or 3, a Certificate of Occupancy will be issued. No Certificate of

Occupancy will be issued for a permit using scenario 4. Please contact Mindy Stuemke @ 327-2903 or

Bob Croft@ 327-2914 to discuss if these scenarios will not work for your particular situation.

1. Use of existing foundation, same house:

If Regional Building has the original plans, the only document required will be a letter from a

licensed engineer stating that existing foundation is acceptable for rebuild. RBD will issue, at a

minimum fee, a demolition permit for removal of fire debris. This permit is required to monitor

removal activity and be sure fall protection is installed around the open foundation as required

by code(2011 PPRBC). The single family dwelling shell can be constructed according to the plans

on file with the issuance of a new remodel permit (434). The permit cost will be based on the

cost of square footage with attachments for Electrical/Mechanical and Plumbing trades at a

minimum fee. The interior finish portion of the house may not be required to meet all current

structural or design criteria of the 2009 IRC, but will be required to meet all life/ safety

requirements and other design provisions that benefit the owner such as, but not limited to,

State Electrical Code, smoke and CO detectors, energy conservation, etc.

2. Non-use of existing foundation, same house:

If Regional Building has the original plans, the documentation required will be a letter from a

licensed engineer stating that foundation is not safe for rebuild and submittal of a new

foundation plan for review/approval. RBD will issue a wrecking permit at a minimum fee for

total removal of foundation and all fire debris. This permit is required to monitor removal

activity and to be sure the foundation excavation is backfilled or protected according to code

(2011 PPRBC). With this option, a new single family dwelling permit (101) will be issued based

on the cost of square footage and no other trades will need to attach, this will be a universal

permit. The construction of the foundation must comply with all applicable provisions of the

2009 IRC. Inspections may be made by the engineer of record. The remaining portion of the

structure located above the foundation may be constructed as outlined in # 1 above.

3. Building new home (different from original) at existing location:

Process will be the same as any new single family dwelling plan/ permit submittal currently in

place. http://www.pprbd.org/plancheck/PLCK_RESGuide_2012.pdf One set of plans,

including engineered foundation, site plan, all construction docs and duct design components to

comply with 2009 IRC.

4. Repair of existing structure due to fire damage:

Process will be the same as any remodel for an existing residential structure.

Houzz Images

Many of our recent custom home clients have stumbled upon a great resource for current and prospective homeowners, industry professionals and really, just anyone who loves design! Houzz is a website where you can upload photos of your projects and tag them by style, space and location. Much like www.pinterest.com, you can also create idea books/boards and link these to Facebook to share with friends and family or just use them to store ideas for your dream house!

The site is very easy to use, for example, if you were trying to gather ideas for a meeting with your architect for a modern style home, you can go to www.houzz.com, click on the modern category, filter ever further by exterior (or any other space you like) and over 6,500 images instantly appear!

We encourage you to check out this website and view our recently uploaded photos of some of our award winning Parade of Homes. www.houzz.com For additional images of projects completed by Godden | Sudik Architects, please visit our website!

La Grande Cannoli at Reunion

ACE Mentor Program

For the last 7 years Alex Jewett, our Associate Principal, has been participating as a volunteer with the ACE Mentor Program.  At Godden | Sudik Architects we are always looking for ways to contribute to the community and this is just one of the many programs our employees are involved in.

 The ACE Mentor Program of America, Inc. was founded in 1994 and stands for Architecture, Construction and Engineering. The program focuses on mentoring high school students and inspiring them to pursue careers within design and construction. 

 This year, 15 different high schools participated in the program, include Smokey Hill High School, the school where Alex mentors.  During a 15 week program the students work on a studio project based on an actual site within Denver area.  To help gain a basic understanding of the various fields within Architecture, Construction, and Engineering; mentors, such as Alex, give presentations on different disciplines that pertain to the program and project.  The mentors then help guide the students  while they develop their designs.  Once the designs are complete students give a five minute presentation of their project to actual professional within the industry.  At the end of the program ACE holds a "Dollars for Scholars" dinner for students, parents, mentors, and sponsors.  The dinner is designed to identify those students that excelled in the program and who are graduating high school.  If any of these students are continuing on to college to study one of the various fields they are awarded a scholarship. This year $36,000 in scholarships were awarded to nine students. 

 This great program offers students interested in architecture, construction or engineering an opportunity to gain some knowledge prior to college about the industry and have some very valuable hands-on-experience with industry professionals.

For more information about ACE Mentor Program or to contribute

 to the program, please visit http://www.acementor.org/.

Box City

Denver recently wrapped up their annual Box City day which Godden | Sudik Architects, in past years,has had employees volunteer for. The event is a great example of how the Denver Metro Area is educating kids in a really fun way about historic preservation and urban design. They use items such as boxes, empty paper towel rolls, art supplies, etc. to create buildings and communities based on their own creativity.

This is an annual event that is open to the public and is a really great experience for kids!

Check out AIA Colorado's website for more information and pictures http://aiacolorado.org/events/COArchitectureMonth/BoxCity.aspx.

Verona Active Adult Community

Recently, the Godden | Sudik Architecture team went to our 50+ Active Adult living community, Verona. The 6 unit townhome has been completed for a few months now and the 10 unit condominium building is under construction. Completing frame walks of projects done within the firm is a great way for us to learn more about what our colleagues are working on and different construction methods employed throughout the firm and industry. Below are some pictures taken by people within the office of the frame walk.

Please check www.goddensudik.com for a link to our YouTube page with a video of the frame walk.

Denver's Housing Market

Here at Godden | Sudik Architects we have noticed a trend in the Denver Metro Area. Within our office, it would be easier to say who hasn't recently bought a single family home or is currently looking. It seems homes are moving so quickly, that if you don't schedule a showing for a desirable home within the first 24-hours it is listed AND make an offer, you will miss out on a great opportunity.  A recent article in the Denver Post stated, "Denver is No. 2 in the nation for the shortest length of time that a home is listed before being sold ..." It can be frustrating and stressful, but in the end, it's really a great thing! It means that our economy is really bouncing back and people are feeling safe enough to make large purchases, such as homes! With the economy being down for so long and builders choosing to build more townhomes and apartments the past few years, this has left the Denver Metro Area with a single family housing shortage. 

So, we would like to know, how many of you have recently bought or are looking to buy?

The High Line - New York City

New York City is made up of numerous high rises, subways and people. It would be an understatement to say that New York City, with a population of 1,585,873 within only 22.96 square miles, is a crowded place to live. When you have 69,464 neighbors within a square mile, you learn to use every inch of space you have. The City of New York City has learned this as well and a prime example of this is the High Line. 

Originally built in the 1930's, it raised freight traffic 30 feet off the ground removing dangerous trains from pedestrian paths. The line was closed in the 1980's and sat untouched for many years. Friends of the High Line, a community-based non-profit group, formed in 1999 when the historic structure was under threat of demolition. Friends of the High Line works in partnership with the City of New York to preserve and maintain the structure as an elevated public park. 

The project was approved in 2002 and construction for the rehabilitation of the line began in 2006 and the final stretch of the project opened in spring of 2011. The project is a brilliant example of rehabilitation and attention to detail. When walking down the stretch, layers of the sidewalk seamlessly merge into the landscape, benches grown out of the ground and original train tracks guide the wheels of the lounges.

Along side the High Line, new residential buildings have been erected along side hundred year old buildings, creating an architecturally intriguing backdrop for your journey down the path.  The mixture of the old and new is a constant reminder as you wind down this landscaped trail elevated above all the commotion that everything in this city is used carefully.

Before Construction Began (image
from www.highline.org)

Original Design of the High Line by 
James Corner Field Operations, 
Diller Scofidio + Renfro and 
Piet Oudolf

For more information about the High Line please check out www.thehighline.org.