CDK Architects

We're happy to be included in Austin Home Magazine's 2018 Resource Guide: Architects, along with many other skilled professionals.

2018 Home Resource Guide: Architects The quality of architecture in Austin has received rave reviews thanks in large part to the plethora of skilled professionals who have been practicing here for years.

Jen's latest article for Dwell.com. Enjoy!

https://www.dwell.com/article/qanda-with-an-architect-about-what-its-like-to-design-your-own-home-13f453d1

Q&A With an Architect About What it's Like to Design Your Own Home When you're an architect, designing your own home is a dream come true. Or is it?

This is a new home that replaced an existing 1949 home in Rosedale. The design concept for the new house is “Mid Century Modern Meets Modern.” This is clearly a new home, but we wanted to give reverence to the neighborhood and its roots.

It was important to us to re-purpose the old home. Rather than demolishing it, we worked with our contractor to disassemble the house piece by piece, eventually donating about 80% of the home to Habitat for Humanity. The wood floors were salvaged and reused on the new fireplace wall.

The home contains 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, plus a home office and a music studio, totaling 2,650 HVAC square feet.
One of the home’s most striking features is its large vaulted ceiling in the Living/Dining/Kitchen area. Substantial clerestory windows provide treetop views and bring dappled light into the space from high above.

There’s natural light in every room in the house. Balancing the desire for natural light and privacy was very important, as was the connection to nature.

What we hoped to achieve was a fun, flexible home with beautiful light and a nice balance of public and private spaces. We also wanted a home that would adapt to a growing family but would still fit our needs far into the future. The end result is a home with a calming, organic feel to it.

Google has a new tool for helping you figure out if your home is a good candidate for solar panels. Check it out!

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603866/googles-new-tool-says-nearly-80-percent-of-roofs-are-sunny-enough-for-solar-panels/

Google’s new tool says nearly 80 percent of U.S. rooftops are sunny enough for solar panels The company’s Project Sunroof lets you look up your house and helps you decide whether to invest in your own clean power plant.