What do we mean by healthy office furniture?

Think about it. You spend on average a third of your day sitting at your desk or workstation. Many of us spend additional hours sitting in front of our home computer. It’s no surprise we see individuals leaving the workplace due to soft tissue damage: carpel tunnel and other health related issues directly affecting work productivity. Off gassing of adhesives, paints and stains can cause health issues as well. With a carefully designed workstation you can avoid these pitfalls and injuries to yourself and/or your employees.

Workstation design

L-shaped workstation with Humanscale keyboard support

You’ll notice in the picture taken of my workstation that while I have the traditional or common L-shaped desk design the computer monitors are positioned along the front of the desk as opposed to the corner. This provides ample desk real estate to spread out papers, books, etc. The beauty of the Humanscale® system pictured here is that it allows you the flexibility of the monitor location.

• The task light above the monitors helps prevent glare and prevent a medical condition which I personally suffer from – I call it going blind – the optometrist call it Computer Vision Syndrome.  It’s a type of eye strain from extended periods of use on a computer, which can cause dry eye, headaches and other symptoms.

• The keyboard support helps prevent wrist pain and carpal tunnel syndrome. This particular keyboard has the negative tilt adjustability which helps keep wrists straight – also protecting from injury.

The Accelerator! More commonly known as the footrest offsets the negative effects from sedentary work. Improves circulation, reduces ankle swelling, and relieves lower back pressure.

• My personal favorite component – the Footrest.  I love this thing! Seriously, from day one when I began working at this station I loved having this footrest.  Because it has a rocking ability I like to pretend I’m driving a racecar – great movement for the legs which increases blood circulation and takes pressure off the lower back. Now if they could just create a mouse that’s a little more like a gear shift I could really go turbo at this workstation! All kidding aside the footrest is extremely comfortable for legs and prevents thrombosis of leg, achilles tendon, etc.

• 

  Freedom task chair by Humanscale is designed to be functional and lower your risk of injury.

• The driver’s seat, right behind my accelerator, I mean footrest, is my other favorite piece of furniture – my Freedom chair. It has lumbar support and seems to fit to the natural curve of my back. The seat portion of the chair has an adjustment as well so that you can pull it out laterally for someone with longer/shorter legs.  The armrests move up and down so that when I’m typing my arms have support and line up nicely with the keyboard and mouse.
• No knobs – everything slides to suit that moment’s needs.
• Fabric that breathes – the chairs are made from a plain weave using a blend of nylon.
• Long lasting – 10-years for chair vs. 3-year life of typical office chair
• No wasted corners on desk tops
• Inspiration and design by Nils Diffuient with Humanscale®

• Saddles – triangular shaped cushion stool shaped such that it lowers the thighs, opens up the hips and puts the spine into a healthy lordotic curve.

For more tips on how to make your workstation healthier and turbo charged feel free to contact DFDG.

What are some of your favorite ergonomic office components and have they helped relieve or prevent health issues?

Spring has sprung! Yea that’s right. The glass is half-full. I know I’m itching to start working on home improvements and thought it would be a good time to talk about choosing a builder or contractor for your next big project or remodel. In following our ongoing theme of blogging about Ann Arbor’s Kotarski remodel, I’ll share his insight into the process as well.

NOTE: If you haven’t selected an architect – this should be done as early in the process as possible. Choosing an architect is an important part of the building process.

Educate Yourself

As John Kotarski says, “An educated owner is a happy owner.”  Take time to learn everything you can about the building process.  Look for some good books, research on the web, talk to friends who have been through the process.

A really great (and easy) place to start is home improvement shows. Coming soon to Ann Arbor is NARI Tour of Remodeled Homes on May 14-15 from 12-6 p.m.(click on the image above to download the Tour Guide book). The tour showcases some of the top remodeler’s in southeast Michigan. You’re provided a map and will have the opportunity to walk through as many as 11 different completed remodel projects and the option to speak with the builder and/or architect involved. Great way to see a variety of builders, their work and have the opportunity to ask them questions about their project – all in one day!

The Kotarski’s found the Service Magic website, www.servicemagic.com, a useful tool. If you have an idea of the scope of your project; bathroom remodel, addition, finished basement, you simply describe your project and Service Magic alerts the vendors / trades people screened for your project (for trade license and criminal background). There is no charge for this service. Contractors pay a fee to Service Magic but you are under no obligation to hire the contractor.

Compile a List of Prospective Builders

Contact your local Home Builders Association to obtain a list of licensed builders in your area — ones that specialize in the type of project you’re considering. For Washtenaw County residents, visit Builders and Remodeler’s Association Greater Ann Arbor, click here www.bragannarbor.com.

The Kotarski’s used the above methods to research contractors, in addition to talking to friends, their lawyer and ultimately choosing their builder,  Steve Shutt of Kingston Builders who had sent an informational flyer to their home.

There are two ways to approach the project:

1. Design to Build- select a builder at the time you select the architect and the two work together as a team. Architect brings three builders in and you interview them, pick one and the builder works directly with the architect. More expensive but you avoid the challenges of the Design Bid process. This process is better for someone who wants to be more hands-off then in the Design Bid project.
2. Design and Bid – You select the architect and get the drawing and you open it to bids. You get a cheaper project but you have to be more engaged in it. The challenge is between the design the architect came up with and a builder that had no input in the design. Making those adjustments can be a challenge.

Kotarski researched the top three bidders and when he got down to the one that he was serious about he went out and visited the builder’s job site. He wanted to see how they work and what their site was like. Kotarski said “Craftsman look like craftsman, you can tell if someone has precision tools or ratty tools, etc. You can tell a lot by the type of tools and how they work.”  Make note to examine the condition in which they keep the site, store materials, and have drawings out in the open.

The Interview

Once you have compiled a list of potential builders the next step is the interview. Meet with each builder individually and have a prepared list of questions. A great resource for interview questions is www.buildingplans.com. Another site I found and just love is Ask the Builder. Tim Carter, nationally syndicated newspaper columnist, has an article titled 50 Contractor Interview Questions. This is a MUST read! It’s a bit entertaining and extremely informative. While you may not agree with some of his personal questions – don’t sweat it – just cross those off and move on to the next.

When you call the contractor, be prepared to describe your project and when you would like to begin construction along with a range for your project budget.

Ask for a list of references – past clients that you can go and see their work. It’s also helpful if you can talk to the homeowner to get an idea of what the contractor is like to work with.  Was the build experience a good one?

Have a few questions ready to ask the contractor over the phone. If you feel good about their answers then invite them to meet personally for in-depth interview.

Preliminary Questions:

• Have you completed a job similar to this before?

• Do you have a list of references that I can contact?

• When will you be able to start the job?

• When can we meet in person to further discuss my project?

John was looking for someone who could perform all types of trades; they could pour cement, they could put on roofs, etc. In other words, they are more capable of coming in and fixing problems that come up in the process. You’re not waiting on a subcontracted tradesperson who specializes in that specific area.

No matter what method you choose, as Kotarski says, “You are choosing a contractor in order to build a team – you‘re climbing a mountain and you’re going to need to rely on all team members.”

Terri continues to embrace the remodeling of their home in Ann Arbor with joy and childlike enthusiasm as seen here appearing to lift drywall. A true champion of purposeful optimism!

The Kotarski’s had heard about the challenges and stress a remodel could put on a marriage so they decided to approach the process with purposeful optimism. They then spent the next month literally taking pen to paper and writing down the pros and cons of undertaking something of this magnitude.

They began with writing a narrative that included what they liked and didn’t like in their current home. This narrative would be used as a resource for architects to gain a better understanding of both the Kotarski’s vision for their new home as well as illustrate the problems or existing weaknesses in their home that they were looking to change. But first they had to decide whether they wanted to move ahead with the remodel or sell their existing home and buy something that satisfied the wishes they wrote in their narrative.  The pros and cons to remodeling their existing home looked something like this:

PROS

1. Design a state-of-the-art aging in place home
2. Create a self-sustaining environment to live, play, and grow
3. Create a place to build and sustain life-affirming communities.
4. Develop collaborative skills necessary to become supportive partners as we age.

CONS

1. Will require substantial investments of money and time.
2. Will require rapid-change decision making.
3. Will require personal compromise.
4. Will require substantive risk and substantive failure.

They determined that they were willing to spend money commensurate with the value added to their home (return on investment) while maintaining a savings cushion.

The question I was pondering, and perhaps you are as well, is a recession a good time to stay in your existing home? With home prices at record lows it feels like a great time to buy but conversely, it feels like a bad time to sell. Are property values remaining stable or are they on the rise? So I went to a local real estate professional, long time friend and community advocate, Cindy Glahn of Real Estate One, in search of answers.

Cindy Glahn, realtor

Julanne: Are property values remaining stable or are they continuing to drop (or any increase)?

Cindy: Washtenaw County actually saw an increase in property values the first six months of 2010 but the second six months decreased and reverted to the beginning of the year values.  As a result, we are in a stable market but definitely leaning towards an increasing market value especially if you factor in how low current inventory levels are today.

Julanne: A gentleman recently told me “Small is the new Big” – would you agree? Are people downsizing?

Cindy: I believe that the most desirable homes now and into the future are homes that are less than 2800 sq ft.  People, especially the kids that will be buying in the next decade, do not want to be house poor.  People are downsizing when it makes sense for their family and their lifestyle.  If people are considering downsizing, now is the time to make that move.  Homes priced under $250,000 are going to rebound the quickest and homes $300,000 and up are going to take longer to come back.  So if you are downsizing and don’t buy while the lower end homes are still low, you will end up losing when you sell and buy.

Julanne: Are you seeing more homeowners deciding to stay in their existing home, foregoing selling their home and buying up to making improvements to their existing home?

Cindy: This is a case by case situation.  Many people are staying in their home because they are upside down or they just can’t stomach the thought of selling their home at its current value.

The choice to stay or go is one that takes much thought and reflection – not only based on finance and economy but on what will bring your family the most joy. Because in the end, the house we all come home to should be our sanctuary,our great escape — a place to live, laugh and love with family and friends.

Note: Be sure to watch for our next blog about choosing a builder.

Damian Farrell at Kotarski site with Steve Shutt and his son Aaron Shutt discussing the construction.

Trying to choose an architect can feel a bit like trying to find a good doctor. Where do you look? What questions do you ask? How do you protect yourself and your investment – your home?

An obvious great first step is to ask friends, family or co-workers who have recently requisitioned an architect. Referrals are always a great option but not necessarily your best. In the example of choosing a doctor, the qualities your friend may consider make a “great” doctor, may not be the same as yours. It goes the same in choosing an architect.

Second option is to search out and research local architects – online, brochures and information sheets at local home building supply stores are a good starting point — another useful resource is the AIA, American Institute of Architects. They provide a list of accredited architects according to location, project type and scale. You’ll also find on the AIA site a list of questions to ask when interviewing an architect. For example, “What sets your firm apart from other architects with similar experience?” Questions regarding fee schedule. “If the scope of the project changes later in the project, will there be additional fees? How will these fees be justified? How will this be communicated to me?”  Click here to see the entire list of interview questions.

Third option is to attend local talks given by area builders or architects. Check out your local universities. The Kotarski’s attended a talk given by an architect at the public library. They enjoyed the talk and samples of the architects work so he became one of their candidates.

Another great resource is to call your local lumber store and ask them for referrals. Because they see a lot of construction documents they know who provides the most detailed, well executed plans.

You may also try talking to local small business owners. Most small business owners have used an architect to create their office space and many of those architects have experience in home remodel as well.

This leads me to my next important point. Be sure to ask the architect how much experience they have in home remodel. What percentage of their work is spent in residential? Then, don’t be afraid to ask for referrals. Ask if they will provide contact information for past clients. When you contact the past client ask them if the plans were accurate, deadlines were met, budgets were adhered to – their overall experience.

Once you have pooled together a few architects to interview, what’s your next step?

The Kotarski’s had this brilliant idea to write a narrative that included what they liked and didn’t like in their current home. This narrative would be used as a resource for architects to gain a better understanding of both the Kotarski’s vision for their new home as well as illustrate the problems or existing weaknesses in their home that they were looking to remodel. The narrative quite simply said, this is what we like…this is what we don’t like.

In addition to the written narrative there was a visual narrative as well. All this was uploaded to Picasa with a link which was sent to potential architects.

John made an interesting observation “When you put something to writing, it’s different then if you verbalize it, because you carefully craft things.” He continues, “By going through this process you end up emphasizing certain things, whether you realize it or not.” And a good architect will pick up on these subtle nuances.

First Steps Necessary

1. Create a one-page narrative to provide to architect.

2. Interview architect to answer following questions.

• What are the steps necessary to proceed?
• What is a reasonable timetable?
• What are reasonable estimates of the costs of construction?
• What will be the architects’ fees?

For a complete list of interview questions, visit www.aia.org

While the Kotarski’s followed all the above advice; researching, picking up brochures, attending the local NARI Home Remodeler’s Tour, their architect was discovered in a unique way. They had visited the DTE site researching energy-saving tips for their new remodel and contacted a local energy consultant with questions. That consultant turned out to be a local architect, Damian Farrell Design Group, who eventually won the bid to do the design work for the Kotarski’s.

The interesting part is not just the discovery of the architect but the process John describes in interviewing the architects. Prior to meeting with each potential architect, John emailed them a copy of his narrative. When they came to his home to discuss his projects can you believe that some architects had not actually taken the time to review the narrative? Certainly made John and his wife’s job a little easier in their elimination process!

The Kotarski’s found most architects were not willing to sit down with them to respond to the narrative and throw out broad concepts and ideas. In their experience they found some people were inflexible and wanted a contract first.

According to John, when Damian, of Damian Farrell Design Group showed up for the meeting he had reviewed the narrative along with photos that had been sent to him. He opened up a discussion about what were some of the possibilities. He listened to John’s ideas. As Damian  explains, “You’re trying to get the client excited about what all the possibilities are.”

As John tells the story, Damian said something like, “What if we moved the kitchen here to there?” and John said “Well, what do you mean?” “Well, move the kitchen from here to there.” “You mean, move the kitchen from here to there?”

Somewhat comical, it was a process and these were big ideas for the Kotarski’s to be able to envision and embrace. According to John, Damian walked them carefully through this process and ongoing dialogue to make sure they would be comfortable with these visions he had for their new home.

Damian describes this initial meeting as a process of discussing and approving ideas. “The initial meeting between an architect and potential client is about do we gel. This first meeting is about personality, broad concepts – there’s a lot of arm waving and pointing.”

Damian understood from reading their narrative that cooking and entertaining were an integral part of the Kotarski’s life so once there was a contract between them his designs reflected this.

I’m sure you can interview 12 different remodeling clients and get 12 different experiences of choosing an architect. But I think it’s important to remember that choosing an architect is more than just about their great design talent and ethical business practices, it’s about choosing someone who you have good chemistry with.  A home remodel can be a long and challenging process so you want to make sure you’re architect is someone you trust. Choosing an architect, like choosing your doctor requires a little bit of faith.

So you’ve been thinking about making some improvements to your home. Who of us haven’t? How do you go from just thinking, dare I say dreaming, of remodeling your home to taking the big leap and going for it?

In an ongoing series of blogs, local Ann Arbor educator and resident, John Kotarski shares with me some of he and his wife’s methodology in deciding to remodel their home.

During the early discussions when the Kotarski’s decided they were going to remodel they talked about ways they could make this experience more of an adventure. They did what they termed “purposeful optimism”. They purposely and consciously created a frame of mind that says, “the glass is half-full”.

We’ve all heard the horror stories of couples excitedly beginning their dream house project only to end up at each other’s throats half-way through the process due to stress and unanticipated problems or delays. The Kotarski’s wanted to make sure they did everything possible to avoid this scenario. As John put it, “Terri and I were just married and didn’t want building our dream home to wreck our marriage. So we purposefully turned it into an adventure.”

I think the Kotarski strategy in forging into a remodel project could be a lesson to many of us in other areas of our lives as well. It begs the question; can purposeful optimism create a life free of stress and anxiety?

For myself and my husband we used this same strategy when we decided to build our home. My husband had this fabulous idea that we move in with his mother after the quick sale of our existing home (boy, don’t we all miss those days of the quick home sale). I can see your faces as you’re reading this – moving in with your mother-in-law? Are you insane? While I had my concerns about moving in with anyone, let alone my mother-in-law, I decided much like the Kotarski, that if I was going to do this I had to go into it with the right mind set – purposeful optimism. I decided that by moving in, I would have the unique opportunity to get closer to my mother-in-law, learn more about her and gain a new understanding and appreciation for who she is.

I can honestly say that I grew closer to my mother-in-law and have a better relationship with her today because of that experience. I’m very grateful. I believe that out of every situation in life that you are presented with you get out of it what you put into it. We’re all presented with challenges, struggles, and obstacles in life – that is not what defines us. How we handle these challenges – that is what defines us.

The Kotarski’s are nearing the finish line of this remodel process and as you can see from the enthusiasm on Terri’s face, in photos above, they have gone into this process not only with a purposeful optimism, but with a childlike enthusiasm and zeal for the project.  They look at the newness and unknown through the eyes of a child – hungry for answers and at the same time thrilled at the new discoveries.

John shared his wife Terri’s enthusiasm with me, “My wife is a medieval scholar at U of M, so digging the foundation became our moat. And it worked – we never saw one dragon during the construction. Even after the moat was filled with concrete we felt safe knowing it was there.”

They were anxious about everything and how it was done – and thereby excited about it as well.

So, can purposeful optimism lead to a life free of stress and anxiety? Will it keep the dragons at bay as it did the Kotarski’s? I’m not sure there’s anything magical we can do to completely rid ourselves of the “dragons” we call stress and anxiety, but I think the Kotarski’s are on to something here which can serve useful and so healthy to many individuals.

Purposeful optimism – I like it. How about you?

Note: Next Wednesday we’ll discuss the process of choosing to remodel and selecting an architect.

Say it ain’t so! Can the words “remodel” and “love story” really be used together? Can an Ann Arbor couple really embark on the dream to remodel their beloved home they’ve spent years together in -  all the while smiling and enjoying the experience together?

Well according to John Kotarski, he responds with a resounding “YES!”.  The Kotarski’s decided to remodel their home instead of purchasing new and after you hear their story you, much like myself will begin to hunger to share in this experience.

After having the distinct pleasure of meeting John in person and hearing his very unique story I asked him if I could blog and share his story. It’s so unique and beautiful in nearly every aspect – from the preliminary work that John and his wife did prior to embarking on this journey, to choosing an architect, builder and the numerous other decisions involved with a project of this magnitude.

Other tidbits I’ll share with you as a sneak peek into this beautiful remodel love story are the many sustainable and green friendly choices the Kotarski’s have made in their remodel. The City of Ann Arbor is keeping a close eye on this project because of the remarkably innovative energy-saving concepts they’ve chosen. A rain exchange with an underground cistern collects the rain water and then it is recirculated to their backyard gardens. You’ll notice from the sketches shown here that the front yard has been transformed into an orchard full of pear trees – YUM! And no mowing. I’m ready to tap into this idea that is for sure. I’ve always wanted to try a vegetable garden but the Kotarski’s have inspired me. I’ve been thinking too small. Although, I must share with you that one of John’s thought processes through this whole remodel process was “Small is the new Big”.  He and his team of experts have come up with some really BIG ideas in the redesign of his 1,000 sq. ft. home (now 1500 sq.ft).

That’s all for now – stay tuned for more updates, more specifics and more importantly…more photos.

Enjoy!

The first planned Gold LEED affordable housing project, Near North, is almost ready to break ground! This has been a very challenging, but rewarding, design process working with our clients, Three Oaks Properties and Avalon Housing, both based in Ann Arbor. Construction drawings are almost complete and we look forward to a ground breaking within the next two to three months.

Near North is right on Main Street, Ann Arbor, and it will be a great experience watching it come up out of the ground!