Interview with Bruce Cheatham our Tiny House Design Winner

Posted on January 18, 2019Leave a comment

Bruce Cheatham of Cheatham Drafting and Design our Winner of our Tiny Home Design contest was nice enough to sit down with SaveOld2StTree and share some of his story.

Bruce sharing holding a sample from the winning design

Bruce and his partner from college Paige Jimenez work together at Cheatham Drafting and Design to produce some very creative works that can be seen at their website https://cheathamdrafting.wixsite.com/global

So here is our interview:

SaveOld2ndStTree: Bruce how old are you?
Bruce: 25

SaveOld2ndStTree: Bruce please share with us your education in Architecture?
Bruce: I have been interested in Architecture since attending high school at William Tennent High School. Drafting for 9 years in high school, college and after college. He went to Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster PA and studied Architectural Drafting where he met Paige Jimenez.

SaveOld2ndStTree: What made you take up drafting?
Bruce: While in High School an older brother of a friend brought home some drawing work and he really like the idea of drawing.

SaveOld2ndStTree: How did you hear about the contest?
Bruce: I saw the Facebook ad.

SaveOld2ndStTree: What made you want to participate in the contest?
Bruce: I love doing Tiny Home Concepts. And I recently did a concept for someone on a property st 19th and Ridge.

SaveOld2ndStTree: How many projects have you worked in the past?
Bruce: 5 or 6 during 2018. With two years of designing for house flipper, bathrooms and decks.

SaveOld2ndStTree: What are your hobbies?
Bruce: Golfing and drafting. His hobbies are his commercial endeavors: construction, drafting, concepts, real-estate,etc.
SaveOld2ndStTree opinion- Bruce is a real go getter and hard worker

SaveOld2ndStTree: How can people contact you for working together?
Bruce:
Email (CheathamDrafting@gmail.com),
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BCheatham013),
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bruce_cheatham/),
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-cheatham/) and
his website (
https://cheathamdrafting.wixsite.com/global ) .

SaveOld2ndStTree: What are you looking for in the future?
Bruce: Moving back into Philly. I spend most of my time in Philly when I’m not home. I’m currently looking at developing a 1/2 Block property. My older brother has a construction company and maybe we will team up on future projects.

SaveOld2ndStTree: What did you like most about your design?
Bruce:

The Floating Stairs – with options for creating storage as with small houses storage is always and issue

3D rendering of the tiny house design showing floating stairs and roof changes

single closet storage available

1st Floor design with storage below stairs and a mechanical storage location in back

2nd Floor design with closet and variable levels making the house interesting with balcony

the Juliette style balcony for light inside and so it looks good from the outside

3D View with Juliette Balcony and Front entrance

Fun of designing with different pitched roofing

3D design showing different roof pitches plus sun lights. This is so Cool!

SaveOld2ndStTree: What do you think of some of the box architecture designs popping up around Philadelphia?
Bruce: Not a big fan. I’m not liking the fake extensions from the house designs, where they don’t use that space for something. They are just facades that add no functional use to the resident.

So we used Bruce’s design as a part of our Philadelphia Zoning Board hearing. Our statement to the Board “I could see myself Living in this House! It is really Cool.”

Again this was a Great Design! Thank you Bruce.

Winner ! – Quick and Dirty Design Contest for Tiny House Concepts

Posted on December 24, 20181 Comment

We have a Winner for our Quick and Dirty Design Contest for Tiny House Concepts. We will be doing an interview post later in 2019 with the designer and his business, for now here are some of the images from his entry

Winner – Bruce Cheatham from CHEATHAM DRAFTING & DESIGN

Cut away view

https://cheathamdrafting.wixsite.com/global

Trying again – Quick and Dirty Design $300 Contest for Tiny House Concepts

Posted on June 11, 2018Leave a comment

Extended to 12/18/2018 midnight -Quick and Dirty Design Contest for Tiny House Concepts with Open Space

In preparation for our next Zoning Hearing we decided to create a quick and dirty architecture design contest for tiny house concepts. We wanted to see the possibilities the imagination could come up with that could be build-able. Not build with the drawings submitted. Submittal due 12/18/2018 midnight.

The Winner gets $300, 2nd place $200 and 3rd Place $100 plus two $100 bonus winners for designs that include the tree in their designs

Rules:

Main Design Winner:
- Design Tiny House with some open space in back.
- The lots size is dimensions of 14 ft 4 inches (frontage) x 19 ft 1 inch deep with back wall
- Design meets Philadelphia zoning and building standards. We acknowledge no design can meet the full open space requirements.
  - Goal: Noted under International Building Codes (IBC.2009) accepted by the State of PA and City of Philadelphia, Section 1206 Yard or Courts: 1206.2 Yards shall not be less than 3ft in width for building two stories or less. Increase 1ft for each additional story.
  - We Acknowledge: winner can not meet Philadelphia Zoning requirement of Minimum Open Area: REQUIRED 30.0% (85.5 Sq. Ft.)
Judging factors:
- Most creative use of interior space
- Most open space (ground level) – roof deck not considered open space
- Zoning and IBA standard met as listed above
- Most usable interior space
- Bonus factors:
  - Preserving the tree’s south side from being cut off (20% bonus)
  - roof deck in access (5% bonus)

There will be bonus winners for designs that save the tree ‘s south side from being cut off.

Tree dimension information
- 72 inches from back wall and back wall is 19 ft 1 inch from front
- height from ground where the branch crosses garden wall 16 feet from ground
- foot print
Winner gets $100 bonus, if tree is preserved
Next Best two designs with the tree preserved get $100 each.
Pre-cut-away

Potential winners:

Winner $300 or Winner $300 with $100 bonus
Two or three $100 winners for tree incorporation

Entries must be submitted by 11:59pm EST on 12/18/2018.

Requires:

Two dimension drawings with iso (allows for measurements to be calculated)
Data listed for interior space
Data listed for open space
Links to 3D digital videos are encouraged
Permission from from contestant to use the drawings and images online, at ZBA hearings and any court to defend the tree and open space. Digital email is acceptable.
Permission for Photo Opt with Winners (tentative for social media promotion for cause)
Must be over 18 years old, so that permission to use material is legal

Email submission to bigoldtree@saveold2sttree.org

Please also email us if you are thinking about submitting, even if you don’t. It would be nice to know how much interest there might be. bigoldtree@saveold2sttree.org

These designs will NOT be used in any proposals to build properties. We wanted to see the possibilities the imagination could come up with that could be build-able.

References for concepts, but the designs do not have to look like these:

3D Rendering of Impacts on Light without Open Space

Just a few windows and a small open space changes everything.

Tree Damage and Safety Impact Caused by Proposed Development

Good Luck.

Sincerely,

Greg Mester

Just a few windows and a small open space changes everything.

Posted on August 28, 2017Leave a comment

We wanted to share the impact even an small bit of open space has on the inside of a tiny home. The original developer proposal only had windows in the front because they wanted 100% coverage. Such a design in our opinion and our experience in one of own rooms, creates a cave effect and the circulation inside the house is so difficult to create. By just adding a small piece of open space to the design creates so much light and openness inside the house also.

Outside Front view 2-Story with L-Shape Open Space

Rear view including the L-Shaped Open Space

1st Floor View from door straight to back

3D Rendering of Impacts on Light without Open Space

Posted on August 12, 2017Leave a comment

I’m so surprised that the Philly ZBA does not require this for all new developments. It was so easy to create. The new tech is awesome. We created a few 3D renderings of the developer’s proposed design of a 3 floor building without open space and then two designs with a small L-shape open space in a 3 floor and then a 2 floor design. We used www.SketchUp.com a free product for 30 days that also allows you to drop the rendering into Google Earth to get the appropriate shadows through out the year. Then we used Flashbackrecorder to record the rotating and changing of time through the year.

The first video is of the 3 story version proposed by the developer. Notice the size in comparison to the house on Manton Street and the garage behind. The recording and shadows are based on August 30th at about 10:52am for an accurate comparison.

The next video is the 2 story Tiny house that is more appropriate for older residents and people that just want a ting house with a little open space to store trash, bicycles, barbecue or enjoy our giant tree. Look at the sight lines in the back of the houses. Just a little bit of open space just 2 to 3 ft just changes everything.

The next video is a capture of the shadow changes for the 3 story no open space design. What I did was start early in the year and then vary the hours in the day. After I cycled through the day I then would pick another day a month or two later and cycle through the hours of the day. I repeated this throughout a standard year. This is important because the Sun’s angle changes throughout the year and you have to look at more than one day for a good comparison.

Then the same 3 story concept with the small L-Shape open space. The sight lines and openness really is present even with just a small bit of open space and variation from a plain vanilla box design.

Now here is the same L-shape open space but in a 2 story design. It is so much better than the 3 story design. Plus because of building codes for PA, US and international the house can never be more than a one bedroom. Who wants to travel up 3 flights of stairs to go to the bathroom?

Lastly we create a comparison video of all three designs at the same day and time August 30th at 10:52am.

Tree and Green Space Haters in Philly

Posted on July 30, 2016Leave a comment

Tree and Green Space Haters in Philly

We got a kick out of the comments on Facebook and other sites regarding our campaign to maintain open space and a 80 year old tree in South Philadelphia. Some will make you laugh and others will make you go what? Please help save open space in development projects and sign and share our petition today.

https://www.change.org/p/councilman-mark-squilla-save-old-2-st-tree

Here are some of the best:

Hey Suburbanites, welcome to Philly, land of concrete. If you want trees everywhere, move back to the Culdesac!

Want more trees. Move to Jersey! Worried about oxygen. Get rid of the factories. Car exhaust. Ride a bike.

If you’re stupid enough to live in an urban environment you should have to take a bus to see a tree.

Really?! Wildlife?!!!! Rabid pigeons? Rats? Roaches… Progress

Other comments for or against were items that one could discuss and debate. We have learned a lot from all sides and perspectives.

The land of concrete one inspired the cartoon.

Hey look we missed a green spot...more concrete please — **Hey look we missed a green spot…more concrete please**

Please don’t forget to sign and share our petition to save small open spaces in new developments in Philadelphia.
https://www.change.org/p/councilman-mark-squilla-save-old-2-st-tree

https://www.change.org/p/councilman-mark-squilla-save-old-2-st-tree

Value of Small Gardens in Tiny Houses

Posted on July 26, 2016Leave a comment

Small gardens are now the in-thing to use in marketing and sales ads for tiny homes and small living spaces .

With people feeling like they paid too much for their homes, having a small piece of garden is an oasis in a sea of concrete and stucco. We were walking along South and 2nd Streets the other night and noticed all the Real Estate images that contained gardens and patios in their sales pictures in the show room windows.

Garden yard sales feature — Rock garden in yard as selling feature

The city of Philadelphia calls for open space to be a part of any building project. In the Philadelphia Zoning there is a RSA-5 requirement of 9 ft per Zoning Code Table 14-701-1 which reduces to 5 ft per note 7 for lots of 45 ft or less in depth. Note 7 says: In the RSA-5 district, the minimum rear yard depth for lots less than 45 ft. in depth shall be 5 ft. for the first 12 ft. of building height. Portions of buildings above 12 ft. shall comply with the minimum rear yard depth as set forth in Table 14-701-1.

(http://library.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/Pennsylvania/philadelphia_pa/title14zoningandplanning/chapter14-700developmentstandards?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:philadelphia_pa$anc=JD_Table14-701-1)

Also in the International Building Codes (IBC.2009) accepted by the State of PA and City of Philadelphia, Section 1206 Yard or Courts: 1206.2 Yards shall not be less than 3 ft in width for building two stories or less. Increase 1 ft for each additional story.

Yards help allow light and air to flow in to our homes and the building code was written with that in mind.

Roof decks across South Philly to escape the confines of small space living.

Even cities like Japan cherish their small gardens.

Locally Real Estate agents will add the garden plug in a second.

full real estate sign w garden2 — full real estate sign w garden promotion

Please don’t forget to sign and share our petition to save small open spaces in new developments in Philadelphia.
https://www.change.org/p/councilman-mark-squilla-save-old-2-st-tree

Gardens on Philadelphia Vacant Lots

Posted on July 23, 2016Leave a comment

With all this muckety muck going on about zoning and use permits and such, we did some research on vacant lots, licenses and gardens and we found this, under Philadelphia Code, Title 9, CHAPTER 9-3900. PROPERTY LICENSES AND OWNER ACCOUNTABILITY:

§ 9-3904. Vacant Lot License.
(1) Required.
(a) The owner of any lot on which no structure is built and no productive activity has been conducted with the owner’s permission for at least the past three (3) months shall obtain a Vacant Lot License.
(b) Exceptions. No license is required for the following:
(i) Vacant lots contiguous to and in common ownership with a vacant lot that has a current vacant lot license. This exception shall include building lots in common ownership within an approved subdivision, provided there is a current vacant lot license for the subdivision tract.
(ii) Vacant lots contiguous to or separated by a driveway from a building where there is common ownership of the lot and the building. This exception includes a contiguous lot owned and maintained by the abutting property owner as a side yard.
(iii) A lot that is continuously maintained as a garden.

The link to the code is here http://library.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/Pennsylvania/philadelphia_pa/title9regulationofbusinessestradesandpro/chapter9-3900propertylicensesandowneracc?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:philadelphia_pa$anc=JD_9-3904

My favorite line is under exceptions paragraph (iii). So I guess Philadelphia is pro-garden after all. 🙂

We are not lawyers, but the code says what it says. I wonder if they know this?