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Meet the Builders & Architects

By Nancy McRae

Turning your dreams into bricks and mortar

Among the many things to love about Coronado is its diversity of home styles. We have a bit of everything: Craftsman and California bungalows, stately Victorian beauties, charming beach cottages, Spanish and Mediterranean villas. Since so many people want to create their dream home here, we assembled some of the island’s best-known architects, contractors and developers to gather their ideas on building the perfect home for the Coronado lifestyle.

CL: What are the latest design trends and styles for island living?

Dorothy Howard, Architect: In the older Coronado homes, the backyard was strictly utilitarian; a place for hanging clothes to dry. That’s one of the first things people want to remedy when they are remodeling. They want connection between the outdoor and interior living spaces. On many Coronado lots the outdoor space dimensions are more room-like than they are yard-like, so I approach it as though I’m designing a room rather than a landscape.

John Ovrom, OSSO Construction, Inc.: People want light, bright, open to the outdoors. It’s the “great room” concept where the kitchen opens up to the family room and dining room. People are bringing the outdoors in with more windows, skylights, dormers, higher ceilings.

Sheryll Jackman, The Jackman Group: Because lots are so small and land is so expensive on Coronado, the entire lot — up, down, sideways — has to be part of the living space. This leads to creative ways of maximizing space. Even the smallest details, like pocketed doors that disappear completely into the wall, become important.

Kevin Rugee, Architect: People want the new, bigger, more open feeling, but they still want the charm that has been part of the heritage of Coronado. Now we’re incorporating contemporary design elements with the older styles: the bungalow, the Craftsman, the eastern seaboard cottage look. We still do some traditional Spanish bungalows, but less Mediterranean.

Howard: I get many requests for the Craftsman and California bungalow look. My clients want people to drive by and think their house has been there for 80 years. They want the 21st century accoutrements
inside a 1920’s façade.

Dale St. Denis, Architect: We are getting back to traditional because people feel more comfortable with that. It has a nice, safe feeling. Technology has had a tremendous effect on the ability to do “light and airy.” For example, larger windows are now energy efficient, so we can expand to the outside without having to go to a contemporary look. Coronado needs the traditional look. A few contemporary examples are always good for the mix, but I’m thrilled that we are reestablishing the authentic look and identity of Coronado.

Ovrom: Front porches have made a huge comeback in the past five years. Not only do people entertain in their backyard spaces, they now want to make the front of their home more inviting. Curb appeal is enhanced, but it’s the ambiance of porch living, “the porch-swing feeling,” that people want to evoke.

St. Denis: If my wife (Doug St. Denis, also an architect) were mayor, she’d pass a law that everyone has to have a front porch. It brings a community together. In the old days, before television, everyone sat on the porch in the evenings. You spoke to your neighbors as they walked by. Of course, nowadays, you could probably put the television on the porch!

Jon O’Brien, Flagship Development: As a developer, I have to accurately assess what the buyer is going
to want in a home. In our last five houses, the key element has been the front porch. We even added a front porch to the Designer Showcase house (on Alameda Boulevard) because it didn’t have one. Since people are buying “keeper” houses here, we also make sure we have a great kitchen and master suite.

S. Jackman: To get to 75-percent lot coverage, you start at 54 percent and get points for adding certain
elements like a porch, a shade tree, setbacks or architectural projections. The architects in this town have been instrumental in getting us back to the use of historical references and architectural details. You get more square footage!

Rugee: One thing Coronado has going for it are the alleys. For the most part, we don’t have to dominate the front of the house with a garage. Now if only we could get the city to reconsider some of the parking
requirements on the streets like Margarita and Pomona that don’t have alleys (chorus of “amens” from the group). The streetscape is being ruined and we’re going to end up with the tract-home look.

Bryan Scott, Kitchen and Bath Remodels: When I work up in Del Mar or Encinitas, people will say “This is not my dream home. I’ll be out of here as soon as the kids leave.” When I work in Coronado, I always hear “This is the home they’re going to take me out of pushing up daisies! This is it for me!” So when Coronadans start their projects, they have a long-term view and want to get all the details just right.
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CL: What are the latest trends in building techniques and materials?

Ovrom: Building materials are moving to low- and no-maintenance, especially on the outside of the home. Our weather is brutal on natural products, so we’re directing our clients to concrete versus redwood siding, polymers and vinyls for windows, decking, fences. Inside the home, people are sticking with more natural products.

Howard: Coastal weather is definitely a factor. The changes between cool and wet in the morning to hot and dry in the afternoon are very tough, particularly on wood products, so I’ve also been using the newer products. They are more expensive; not on a lifecycle basis, but as an initial outlay. But people are building their houses here for keeps so they’re willing to invest more.

Rugee: Another reason to move to composite materials is because they’ve taken all of the chemicals out of paint that allowed it to last. Today, if you paint a wood door you’re going to have to paint it again in a year. People don’t like to spend their time doing that. But you just can’t match the look of true divided-light, wood windows. There’s an authentic look, and then there’s a low-maintenance look. The low-maintenance looks are getting better, but they’re not the same as the real thing.

Harry Jackman, The Jackman Group: Groundwater was a factor for a house we recently built on First (on the bay), so we pressure-treated the perimeter of the house. We also used cement siding and PVC trim. Another challenging thing was that this house has every kind of skylight imaginable. When we do basements or underground parking, we always use steel studs and soffets, but I don’t think steel is cost-effective for standard house framing.

CL: What’s the consensus on basements and rooftop decks?

Howard: Basements lend themselves well to functions where you don’t need much light, like a media room or recreation room. If you start to carve them up, then every room has to have a light well and an egress window. It’s difficult, particularly on a narrow lot, to pull that off. Basements are not “bonus space,” because they’re expensive, so you have to really want the extra room.

H. Jackman: Land here has become so valuable. If you have a small lot, to be able to go underground with a garage or basement effectively doubles your lot. People are using basements for everything from offices to kids’ play areas to TV media rooms to workout rooms. Mechanical systems, which take up a lot of space in houses these days, can go in a basement. But you definitely have to pencil it out to see if it makes sense.

Ovrom: The cost of a rooftop deck doesn’t add up to how much you really use it. If you want to watch the fireworks, you’re better off spending $1000 a year for the next 20 years to rent a boat. Then you don’t have any of the maintenance problems of a flat roof, either.

Howard: Here’s the typical rooftop- deck scenario: You invite friends over for dinner. You all trudge up the stairs with your drinks in hand. You look at the city lights. It’s cold and moist. Five minutes later you’re back in the kitchen where everyone’s warm and cozy. I rarely advocate rooftop decks, unless my client is really cramped for outdoor space.

S. Jackman: If you have a truly spectacular view, then build a rooftop deck. But do it right. Put in a kitchenette, fireplace and great outdoor furniture so that it’s truly usable. And make it accessible. We rarely build a house without an elevator now.

CL: What are the latest trends in kitchens and bathrooms?

Bryan Scott, Kitchen and Bathroom Design: I work with older homes, not new construction or add-ons, so I must fit into existing square footage. My clients are looking for high efficiency and low maintenance in a compact space.

O’Brien: Flash water heaters are the hot thing, so to speak. It replaces a 40-gallon water tank with on-demand heat, operating only when you turn on the hot water. This is a real advantage for people who buy their vacation home here; when they’re not here, they’re not heating water, there’s no pilot light, and there’s no tank that can break and flood their house.

S. Jackman: The latest trends in kitchens include separate prep sinks, refrigerator drawers, dishwasher
drawers, wine cellars. Color is big in kitchens now, as is a combination of materials like stainless steel, granite and butcher block. “Furniture-style” cabinetry – making a refrigerator look like an armoire or an island look like a turn-of-the-century piece of furniture — is catching on. Commercial-style stovetops are still popular, but the trend is moving towards more refined. Outdoor kitchens are definitely an important element and may include pizza ovens, barbeques, dishwashers, bars and storage. The latest bathroom trend in custom homes is to include a workout area and steam showers.

St. Denis: Bathrooms are getting larger and larger. It’s almost getting overdone when you have to shout at one another from each end of your bathroom. Another trend I’m seeing is that, with today’s affluence, the life-span of a kitchen or bathroom is only about 15 years. It used to be a kitchen would last for 40 years.

Ovrom: Absolutely true. People will move into a 25-year-old home and want to gut everything. It doesn’t matter what you do. You can spend $50,000 on the bathroom, and the next person that buys the house will say “I don’t like it” and start all over.

Howard: During the design process, the topic of resale always comes up. I tell my clients “This is your house. Get what you want.” There’s no sense trying to please some hypothetical buyer because if you’re planning to stay in your home longer than five years, all the styles will have changed by then anyway.

Ovrom: Our clientele has changed significantly over the last seven years. There are more second-homebuyers from Arizona and elsewhere. Their attitudes are completely different from the people who are trying to make a living here.

CL: In what way?

Chorus of voices: They’ve got money!

Ovrom: Second-homeowners are only planning to spend two to three months here and they want light, bright, beachy. They’re coming from big, beautiful homes and they think homes here are dollhouses. They can’t imagine living year-round in 2,000 to 3,500 square feet.

S. Jackman: Vacation homes become a family compound. Second-homebuyers want their kids and grandkids here for the summer. And they want space for them, separate from theirs.

CL: What are the important things that people should consider when they are hiring a builder or an architect?

Rugee: Personality. I encourage my clients to talk to different contractors early on to get a sense of how they operate. Shop around, not on price, but to see who you’re comfortable with. Next, get some preliminary budgets together, not a bid. Work with the architect and the builder to tailor the designs to the budget.
Ovrom: Get your architect, interior designer, landscape architect and contractor together. Find out what everyone wants and how they work before the job starts. People want a good product at a good price, and the team approach is the best way to deliver that. The whole idea of getting an architect to draw plans up and then get four bids on it still happens, but it’s way more cost effective to work together from the start.

Howard: When clients tell me they need to get three bids, I tell them “You need to interview contractors because this person is going to be in your life for the next 12 to 15 months. If there’s something about them that rubs you wrong now, by the end of the job you’ll be lucky if you’re not ready to shoot them and they’re not ready to strangle you. It’s like getting married. You have to like and trust the person that’s going to build your house. The contractors who are good are busy. Frankly, they’re not real interested in bidding.

S. Jackman: When people ask me “How much do you cost to build per square foot?” I answer, “That’s like trying to price a race horse by the pound. It depends on what you want.” A team approach is most effective in controlling costs. Every detail in the kitchen, baths, fireplaces, tile, hardware, doors and doorknobs, every item in the house must be decided to get realistic costs, not just “allowances.” Selecting the builder early on is also important because they can work with the architect on building techniques that are more cost effective.

Rugee: Owners have the most control over the cost of their project. There are basic costs for concrete, framing, etc., but the real costs are driven by the options: the granite, the windows, the cabinets, appliances, the lighting and so on. Those are choices the owner makes.

Ovrom: Different contractors work better with certain types of customers. You really are married to them for the duration of the project. It’s so personal. As contractors, we are in their house every day, violating their space, tearing things up and making a mess. And we’re charging them money! Husbands and wives are often not happy with each other during the construction process. And everyone thinks the contractor is the cause of the whole problem! Hey, we interview the customer as much as they interview us. We want to be sure we can work with them, too.

St. Denis: Timing is everything. When you’re hiring a contractor, or an architect for that matter, you have to know what else is going on in their lives. How busy are they? Are they going through a divorce? Never hire a contractor who’s going through a divorce!


Archive of Coronado Lifestyle Articles

Reprinted with permission from Coronado Lifestyle, "the little magazine with the BIG impact."
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