STOCK BUILDING PLANS MAKE QUALITY ARCHITECTURE AFFORDABLE - PART I

Most people have little contact with an architect when it comes to what they desire in a home and the lifestyle they’d like to live. Yet architects are perfectly positioned to help satisfy that desire and do so with beauty and sustainability in mind, two elements that are starkly absent from today’s offerings of Pre-Designed Building Plans. The market for quality and diverse shelter is vast, yet grossly under-served by the profession that can best influence it and help make it truly affordable.

Development, DesignMarques KingJune 29, 2022Fabric[K] Design, LLCArchitecture, House Plans, Plan Sets, Stock PlansComment

2019 Upgrades: Zoning Summary & Possibility Packages

A summary of the 2019 improvements we’ve added to our Zoning Summary and Possibility Packages. Know your potential. Explore your possibilities.

Do the "Due" Diligence

The start of any development project, no matter how big or small, is the Due Diligence Phase. This phase refers to a set of tasks that deal with gathering as much information as possible about the project. There are many lenses to look through when framing a project in the Due Diligence Phase, two of them being the legal and the architectural.

History of Architecture I.

As soon as humans began to master agriculture, civilization began to flourish. Their architecture wasn't too far behind.

The Business of Architecture

Architecture traditionally is a service based business, just like lawyers, doctors and other licensed professionals. People rarely gripe when they pay for the latter services yet, the established perception is that an architect’s time, skill, and knowledge are not deserving of compensation equivalent to their professional counterparts. Architects are expected to offer their skills at discount or for free. An architect’s value is also overlooked because the process of working with one is a vast unknown to the majority of potential clients. It’s time to explain the basics of the Business of Architecture.

Detroit is the New Rome

Had it not been for these two empires, the world would certainly look different. Rome, over the centuries always managed to realize the value in its ancient, yet, abandoned structures. Now the city is reaping the benefits of history and longevity. Detroit, poised to be America’s version of the “Eternal City”, now sits at a critical pivot point in its history. Will it make decisions in response to economic urgency? Or will it make decisions of historical sustainability that yield innumerable dividends in the long run? I hope the latter, holds true; for there is no town, like Motown.

How to Properly Manage Your Property

One of the largest obstacles comtemporary home owners face is how to successfully operate and manage their property. There are many cost factors to be aware of besides your mortgage payment. Determining what these costs are is a crucial component in positioning yourself to budget property expenses properly and potentially build some equity.

How to Finance Your Construction Project

7 basic steps for your small-scale, neighborhood land development and architectural design project.

How to Choose What Neighborhood to Buy In

Among the neighborhoods you will evaluate in the search for property key characteristics of value will vary in quality. In some cases they may be slightly intact while in others they may be completely absent. Places like Detroit are unique because many neighborhoods lack a lot of these valuable assets. But these are precisely the neighborhoods that should be looked at more closely. By finding what’s missing in a community, you will have uncovered an opportunity to bring tremendous value somewhere it’s needed.

Real Estate, The Best Long Term Investment

It’s important to remember that civilizations and their economies run through regular cycles of growth and recession. When the cycle comes back around for the upturn, you want to be the one standing there with the deed & title in hand. Now is the time Detroit. "Boss up and..." well, you know the rest.

What the Heck is Zoning?

Zoning is the process of regulating land development. This is done through a city or county zoning ordinance of some sort - a set of land laws that dictate what you as a private landowner can build on a piece of property. Knowing your zoning entitlements is the first step toward developing the home or income property of your dreams and maximizing its potential value.

When the Grass is Not 'Greener'

Today's world would have you think 'Green' = Sustainable. But some of the world's most sustainable places have no 'Green' at all. The two terms are related but they are not synonymous. Nonetheless, we've developed an entire market of 'Green' products that completely over-shadow the importance of an overall sustainability strategy. Time to get real about sustainable living.

DevelopmentMarques KingFebruary 14, 2018Fabric[K] Design, LLCSustainability, Green, Context

Nolli Map as a Tool for Small Scale Developers

The Nolli Map is the most underutilized tool in the designer/developer tool box. When used properly it provides an intimate understanding of place which creates both sentimental and monitary value for an entire neighborhood.

Building Better, More Sustainable Lifestyles: The Story of Fabric[K] Design

The condition of the Detroit neighborhood is also the condition of the American neighborhood. The solution is complex and multifaceted. But I believe it has much to do with the design of the built environment and the relationship - or lack there of - that people have to that environment. This is the genesis of Fabric[K] Design.

fabric[k] design

good buildings. better neighborhoods. your best life.

Great Buildings. Better Neighborhoods. Your Best Life

fabric[k] design

good buildings. better neighborhoods. your best life.