The Board & Vellum Blog – Answering design questions and more.

Our First Bale House – Straw Bale Construction – Board & Vellum

Have you ever heard of straw bale construction? It’s a form of building construction where bales of straw are stacked within a timber frame to insulate the walls. Not only is this a sustainable building method, it’s just plain cool. If you’e curious to know more, check out these frequently asked questions.

Cantilevered Home – Modern Cantilevered Residence – Board & Vellum

Custom Residential

Do I Need a Feasibility Study?

A lot of questions come up when you embark on a design project. A lot of questions come up before embarking on a design project! A feasibility study, especially for complex or potentially complicated sites or projects, might be just what you need to kick off a successful project.

Living room space in a Mid-Century style with a large, stone fireplace.

Custom Residential

Fireplace Options For Your Home

If you’re considering adding a fireplace to your home or restoring an existing fireplace, the options may seem overwhelming. There are many things to consider, like aesthetic goals, ambiance, and sustainability. Luckily, we've assembled this essential guide on fireplaces to help you decide what’s right for you.

Denny-Blaine Outdoor Revival - Board & Vellum

Landscape Architecture

The Value of Hiring a Landscape Architect

Are you unsure if your project requires a landscape architect? Spoiler: it likely does. Landscape architects can help you gain a deeper understanding of your site, its composition, limitations, and areas of opportunity. If your project touches the soil, it's ideal to include a landscape architect early in the design process.

Craftsman Manor Resurrection – Architecture & Landscape Architecture by Board & Vellum

Custom Residential, Historic & Traditional

Navigating Updates to Historic Homes

Are you curious about updating your landmarked home, or your home within a historic district? What kinds of considerations do you need to keep in mind? Is there anything you can’t do? What about things you have to do? These questions might seem overwhelming, but don't worry! We’re here to help.

Custom Residential, Historic & Traditional

Updating Historic Homes Through Compatibility and Differentiation

When it comes to updating historic homes, there are a lot of routes you can take. Many approaches to designing remodels and additions of historic homes seek to balance two concepts: compatibility and differentiation. Let’s explore what these concepts mean and how do they play out in design.

Colonial Restoration On The Hill – Historic Restoration – Board & Vellum – Historic Colonial home on Capitol Hill, viewed from the street.

Custom Residential, Historic & Traditional

Landmarks vs. Historic Districts vs. Historic Homes

Do you have an older home and ever wondered whether it’s “historic?” There are a lot of phrases thrown around to describe different types of older homes, but what do they mean? And what does it mean if they apply to your home? Here, we dive into the world of historic homes!

Aerial view of an empty office building to be converted to housing in Seattle.

Multifamily & Mixed-Use

Transforming Empty Office Buildings into Housing

In the wake of changing work dynamics after the pandemic, empty office buildings are a common sight. Meanwhile, the need is dire for more housing in the city. Many are seeing this as an opportunity to solve two problems at once, and a sustainable solution for urban living to boot.

A close up of a flower bud just beginning to bloom.

Building Green

An Introduction to the Living Building Challenge

A lot of people know about green certifications. You might have heard of systems such as LEED or Passive House. But have you ever heard of the Living Building Challenge? It’s a building certification introduced by the International Living Building Institute that takes a unique perspective on what being ”sustainable“ actually means.

Or, if chronology isn’t your thing…

Here are a couple of posts to get you started. Of course, it’s hard to choose, so feel free to poke around; we hope to have a little something for everyone. And, if you have a burning question you’d like us to cover in a future post, please let us know!

Questions to ask an architect at an interview. – Board & Vellum

Questions to Ask an Architect in an Interview: Advice for Clients

What should you ask a designer you are interviewing for your project? A good personality fit helps, but to help you hire with confidence, here are ten questions worth asking.

Questions to Ask a Landscape Architect or Site Design Team in an Interview

What should you ask a landscape architect you are interviewing? From design to fee, to timeline and more, here are ten questions you should ask before you hire.

Explore our diverse topics.

Considering a project? Or, just curious about something?

Send us your questions about design, architecture, interiors, landscape, LEGO rooms… Anything, really. We’re always eager to meet new people, and we’d love to get to know you, your project, and your goals.