- Barclay Home Design
Joie de Vivre (Street of Dreams)
TRANSPARANT HOME
Every year, during the month of August, the very best of the region’s house builders in Portland, USA, are selected to participate in a showcase of new unique homes to 80,000 visitors. This ‘Street of Dreams’ event is designed to display innovations in home design. In anticipation of participating as one of nine houses on show for 2015, designer Barclay Home Design, contractor Brian Schmidt Builder and dealer Portland Millwork joined up to deliver Joie de Vivre House, which received no less than 17 of the 21 awards available for the Street of Dreams exhibition.
Completed in only six months, Joie de Vivre House (joy of living) near Lake Oswego is a testament to teamwork, long-term business partnership, and collaboration. The contemporary home is a 5700 square feet, four-bedroom, four-bathroom, three-level detached dwelling overlooking Mount Hood home and was designed for a couple and their two high school children. “The family’s wish list was quite basic in the description, but their vision of the final home was very exciting”, explains architect Mike Barclay of Barclay Home Design. “The description of their idea was contemporary, open, airy, lots of natural light, transparent and unique.”
The design of the house is characterized by the expansive use of glazing, inside-outside living, and an open plan living space. Custom interior details include a unique suspended staircase, maple cabinetry, and AV systems. Externally, the design takes its cues from Pacific Northwest accents with natural materials of stone, fir, and cedar.
The oversized windows and doors include 5.18 metres tall corner windows
An essential part of the project was the specification of the oversized windows and doors, including 17-feet tall corner windows. “The homeowner wanted large, bright spaces to accentuate the stunning views of the mountain and hillsides beyond”, explains Brian Schmidt of Brian Schmidt Builder, who was tasked with assembling the team to build the home. Dave Carlson from the dealer Portland Millwork explains: “We directed Mike Barclay to Reynaers because it was the only company with a solution to the large corner windows. Any other product would have required the windows to be much smaller and divided up into smaller sizes.”
Due to its complex design, a number of Reynaers systems were implemented, several of which have been introduced for the first time in the North West market. Alongside the CW 50 Curtain Wall system and CS 68 tilt-turn windows and doors, the CP 130 lift-and-slide doors allow for wide-open access to the outdoor living spaces.
Any other product would have required the windows to be much smaller and divided up into smaller sizes
Combining so many systems complicated the already tight schedule. “We were provided a very short timeline”, says Schmidt. “In a multi-million dollar home, attention to detail in every aspect was a must. The team, however, was excellent and instrumental in overcoming the challenges. For example, we had to organize the construction schedule around a phased window delivery that would accommodate the assembly of the window frames and glass delivery.”
The design takes its cues from Pacific Northwest accents with natural materials
“We installed the entire window package within three weeks. Given the large sizes and weights of the glass (800 lbs each in some cases), we utilized cranes, vacuum suction attachments, and multiple crews.”
Portland Millwork worked side by side with four local window installation companies to hurry the installation. Work was divided up by product type so there was a high level of efficiency and skill for each part of the installation. Reynaers provided several of their employees as technical advisors who worked hands-on to train and assist the local installers. “There was a great spirit of cooperation by the entire team to get the job finished on time”, says Carlson.
Brian Schmidt has been working in the construction industry for nearly twenty years. Based in Oregon, he founded Brian Schmidt Builder in 2014 to serve high-end custom home new build and remodelling clients. With an MBA in marketing and management from Willamette University, Schmidt strives for a modern approach to house building, including impeccable customer service and communication. Over the years Schmidt has formed important and lasting business relationships throughout the industry, including with Portland Millwork.
Dave Carlson is general manager and one of the five original founders of Portland Millwork. Five friends who had worked together in the window and door distribution business in Portland established the company in 1997. The company serves the residential and commercial markets in Oregon and South- West Washington. The firm has strong alliances with the finest window and door manufacturers to provide clients with the best solution for each project. Carlson has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from North Park University. “I always enjoy working on challenging projects”, he says.
Mike Barclay began his career in 1974 designing floor plans for houses with his business partner. In 1982, Barclay left the partnership and started a custom residential design business, Barclay Home Design. The majority of the projects have been in the northwest of the U.S.A. (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California) with an occasional east coast location and a multi-lot custom undertaking in Japan.
Used systems
Involved stakeholders
Architect
- Barclay Home Design
Fabricator
- Reynaers INC.
Photographer
- Blackstone Edge Studios (Philip Clayton-Thompson)
Other stakeholder
- Brian Schmidt Builder (Project developers)
- Portland Millwork Inc (Installer/Dealer)
- Isabelle Priest (Authors)
