Ocean Guest House and Garage | Architectural Model and Design

I was asked to design a guest bedroom and garage for an ocean front home. The design is complicated by the requirement to be 14 feet above the flood plain, but the program is very simple allowing the design to maximize the 640 sq. ft. footprint.
I am using a laser to produce a sketch model of my design to be able to better illustrate the qualities of the design and the spatial relationships in 3 dimensions.
I do not know if this project will ever be built. It was fun developing the concept and I hope you enjoy watching the design come together.
Thanks for watching!
www.grunblau.com

[@specialk22tt]

Clever move with the landing size. Phenomenal work as always!

[@Grunblau]

Thanks!

[@mrfochs]

Your "expanded stair landing" idea reminded me of when I was hired to design a rebuild for a local cheese and meats retailer after their business had a fire. The owner wanted to start having wine and beer tastings once a month but the city would not allow an "outdoor food venue" where the building was located. I ended up designing a 20 foot by 36 foot "loading ramp" with masonry planters and gas lighting on decorative columns (the height difference from street to store was only 6 inches over the 36 feet).

[@Grunblau]

Excellent solution and branding opportunity! “Come to our dock party and sample our beer and wines and meats and cheese!”

[@julietphillips1991]

It turned out beyond "pretty cool!" The model is an accomplishment by itself; the actual build is an added bonus!

[@L.Parisi]

I remember 10 or so years ago, studying Architecture in Pescara, Italy. From Mario Botta to Renzo Piano, through Fuxas and many more, i had to prepare those scale models by hand. Polyplat and simple white 1mm cardboard, cyanoacrylate, wood glue... It took me many nights for my projects. "Technology is actually our savior" (cit. "zeitgeist" movie from the same era) Anyway i didn't finish university and now i'm a sailor :D

[@Grunblau]

I basically slept under my desk for 3 years :) Number 11 exacto and museum board…

[@jgonzo1995]

You are an immensely talented artists in such a wide array of disciplines. Thank you for sharing with us! Do you do architectural commissions via Grunblau, or is there a firm with whom you practice?

[@Grunblau]

Thanks! I do commission work via Grunblau. I am generally consulted on design, then work with a local firm for CD’s, etc…. Would like to get back into doing prefab work, however…

[@miu3239]

Haha. I can smell your model from here, the smell of phenolic glues from the birch ply and the burnt smoke marks, its was really interesting to see your workflow.

[@rainfallprojects501]

Great video!

[@Grunblau]

Thank you!

[@joell439]

Very COOL 👍👍😎👍👍

[@danielminskey]

so fun....love it...laser cutter is next on my list...i have all the other fun cnc toys

[@Grunblau]

I have used a bunch of different brands (Universal, Epilog) and I am the biggest fan of Trotec for small scale work and Kern Laser for full size although Trotec also has a full size model too…. If you ever were to contact Trotec, put in a good word for me as I am trying to get them to give me a good deal on a Speedy 400. 😉👍

[@HeroRc]

I would move the bathroom door to the other side, mirror the bathroom and add a window. Having a bathtub with an ocean view would be sicc

[@Grunblau]

For this project a tub window was a must! Conversation went back and forth with shower or tub. Either side was a good view of the ocean with access to closet and dressing area being closer to the internal courtyard. Ultimately, it ends up being slightly better where it is for flow of the room along the windows and allowing the bedroom to have a side vs bed being in the middle of circulation. This is about as small as you can get!

[@SoCalFreelance]

Have the client put on VR goggles and walk the space virtually -- evaluate sight lines and materials, position the sun in summer (precisely calculated overhang provides shade from hot sun high in the sky while still maximizing view) and winter (the low sun enters space and provides radiant warmth).

[@Grunblau]

Yup, easy to do as the project was rendered in Enscape.

[@mrjp2149]

You could make a mint selling doll houses 🤣 Nice work!

[@donalda777]

Very Cool!

[@bmbullman]

You should start a side business selling model building kits (maybe famous architecture or something.)

[@Grunblau]

I just might! As soon as the dust settles on material prices for the kayak kit.

[@Q9r8]

Have you heard of sheng fui? I don't really believe in it, but I do know that there is *some* science to it. One of the rules in sheng fui is that the bed should not be placed on a bathroom wall. Just sharing some info 😊 Also, amazing job on the model, it looks amazing.

[@chiraz111]

Groovy...

[@Krzys_D]

I was gonna ask in the comments when you showed the laser, which one are you using, and then your smart ass zoomed in the name 😊

[@brocktechnology]

the butterfly roof is striking but how does it not leak?

[@tluanem]

👍👍👍

[@reydelsanchez]

What's the name of that simple program you used to create the design? That came out beautiful bud😁👍

[@Grunblau]

I use Rhino3D for modeling and drawings. Illustrator to make it look better and for easy import into Premier.

[@Pest789]

What's the drainage plan for the roof? Does it slope down from the utility box in two directions?

[@Grunblau]

Plan is to slightly slope toward utility box where there would be a large drain within the utility box above shower wall and accessible through a panel outside the bathroom. Subtle slope of maybe 4”. Could also be sloped the other direction, but would have a stream of water shooting down 25’ onto the ground in a downpour.

[@Pest789]

Yeah that's why I was wondering. I live in Arizona. We have brief but very heavy monsoon rains and I pictured a huge flume of water pummeling the crap out the landscaping. 😂

[@braindeveloper4039]

Where is your Kayak Video ? Have you done with it ? Waiting 😃

[@Grunblau]

I have the full scale buck cut. I am talking to a laser company that is considering allowing me to cut on their 4’X8’ laser and possibly help me afford my own small format laser. This would be ideal. If they fall through, I’ll just cut on the CNC. I have had other projects take over that were more pressing. You haven’t missed it, I am slowly accumulating materials and hope to start soon with a video release in the spring. Kayak model kits might be coming soon, too…. I have to see if Baltic Birch 1/8” plywood will still available or if I need to find an alternative.

[@braindeveloper4039]

@@Grunblau Many Thanks.. Loads of Love From India 🇮🇳🙏

[@ebaymagot]

do you normally build out models of the things you design?

[@Grunblau]

If fit is a concern (for large CNC projects) I would. For something like a small building… depends on the client. It is extremely informative to see the building react in real sunlight. In some cases, you would do a model to plan the logistics like SIP panels, etc… where things might go together only one way. In a prefab case it is very useful.

[@FilmFactry]

What is your scale?

[@Grunblau]

1/4” = 1’-0” or… the 1/8” thick plywood = 6 inches

[@FilmFactry]

@@Grunblau Thank you, He did say the wall was 1' thick.

[@Grunblau]

The columns would all be cast at 1’ thick as well as the band around the floor. The infill is masonry CMU so likely 8” and then likely furred out ~4” to allow for conduit, etc…. So yup, 12” thick exterior walls.

[@avitolourenco]

software used to design, and then nest the design into a dxf for laser work.

[@Grunblau]

Design in Rhino3D, nested and exported to Illustrator via .AI and then to Corel for the laser.

[@avitolourenco]

@@Grunblau would love a tutorial on this workflow

[@jdmccorful]

I'll bet you're busy all the time! Great work, thanks for your time.

[@kmyerslp85]

Wow Brian. You really outdid yourself again. Awesome looking model and great design choices suited for the laser cutter.

[@ShadowVipers]

I had a small question but is there any chance that you'll make your own custom subscriber plaque for 250k like you did for 5k, 10k & 50k? I really loved those videos and 250k seems like a solid milestone to celebrate that doesn't seem to far away.

[@gregthorne4292]

I would love to see you design and build that screen wall out of concrete. I’ve been thinking of pouring my own breeze block, but the thought of making my own design for the molds has crossed my mind.

[@Grunblau]

Sounds like a fun project! I have a hill that sucks to mow in my back yard that I was thinking about casting some parametric scales for and planting ground cover!

[@profmoustache5217]

Great job, looks amazing!! Thanks for making and sharing 👍

[@tomsdreamshopworx]

You have all the great toys, I mean tools! you have an awesome design eye. Your videos are so awesome, I don’t care what you are doing a video on, I’m going to watch it and enjoy every!

[@Grunblau]

Thanks! Borrowed the laser but I hope to have my own some day!

[@krashanb5767]

Another awesome video from Brian :)

[@GoblinKnightLeo]

FloridaMan here - whereabouts in Palm Beach should I be looking for this garage? I'd like to see the real thing when its done!

[@Grunblau]

This one is in the 🔑s. But that doesn’t really work with the phrase about Palm Springs :)

[@barthanes1]

I like that bit about an over-involved sketch becoming a bad drawing.

[@Grunblau]

Thanks! That came from a professor I had in architecture school trying to get us to focus on quantity rather than quality…

[@patricktdonovan]

Fun to see this side of your work. Great job on the design and the video.

[@Grunblau]

Thanks! This and a Bistro design took me out of action for content for a couple months…

[@rickvanhooren548]

Great video and amazing content. Cheers!

[@Grunblau]

Thank you!

[@luciegiles5630]

Really enjoyed this one. Do you mind me asking, what modelling software do you use? Thanks

[@Grunblau]

Thanks! I use Rhino3D for almost everything.

[@RustyEcks]

What software did you use for the computer model? I've been looking for a free/1 time payment software to where I could design and plan out several buildings that I'd like to build on my property but haven't found something that isn't subscription based or that can help me calculate the materials needed for each step of the builds.

[@Grunblau]

I use Rhino3D. Although there are BIM add-ins, it won’t populate a door schedule, etc… but it is one payment and done and it has some powerful features and plug ins… I use it for everything.

[@RustyEcks]

@@Grunblau thank you! I really appreciate it!

[@yOnKiNaToR]

Get chief architect and thank me later.

[@iteerrex8166]

Yes very cool! I’ve wanting to make a model of our childhood home. What would you recommend as a local pc software, not one those online types? Thanks.

[@Grunblau]

Rhino3D is pretty approachable and is what I use for everything.

[@iteerrex8166]

@@Grunblau Ahh awesome, but if it’s your go to, I’m guessing it’s pro level and very expensive. I’ll check it tho, thanks very much.

[@iteerrex8166]

@@Grunblau Then again you wouldn’t have recommended it to me. I should just go check it lol

[@Grunblau]

Rhino3D is still one of those software where you can buy a copy and own it forever. You decide when to upgrade. Something like $200 if you happen to be a teacher or student. But one time charge.

[@iteerrex8166]

@@Grunblau Awesome! I understand those who wants to collaborate with their peers and colleagues, would wana use an online program, but for me in this case a local app would do just great. Thanks again.