What is an Ash Dump for a Residential Fireplace?

Comprehensive Guide to Ash Dumps in Residential Fireplaces

Introduction

An ash dump is an essential component of traditional masonry fireplaces, allowing for the efficient disposal of ash from the firebox. Homeowners can sweep ash through an opening in the fireplace floor, directing it to an ash pit below for later removal. This guide provides a detailed overview of ash dumps, their construction, maintenance, potential issues, and architectural designs based on technical references.

 

Time lapse of home constructed start to finish

CAD design implemented!

A time lapse project of a custom home built by Weaver Homes. Original footage was captured at 1 photo every 30 seconds over a 6 month period resulting in 45 days of capture and over 70,000 photos. After all engineering & design construction starts. Building & construction, this is a great video that shows what it takes to get the job(s) done.

Luxurious 9 Bedroom Spanish Home

Living alongside a golf course has become shorthand for luxury. This Spanish villa in the highly desirable Sotogrande neighborhood in San Roque Spain, will offer all the comforts of golf course living, plus ultimate security, comfort, and plenty of room for entertaining. Designed by ARK Architects , who are local to San Roque, the villa is to be situated at the end of cul-de-sac for ultimate privacy. (source: feedly)

Breaking Down BIM BUILDING SOFTWARE

Home Building: Breaking Down BIM
BUILDING SOFTWARE Click Here What Is BIM? As building information modeling grows in prominence, builders and designers share their thoughts on how it helps their businesses. The core of BIM centers around the creation of 3D models of a home. All of the elements of the home—from the roof trusses and the drywall to the kitchen island and the bathroom tile—are represented as solid objects in the 3D environment. This is what distinguishes BIM from simple 3D drawings: Rather than just being lines on a screen, each object carries the same properties it would in real life. The size, shape, and material composition of each object is noted, creating a complete, living picture of the home exactly as it will be built.

BIM doesn’t stop with the completion of the model though, says Joe Sirilla, design department head at Monta Consulting & Design (MCD), an Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based design and engineering firm. In fact, creating the model is just the first step. And that, Sirilla says, is the key to understanding BIM and all of its potential for home builders—to stop thinking of it as technology and to start thinking of it as a process.“It’s a process where all the individuals involved, using their software together, can interact and create one project in a 3D virtual world,” he says. Levels of BIM, BIM is a process whereby a builder creates a home in a 3D environment to better define construction ahead of the actual build. Builders who use BIM say putting the pieces together virtually first lets you find any possible construction issues before you start building, like overlapping plumbing and structural components. “Having one master model for a particular plan lets you quickly see what works and what doesn’t,” says Brad McCall, co-owner of Billings, Mont.-based McCall Homes. “It’s much easier to catch a problem when it’s in 3D.” 

There’s also the issue of incompatibility among the different BIM software. Each program has its own type of output, which often conflicts with other programs. That’s why groups like the American Institute of Building Design (AIBD)—for which Sirilla is the National BIM representative—are working to establish a national standard for BIM users and software. Check here for the rest of the article.

Residential Architect Visits Jeff Speck House

In 2010, former senior editor Nigel F. Maynard visited with designer Jeff Speck at the Washington, D.C., house he designed for himself. Learn how the shape of the flatiron corner lot inspired Speck to seek special variances and devise custom design solutions. (source: architectmagazine)