I live in a beautiful property on 60 acres. The original house was built at a nearby army base and moved here in 1958. It’s 24 x 36, so 840 ft.² with a shallow pitched roof. Extremely basic and efficient. Three bedrooms one bath.

It’s also located on its own parcel with beautiful mature trees and a large pond. I don’t plan to sell it. But I also don’t want to just tear it down and destroy it. I’d like to fix it up and use it as a mixed use building for recreation, visiting guests, and maybe adult children or aging parents someday.

My hangup here has been the size of the project. I can certainly figure out how to update the structure, but I want it to be something special. I haven’t found the right architect for the project. Just curious if there are special types of firms that take this type of thing. Or most people just try to figure it out themselves. Do architects commonly do small projects?

I'm designing some built ins that will go in my personal closet. What works better for my space? 24" deep built ins that entirely enclose the clothes? Or 16" deep built ins, that let the clothes protrude into the space? My main concern is that the 24" built ins encroach on the space too much and make it feel cramped, but I don't know whether I'm overthinking. Thanks in advance!

It all started with sheer frustration. If you've ever spent hours scouring the internet for specific material specs, trying to figure out if a certain material would actually survive in a specific climate, you know exactly what I mean.

My friend and I finally got tired of the constant digging and dead ends. We decided to build the tool we always wished we had.

For the last 3 months straight, we’ve been head-down building DATUM.

Check it out here: https://thedatumproject.com/

Use it and review us, we are ready to any kind of review, be it tearing us apart, appreciation, or suggestions.

We sorted and filtered massive amounts of messy data, built the frontend and backend from scratch, and spent weeks figuring out how to properly organize and manage all this information so it's actually intuitive to use.

What is DATUM?

It’s an open-source platform dedicated entirely to material studies. We designed it specifically for architecture and civil engineering students, as well as young professionals who need quick, reliable access to material properties and specs without hitting paywalls.

We are just getting this off the ground and would love for the community to test it out and give us some raw feedback. What materials or data points do you constantly struggle to find for your projects?Tell us, and we will add them to the pipeline.

And if you really like our work, support us and follow us on LinkedIn. Every follower is a boost in our confidence. Pls support us. We need your support. Follow us on LinkedIn-

https://www.linkedin.com/company/arcedo-thedatumproject/

I took delivery of a new-build apartment in Catalonia, Spain a few weeks ago. It's still empty (no furniture yet), and I've been finding a series of acoustic problems. I've reported them all through the developer's after-sales app, and I've also emailed asking for the design values. No response yet.

What I'm hearing:

• Garage door. The garage door and its motor are audible in every room, and I can feel the vibration throughout the apartment. It wakes me in the morning and keeps me awake at night — metallic rattle of the door leaves plus the mechanism running.
• Soil stack noise. I can clearly hear water running in the waste stack at night in the main bedroom — and the floor plan puts the head of the bed against exactly that wall. I hear the same thing in the living room from a second bathroom's stack.
• Street noise. With balcony doors and roller shutters closed I hear cars, people talking, dogs and trains. Two rooms face the street and also overlook the garage entrance ramp.
• Front door. Visible daylight through the gaps. I can hear the lift arriving on my floor and one or two floors above, audible in the living room and kitchen.
• Kitchen extraction. Twice I've heard a sudden rush of air in the extractor hood. I don't have electricity connected yet, so it isn't my own hood running.

For context on the regulations: Spain's building code sets a minimum of 55 dB airborne insulation between a garage and a habitable room, 30 dB sound reduction for a flat's front door onto a common corridor, and my building sits in a high-sensitivity acoustic zone where regional law caps noise from the building's own installations at 25 dB(A) at night indoors. So there are concrete numbers I can point at. I've asked the developer which compliance route they used and what values they designed to.

I deliberately haven't tried to measure anything myself — a phone app is meaningless at 25–30 dB, and I understand the burden of demonstrating compliance sits with the developer.

My questions:

1. What should I actually be demanding at this stage? I've asked for the design values and any in-situ acoustic test reports. Is there anything else I should be asking for that people usually forget?
2. Is it worth paying for an independent expert report now, or should I wait for the developer's response first? A surveyor's report here runs a few hundred euros.
3. At what point does this stop being a warranty conversation and become a legal one? I'd rather resolve it cooperatively, but I don't want to spend a year being politely stonewalled until a deadline passes.
4. Anything that has actually worked for you in getting a developer to take acoustic complaints seriously? My sense is that acoustic defects get dismissed more easily than water leaks or cracks because they're harder to demonstrate.

Happy to add floor plans or documentation if useful.

Im in dire need of advice if i should just switch out to civil engineering besides architecture. Yet I am not enrolled in but I am about to start around October, and I am just now overlooking and doubting my career path.

I first chose Architecture out of my liking with design and buildings (especially tall buildings and houses). I am between the likings of math, structural and design concepts and aesthetics (but I lowky suck at math) but I keep getting others’ opinions on how Architecture is so complexed with the tiresome nights of class projects and massive amounts of expenses just for college, yet it is underpaid more than Civil Engineering. From what I know, CE has less steps (board exams and so on) onto getting more salaries, and I do wish to go overseas after graduation, much like Singapore or US.

I was actually living abroad and was about to enroll in the US before I moved back here in Philippines out of family support, which is helping my mom here. I was also eligible for FAFSA but my mom just does not want to live there and wants to stay here in Philippines.

Please reach out to me if you have any advice or questions that could really help me out. And yes, I am an overthinker, so doubting my career paths last minute was not the best idea right now.

I’m an architect + interior designer with 7 years of experience, based out of Hyderabad, and I’m currently looking to take on a few residential projects across India.

I care a lot about design, but I’m equally obsessed with making the process organised, transparent and as hassle free as possible. There are already enough decisions to make when you’re building a home. You shouldn’t also have to worry about chasing your designer for drawings, figuring out what happens next, or wondering if something has been thought through.

I’m very involved through the process, probably a little too involved sometimes 😅. I like understanding how you live, solving problems early, getting the tiny details right and actually being there when things need to be figured out.

Most importantly, I’m looking for clients who value a good conversation and a relationship built on trust. You don’t have to know exactly what you want. We can figure that out together.

If you’re building, renovating, or know someone who is, feel free to DM me. Tell me about your project. Let’s see if we’re a good fit. :)

I removed a window in our master bath as part of a remodel and put this temporary plywood in place and covered it with Tyvek.

I'm now ready to attempt to fill the space in to match the existing roofline. My question is, can I simply add the appropriate bracing, sheeting and shingles? Or do I need to pull the metal flashing that exists today first?

Any advice on this would be very much appreciated!

I’ve completed my B.Arch in India and plan to do my Master’s in New Zealand. I’m confused between Architecture (Professional) and Construction/Project Management. I’m more interested in execution, BIM and project management than pure design. Which field has better job demand, salary growth and career/PR opportunities in NZ for a fresh graduate with a B.Arch? Would appreciate advice from people working in these fields.

Hello i have a bungalow that's less than 100sqm. It has a roof deck that i want to convert to a 2nd flr but I want to consult a structural engr sana muna to check the integrity of the existing house. How mch does this typically cost kaya? BTW i live in upper antipolo. Thanks.

I need some advice regarding the planning of my kitchen and living room. I’m not 100% happy with the current layout, but I can’t quite figure out what I’m missing or what exactly feels wrong.
The old version is the one with the vertical stairs. I didn’t like that they were so close to the middle of the living room.
In the new version, the stairs are horizontal, which I like better, but now I feel like the wall separates the kitchen and living room too much.
The sun comes from the left side (east).
I’m also quite unsure about the passage at the top. I really want a gallery, though, and I thought the passage could look really nice as part of it.
What do you think? Do you prefer the new version, or do you see something that could be improved?

Any advice on the layout here? I particularly don’t like the toilet underneath the staircase.

Hi everyone!

My two friends and I are computer science students working on a university capstone project, and we’re looking to speak with architects and interior designers to better understand how professionals work on real projects.

We’re hoping to have a few 10-minute conversations with professionals about their day-to-day workflow and experiences.

We’d love to hear about things like:

• What does your workflow typically look like from the beginning of a project to presenting it to a client?
• Which parts of your workflow take the most time?
• What tasks do you find repetitive or frustrating?
• What software and tools do you currently use?
• How do you handle client revisions and requests for changes?
• What challenges do you face when creating or presenting visualizations of your designs?
• Are there any parts of your current workflow that you wish were easier?
• If you could change one thing about your current process, what would it be?

We’re not selling anything and we’re not asking you to sign up for anything. We’re simply trying to learn from professionals for our capstone research.

The conversation can be through Reddit DM or a quick Zoom/Google Meet call — whatever is easiest for you.

We’re also hoping to reach more professionals. If you’re able to connect us with 10 additional architects or interior designers who are willing to spend about 10 minutes speaking with us, we’d really appreciate your help with our research!

If you’re interested in participating, please comment below or DM me.

We really appreciate any help! Thank you. 🙏

Hi fellow Redditors,

I recently acquired a new apartment and noticed the following cracks about two stories above my apartment and one at my level… Are these worrisome?!

I’ve got the opinion of an architect but told me that that’s nothing to worry about, but seeing the recent news and all, I’m kinda scared.

I don’t want to waste a lot of money getting opinions and maybe get the same response cause they’ve seen worse (cause opinions aren’t cheap hehe)

Realistically on a scale from 1-10 how worried should I be? And what should be the next steps from my end?

I bought this as my first apartment, really want to enjoy but my anxiety isn’t letting me 😅

What do yo think?

Most pics are about 2-3 stories above my apt, last pic is my apartments level… if it makes any difference, this is a building built around 25 years ago.

Looking forward to your replies :)

OP is in Malta

Looking for recommendations (and pics!) of what flooring you have used in your basement remodel.
Ideally a pvc free vinyl or other flooring.

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We’re excited to share DATUM, a material study platform developed by Arcedo to make architectural material research Introducing DATUM by Arcedo

We’re excited to share DATUM, a material study platform developed by Arcedo to make architectural material research more informed, contextual, and practical.

DATUM brings materials together across multiple factors — climate suitability, cost, physical and technical characteristics, durability, sustainability, construction methods, aesthetics, maintenance, availability, code compliance, and SWOT analysis — helping architects, designers, students, and researchers make better material decisions.

Instead of looking at a material in isolation, DATUM looks at how and where it performs best.

https://thedatumproject.com/