Journal
Notes from the Jersey Shore.
Long-form articles on coastal construction, ICF (insulated concrete forms), hurricane-proof building, house lifting, and the craft of designing custom homes for the New Jersey Shore — from a design + build firm here since 1978.
House Lifting
Inside the house lifting process — a Point Pleasant case study
Sixty tons of house, balanced on stacks of spruce that crack before they break. A walk-through of how we raise homes above the new FEMA flood elevation on the Jersey Shore.
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Coastal Design
5 reasons every Jersey Shore custom home should be designed in 3D
Step right up to the bay-window view before a single stud goes in. Why we design every Jersey Shore custom home in 3D — and why your architect should too.
3 min read
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ICF
The first oceanfront concrete home on the Jersey Shore
An oceanfront home engineered to withstand 250 mph winds. The first all-concrete custom build on the New Jersey Shore — and our argument for why it's the future of coastal construction.
2 min read
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Hurricane-Proof
Building a hurricane-proof home, Part 1 — coastal waterfront ICF construction
Six feet of water inside after Sandy. We rebuilt this Normandy Beach home in the V-zone — fourteen feet up, on poured concrete and ICF, with a four-car garage in the breakaway space below.
3 min read
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Hurricane-Proof
Hurricane-proof home, Part 2 — breakaway walls and the ICF Lite-Deck floor system
Walls designed to fail before the foundation does. A reinforced concrete first floor with R-28 insulation and radiant heat baked in. The unglamorous engineering that makes a coastal home survive a storm.
3 min read
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Hurricane-Proof
Hurricane-proof home, Part 3 — building an entire house out of concrete
Some homeowners take it further: every floor, every wall, every level — concrete. Here's what an entire ICF house looks like, and what it does for your insurance, your heating bill, and your peace of mind.
3 min read
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Hurricane-Proof
Hurricane-proof home, Part 4 — concrete vs. wood on the Jersey Shore
The three-little-pigs metaphor turns out to be more accurate than we'd like. A direct comparison of ICF concrete and stick-frame construction on the most hurricane-exposed coast in the country.
3 min read
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Restoration
Rebuilding Barnacle Bill's — restoring a Jersey Shore landmark
Anyone who's been down the shore knows the Barnacle Bill's face. Rebuilding it after Sandy was a commercial design-build project we took as personally as any custom home.
2 min read
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House Lifting
Understanding FEMA flood maps and Jersey Shore coastal construction
V-zone, A-zone, BFE, ABFE — the alphabet soup that determines whether your Jersey Shore home gets pilings or perimeter walls, and what your flood insurance is going to cost for the rest of your life.
3 min read
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Coastal Design
Plan your Jersey Shore home renovation in time for next summer
October through June is the working window. Lift, remodel, or rebuild now and you're back in the house for Memorial Day — without giving up a summer to the construction crew.
3 min read
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Coastal Design
Choosing the right design + build firm for your waterfront home
Two firms means two contracts, two schedules, and a no-man's-land between them where most projects lose their summer. The case for one team handling design and construction together.
4 min read
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Awards
Qualified Remodeler Top 500 — fifteen years of national recognition
Fifteen years on the Qualified Remodeler Top 500 list. A national recognition we've been honored to carry — and a thank-you to the Jersey Shore community that made it possible.
3 min read