For precision, passion, and profit, three residential firms are building it themselves

project: Cho/Broady residence

architect / contractor: Zack | de Vito Architecture

project size: 2,200 square feet

site size: 0.06 acre

construction cost: $260 per square foot

photographer: Jeanne Stack

perfect cube [Qb.sup.3] philadelphia

it all started with an errant general contractor. The fledgling Philadelphia firm [Qb.sup.3] (pronounced "cube") had been working on a residential renovation project for months, and the builder they teamed with just wasn't getting the job done. The firm's three partners realized they had the skills and background to construct the house themselves, and with their client's blessing they took over. The completed house (see sidebar) now serves as one of their showcase projects, and it won an AIA Philadelphia Honor Award last year.

The 2-year-old firm has since continued along the design/build path, capitalizing on its blend of multidisciplinary backgrounds. Partner Kevin Angstadt, AIA, put in eight years as a cabinetmaker, ironworker, and carpenter before architecture school at Penn State. "I went into architecture school knowing more technical, builderly things," he says. "In school I started thinking conceptually and abandoned all that for a time." Patrycja Doniewski, another partner, holds an architecture degree from the University of Virginia and has worked as a graphic designer. And third partner Stephen Mileto trained as a cabinetmaker before studying architecture, also at Penn State.

Custom residential jobs currently make up 80 percent of the firm's workload. Of that, its five-person staff physically builds nearly half themselves, taking to the jobsite with hammer and saw. On most of their other houses, they function more as general contractors, hiring subs and overseeing construction. Once in a while, they'll provide just design services. Any way they handle it, the design/build method presents a clear advantage. "In the beginning, we approached it almost as a financial necessity," Doniewski says. The ability to charge for building services as well as architecture allowed [Qb.sup.3] a greater cash flow than if it offered only design, a bonus for a young firm that lacks the capital of a more established company.

In addition, design/build streamlines the construction process. "If there's a question, it's figured out there and then," says Doniewski. "We can make decisions right away. And there are certain provisions we can make while designing. We don't have to write out everything about a detail because either we're building it or we know the person who is." [Qb.sup.3]'s business plan honors the time-tested strategy of diversification; along with architecture and construction, it also specializes in custom furniture and graphic design.--m.d.

perret residence

One of [Qb.sup.3]'s favorite aspects of design/build is the close control it gives the architects over a project's final outcome. That sense of control results in satisfying, highly detailed projects such as the Perret Residence, a modern renovation of a dilapidated 1850s brick row house in Philadelphia. Partners Stephen Mileto, Kevin Angstadt, and Patrycja Doniewski restored the front facade out of respect for the street context. Then they made room for a new interior stair (the old one was missing) by tearing down the three-story house's rear facade and expanding into the back yard. With expansive windows at each of its three landings, the stairwell acts as the main conductor of light through the house. "It diffuses the hard light so you just get this glow in the living spaces," explains Angstadt. A restrained overall palette of white walls and lp6 floors highlights such niceties as a suspended living room fireplace and color-saturated bathroom tiles.--m.d.