National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week

I’ve been a board member of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation for a number of years. This past March was the first time I participated with the Trust’s annual delegation to Washington DC for National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week. This year and for the foreseeable future, it will be …

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What is Architectural Precast Concrete?

When I tell people that I work for an architectural precast concrete company they usually look at me like I just said something to them in a foreign language. I get it. Before I started at Olympian Precast I worked for several cast-in-place concrete subcontractors, and I still had no idea what…

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Structural Engineering for Treehouses

Many Rafn craftsmen have built treehouses for their kids over the years, but as a company, we have never had the opportunity to build one like you see on TV. Our friends at Swenson Say Faget (SSF) structural engineering, however, have gotten the opportunity to work on 15 high-end treehouses…

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Replumbing the Historic Stimson-Green Mansion

We are currently working on an interesting project at the Stimson-Green Mansion in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle. Built in 1901, the mansion is a designated Seattle Landmark, is on the Washington Heritage Register, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Although less…

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What to Consider when Considering Phased Occupancy

What can the developer / architect / contractor team do to make phased occupancy as easy as possible for the Building and Fire Departments to grant? Teamwork, pre-planning, and following jurisdictional requirements will yield the best chance for success. Phased occupancy allows a project owner to…

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Photo Stream

  • New Tech To Check (Out)
  • Seismic : Benefits of Integrated Delivery
  • Embracing Your Chimney & Leashing Your Gargoyle
  • Spotlight : Murals at Flourish on Rainier
  • What is Architectural Precast Concrete?
  • Construction Labor Shortage
  • Hidden Underground
  • How to Get Construction to Start on Time : Part 2