Latest News

Although I haven't blogged in a while I want to assure you that I'm still in business and doing fine. For those who haven't heard I've started a new company with 3 friends I knew in graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin. Our office goes by the name Element 5 Architecture and we've been operating for over two years now. I still do the same kind of work - green, modern residential architecture at a reasonable cost and budget. However, we're now able to do larger projects too. Please give me a call if you have a project you'd like to talk about!

Here are a few images of the work we've been doing as Element 5 Architecture:

An Update of Latest Work

Images above are for the Winflo Residence, a 3,200 sf house in Clarkesville (central Austin).

Compact Home with Screened Pool

This house was recently featured on Houzz.com. The owner is a widow who owns a 28 acre ranch near Georgetown, TX and rescues doogs and cats to be adopted. The house has a wonderful connection to the outdoors and the living room directly opens up to a screened-in pool. See more comtemporary homes on my website.

House Featured on Houzz.com

My Houzz: An Animal Lover's Texas Sanctuary

Houzz- Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel and More »

Browse Lighting on Houzz- For Example:

Ceiling Fans · Chandeliers · Floor Lamps · Lamp Shades · Light Bulbs · Recessed Lighting · Table Lamps · Track Lighting ·

Crestview Residence

3-story 2,200 sf, single family home with two separate carports.

Wanguhu Residence Featured in Houzz Article

Architect's Toolbox: Rotated Squares and Diagonals in Design

Houzz- Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel and More»

Browse Accessories And Decor on Houzz- For Example:

Artwork · Books · Candles And Candle Holders · Clocks · Magazine Racks · Pillows · Plants · Rugs ·

Hologram Technology in Architecture

Nick Mehl Architecture is exploring new ways to present designs to our client. We've recently created a hologram for one of our projects and it will be on display at the Ask an Architect event this Saturday, Oct. 22 at BoConcept downtown. We worked with Zebra Imaging who creates a three dimensional print onto a special kind of plastic sheet and with the use of a certain light source the hologram acheives it's 3D projection. The image shown he is just one of the many angles Zebra Imaging looks at when producing the hologram.

Ask an Architect

Nick Mehl Architecture will be one of 11 architects participating in the Ask an Architect event at BoConcept downtown, Oct. 22. Thinking of hiring an architect but have questions? Want to meet several architects at once? Hey, at least it's free coffee and discounted breakfast tacos!

The Move is Complete

Our office has moved to share an office space with five other architects in a centrally located 1950's retail space (see image). We're very excited to be working in a collaborative environment and this will offer new opportunities for accepting bigger projects.

Traditional Architecture

Some folks have asked to see examples of more traditional-style architecture by our office so here are some images of recent work in that genre.

Crestview House

This is our latest design to become a real building. Alex Pettit of Spring Builders is the general contractor. The design is very strictly traditional with extensive research into early 20th century architecture serving as the basis for the overall design and details. I should also admit that the owners have played a big part in actively selecting the interior finishes and I will post updates of the interior to show how nice it's looking.

If you'd like to see other residential architecture in Austin that we've done, please visit our website at www.nickmehl.com.

Building Types

Just returned from a few days vacation and the pause from work gave me a chance to reflect on business (I know I shouldn't be doing that). My specialty seems to be residential green design but do you ever wonder what commissions I would like to take other than single family homes - which I love to do, by the way? Here's a brief list:

1. Mixed-use neighborhood design. Not many people know, but urban neighborhood design was my concentration in grad school. Yes, architects design whole neighborhoods too, sometimes.
2. Mid-rise condominium project on the Texas Gulf Coast. My insurance company might not be too fond of this idea.
3. Catholic or Episcopal Church.
4. Small boutique hotel or inn.

I'll give a 5% discount onany projects like these that come in the door! (Just kidding)

Current Work

Here's a little sampling of work in progress in the office. The project featured is a 3000sf house on Lake LBJ about 50 miles from Austin. The house will feature a 14'-16' tall window wall of glass and steel facing the lake, radiant heated floors and a four car garage for the owner's vintage car collection.

Construction Financing Option

HUD offers a construction financing option that one of my clients is using. It's called a HUD 203(k) loan and it works really well with inner city single-family rehabilitation projects. That's not to say that the house must be renovated, in fact the house can be raised as long as part of one exterior wall and foundation is preserved. I have found that many of my clients could use this kind of loan.

Please go to this link to see the details of the loan. The loan distinquishes itself from conventional construction loans in that it requires just 3% down (most construction loans require 20% down), it's a single-closing, and I beleive there's a minimum 1-year commitment to occupy the property.

Please view Nick Mehl Architecture for designs in the austin area.

Pre-Fab Designs

I've been working on a thought for some time now and I would welcome any comments on the appeal of it. Is there some value in offering for sale a pre-packaged design for a house - designed by an architect - so that one can avoid the need to hire an architect and work through months of design, choosing finishes and fixtures, answering questions and having meetings? Similar to how one purchases a commodity such as a car or a phone, perhaps I could apply all that I know about green building and design to work out a compact, well thought-out, energy efficient home that has a few options but would be otherwise be a completely designed house, ready for construction. I think the first house would fit on a very tight footprint, be mostly vertical and have the latest technological home advancements. My inspiration comes from the Mini Cooper or iPhone, well-crafted machines (with some flaws) that are not cheap but are sexy and attractive and clearly superior in design to what has preceded them.

Please continue visiting my website over the next couple of months to see how this thought about pre-fab homes developes.

NMA's first Kennel project!

I may be a little biased but this is the nicest kennel for dogs and cats (and people) I have ever seen. Really, the owner wanted the kennel to be similar to a house as she plans on spending a good deal of time in the kennel helping her rescued pets get used to a peaceful domestic life. More images to come...

Please visit my website for more residential modern architecture.

Thoughts from Custom Residenctial Architects Convention

Just returned from a weekend at the national CRAN (Custom Residential Architects Network) convention. I was a little disappointed in the amount of attention that was placed on architects who do ultra-expensive luxury residences. Both the early presenters and trade reps focused on +$300/sf residential design. Granted, that's where the money used to be but I felt like the new economy is here and perhaps more focus should be placed on the kind of humble work me and my peers are doing.

Part of the convention featured the AIA Homes Tour which didn't help improve my perception as every home we saw on the tour featured homes in that exact construction cost.

It wasn't until the speakers from more economically depressed regions of the country started talking about the practical concerns of running an architectural office that the convention turned relevant. In particular, speakers from SALA Architects in Minneapolis and Tekton Architecture in San Francisco brought the focus back to reality and made the weekend worthwhile.

By the way, my website has been recently updated so please check out the new residential architect projects that are featured in the portfolio pages.

Latest House Completed

I just wanted to share with all the Wanguhu Residence. Currently a regional shelter magazine is looking at publishing it but it's not definite yet. The house turned out fantastic - 2400sf, steeply sloping lot, energy efficient, tight budget, inventive detailing. I'll put the house on my website more officially in the next couple of months. If you want to see more from a residential modern architect please visit my website.