3 Chicks Close Up On one of our site meetings which included the homeowners, me, the project architect and the contractor, Howie Senior, from Structure Works Construction, pointed out a new swallow’s nest. The swallows would start to build a nest on the house which is under construction and then the workmen would have to undo their hard work when a new piece of clapboard or framing was installed. Howie solved their dilemma by putting up a couple [...]
Modern Farm House Kitchen Our clients bought an old home that had been moved to it’s the site and reconstructed.  The old portion of the home was charming and quite beautiful.  Added on to it was one of the worst additions I have ever seen.  They asked us to remove the addition, and design a modern chef's kitchen/family room that was sympathetic to the old house but give them big views and a modern aesthetic. One other requirement was that the [...]
Simple Alcove When designing a home or addition, part of the fun for the owner is imagining the project finished without any compromises. When bids come in from the contractors, many homeowners are eager to look at ways to reduce the price without losing space or the character of the project. As the architects, our job is to help bring the price down as far as possible without losing the qualities that the owners loved in the first [...]
Complete Home Renovation I live in a home that was built over 220 years ago. Of course, it has been added on to over the years and has been adapted to modern living, but much of the house exists as it did in 1790. The builders of my home knew only one way to construct a house, and that was to design it well and build it to last. They succeeded. We often are asked by clients to [...]
Low Ceilings After Low Ceilings Before We are often asked how to deal with existing low ceilings in a home. This is one of my favorite blogs on the subject: Homes built before the advent of efficient heating systems and proper insulation often used fireplaces both as a source of heat and a place to cook. Lower ceilings and smaller rooms were much easier to heat with fireplaces, therefore many period farmhouses were built with a [...]
Addition to Old Home About half of the work in our office is new construction and half renovations and additions. When designing a home from scratch some of the most important elements to study(besides the clients wishes) are views, site features, sun and wind direction, and the approach to the site. The most important single element in an addition/renovation is the existing building. Sometimes the portion you save and restore is key to the rest of the project. [...]
Formal Dining Room In an age where family time has been shortened by screen time, and we eat most our meals on the go, a formal dining room can bring us together. A dedicated dining room can change the atmosphere of a meal and provide a special grace to dinner time. I have a large dining room in my own old farm house, and we do enjoy more formal meals there. In our house, the dining room is [...]
 Gable End Although, to the average person, the idea of moving a house seems daunting, to the people who do it for a living, it's a piece of cake. House movers can move houses with chimneys as-well-as all stone or brick facades. It is all about taking it slow and knowing what you are doing. The house must be supported by steel beams and timbers anywhere there was weight being borne on the foundation or by posts [...]
Former home of Kermit Love, creator of Big Bird (New Home) We love Greek Revival style buildings. Â Sometimes we add on to Greek Revival homes, and we also design them from the ground up. Â We often take liberties with details and proportions like carpenter architects did with the originals. Â Above is a home we designed for (the late) Kermit Love, the creator of Big Bird, and his partner. Â Kermit was in his 80s when we began this project. [...]
Basement Gym The key to loving your basement is creating a space you want to visit.  Everyone is different.  A basement gym might encourage a daily workout, or a home theater might bring the whole family down for movie night.  Wine cellars are perfect for the basement since cool, windowless rooms make for perfect wine storage.  Entertainment spaces or laundry rooms work well also.  A basement is an open canvas waiting for the perfect use and someone with a [...]
