Entry Hall 1. Â Organize your hall. Â It doesn't take much to turn chaos into calm. Â By adding a bench which doubles as shoe storage, some hooks, and cabinets, you can transform an entry into a mud room. Pull Out Baskets Kitchen Updated 2. Â Cook more family meals (In a kitchen you love) Â Out of all the renovations I have done to my home, no renovation changed my home and how we live more than [...]
We are frequently asked the cost of building a project. Universally the answer is: It depends what you build. Following is a list of some of the elements that go into homes in our region and their installed costs. The prices will vary depending on the supplier, contractor and the market conditions at the time of the bid. These prices were provided by suppliers and contractors in early 2016 (Technically late 2015)Â . Estimated Installed Costs of Building components [...]
I have renovated and added to my own home for many reasons, including the fact I hated the existing kitchen. I added a porch and a bedroom because I love porches and my oldest daughter needed a room of her own. Many people renovate a home because no one thought to incorporate light or views in the original design.  Sometimes the existing home is outdated, dark, too small, poorly laid out, or all of the above. In any case, some [...]
Project Photo After 3-D Sketch Before The world of computer graphics has changed completely since I started my architectural practice.  We now regularly use computer imaging to make quick sketches of proposed design ideas and use renderings of projects to let our clients know exactly what their home or addition will look like. It is amazing to me how realistic these renderings can be.  Although we are known for our modern versions of traditional homes, sometimes our [...]
Patio View It is not uncommon for our clients  to ask us to add additional rooms or outbuildings to their property, but it is unusual to work on a home more than a decade in the past then have the current owners ask us to expand the home even further.  That is exactly what happened with the 'Country Lane Home'.  An earlier kitchen and family room renovation was expanded when we added living space and guest quarters and [...]
Living Room Sculpture Almost every home we renovate or design from the ground up, includes a generous amount of art.  Sometimes the homeowner has an extensive collection which we place in advance on our drawings.  Existing art objects can be placed  throughout the house providing 'art walls' or niches for specific pieces. More often the homeowner enjoys collecting art over time and placing it where it fits.  Either way, natural and artificial light plays an important role in how [...]
Sun Room in the Snow The best time to enjoy a sunroom can be the middle of winter. Â While we always think of sitting in a sun room looking out over a lush garden, the time when we need sun the most is when those plants are well below the snow. Â Like sitting on a porch in the summer while a warm rain falls out in the yard, sitting in a sun room around a crackling fire while [...]
Table Set for Twenty I've been dreaming of spring lately, and nothing heralds the arrival of spring like dinner on the porch.   At our home, as soon as it is warm enough, the porch becomes the center of outdoor entertaining. We often install radiant heaters for our clients, which allow an early start and an extended season.  Our clients use their porches for relaxing, dining, and entertaining.  The good news is that there are so many ways to design a porch [...]
Garage-Guest House Garage-Guest House One of the most cost effective places to gain a bonus space is above a garage.  By picking up the roof a few feet when building a garage, you can gain usable space such as guest quarters, great storage, a painting studio, home theater, or an all purpose loft.  When we are designing a garage we always suggest adding those extra few feet of head room even if there are no immediate plans to finish [...]
View of Old and New The original house had been added to over time, but at its core was a beautiful old home with wide pine floors and plaster walls. A critical requirement of the project was to preserve the integrity of the historic structure while giving the new owners additional space for their growing family and friends. With some careful design and care during construction, we were even able to save two venerable old trees which have [...]
