Under Construction October 2024

New Home in Columbia County As I have said before, one of my favorite tasks is visiting job sites in the fall.  The air is crisp, and the leaves are turning.  There is an urgency on job sites to get everything enclosed or painted before the harsh weather arrives.  We usually don't have to worry about mud or slush or snow yet and driving through the countryside reveals one amazing view after another. New Home in Columbia [...]

By |2024-10-15T18:28:55-04:00October 10th, 2024|Categories: Construction, Design, New Homes, Porches|Tags: , , |1 Comment

Under Construction 3-24

New Home Waiting for Landscaping We are working on a wide variety of projects, including an energy-efficient net-zero renovation and addition, several new homes, and major additions to antique and newer homes.  As one project is completed, another begins. This continues to be a warmer-than-usual year.  Helping most construction sites while making others a muddy mess.  We won't look a gift horse in the mouth. New Home Waiting for Landscaping Foundation About to Set Steel [...]

By |2024-03-18T16:42:39-04:00March 17th, 2024|Categories: Additions, Construction, Design, Miscellaneous, New Homes, Renovations|Tags: |0 Comments

13 Family Friendly Pool Houses and Pavilions

Pool House With Porch A Pool house can be a place to access only the absolute necessities while enjoying the pool, or it can be a fun destination that allows friends and family to spend the day around the pool and then stay for the night. A well-designed pool house can easily double as a guest house for summer and winter use.  Pool houses we have designed often become the favorite house on the property. Pool House [...]

By |2024-03-19T11:54:47-04:00March 3rd, 2024|Categories: Pools, Design, Pool House, Pool Houses|0 Comments

Simply Modern

View Facing the Lake Our clients asked us to keep it simple and modern and to help them get the most house for their budget. This new home does not feel like any compromises were made, and we all were very happy with the outcome. The lake serves as the centerpiece of their beautiful home, while their home, in turn, complements the lake as its focal point. View Toward Lake Living Room Living [...]

By |2024-01-26T13:01:27-05:00October 30th, 2023|Categories: Dining room, Lake Home, Laundry rooms, Miscellaneous, Mud Rooms, New Homes|0 Comments

15 Summer Loving Wonderful Outdoor spaces

Dining Table Under Pergola Summertime in the Northeast is wonderful in outdoor spaces.  After a long winter, the contrast between the seasons cannot be greater.  My family spends a lot of time on our porch and patio and gathering around the pool during the summer.  We alternate eating dinner inside and outside, with alfresco dining winning out every summer.  When we design a home, we do everything we can to make that indoor-to-outdoor connection.  If possible, there should [...]

By |2024-01-26T20:01:22-05:00June 13th, 2023|Categories: Design, Fireplaces, Gardens, Miscellaneous, New Homes, Patios, Pools, Porches|2 Comments

Building Your Forever Home (or addition) 8 Examples

New Home with Porches We design many forever homes.  Whenever we are asked to design any project, we approach it the same way the builders of my home did: design it as though a family will live there forever. The forever home starts with good design. Our preference is to avoid whatever the current fad is going around and to design each home or addition in a timeless manner that will look as good 25 years from now [...]

By |2024-01-26T20:22:54-05:00May 9th, 2023|Categories: Additions, Design, Lake Home, Miscellaneous, New Homes, Porches, Renovations|2 Comments

Our Client Turns Her Passion Into a Business!

Bryson Home at Night When we were first contacted by Laura Bryson and her husband, she told us she wanted to use reclaimed materials as much as possible.  She started with some columns her father had given her that she wanted to use on the porches we designed.  This and other reclaimed materials helped her forge relationships with craftspeople who could match or repair antique components.  Finding reclaimed materials became a treasure hunt that led to some incredible [...]

Under Construction 10-22

Pool and Pool House Contractors are working to finish projects before the snow falls.  Some projects may begin in the fall, but care must be taken to ensure materials are protected, and the ground can support the foundation.  Building in the winter has its challenges, but some of the advantages can be more available materials and subcontractors since the high demand has passed in the spring and fall.  Warmer winters have opened the doors to more uninterrupted construction [...]

By |2022-11-18T10:01:39-05:00October 17th, 2022|Categories: Accessory Buildings, Construction, Garages, Miscellaneous, New Homes|0 Comments

7 Ways to Cut Painful Construction Costs in 2022

Simple Bedroom/Porch Addition Recently we have encountered a spike in construction costs.  We have seen this happen several times over the course of our practice, and it is always a shock when the established cost of building a home or an addition is no longer possible.  We have found that there are multiple reasons, but the main ones are the scarcity and accompanying inflation of building materials and the increasing construction costs of each building trade because they [...]

By |2024-01-31T18:30:43-05:00October 16th, 2022|Categories: Construction, Construction Costs, Miscellaneous, New Homes, Pool Houses, Porches|0 Comments

4 Brilliant Outdoor Living Spaces

Outdoor Living and Dining In the northeast, we don't have a whole lot of warm weather suitable for outdoor entertaining, so we celebrate those perfect days in any way we can in our outdoor living spaces.  We are lucky to be able to collaborate with talented landscape architects and designers including Conte and Conte, Renee Byers, Judy Murphy of  Old Farm Nursery, and Rob Adroyd of Greylock Design Associates respectively.  Outdoor living spaces impact the design of our [...]