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. Although it is almost [...]
One of my least favorite parts of a project is it’s end. During the process of designing and constructing the home, we have built special relationships with home owners, contractors and craftspeople which inevitably must change. Often those business relationships become friendships, but there is nothing like being part of that creation(ask any mother). We work together as a team for as much as several years speaking at least once a week and exchanging ideas even [...]
The most elaborate and beautiful bedroom and bathroom in the home is usually part of the master suite.  Often it has the best views and sometimes other rooms connected within the suite.  That makes sense considering the people who sleep there own the home. We have designed wet bars, home offices, as well as terraces and screened porches off the master bedroom. In my house the master bedroom is a place where kids congregate first thing [...]
One of my favorite times in the kitchen is Saturday afternoon, all by myself, making a big mess preparing Creole and Cajun dishes. Whether I’m trying to cook my roux(flour and oil) to the perfect nutty brown for Gumbo, or making a simple pot of Red Beans and Rice, it is my place to unwind and anticipate the good food to come. At our home like most of the homes we design, the kitchen is the [...]
One of the pleasures of working with a great photographer(Rob Karosis), is the thrill of seeing new photos of one of our projects for the first time. After spending months and sometimes years, on a renovation project it is always gratifying to go back and see what the space looked like before anything was done. It is easy to forget how far from the original house a design has come. We hope you enjoy some of our favorite [...]
In 2009 I wrote an article about the price of installed components of a home. Â You would think that due to the state of the economy, all prices would be lower in 2012. Â According to an unscientific survey of a number of trusted contractors who are often the low bidders, many prices have gone up-especially windows. Â You can see the original prices at 'How Much' The amended survey follows: We are frequently asked the cost of building a project. Universally [...]
There are a lot of reasons to use materials which have had a previous life. They include puritan thriftiness, the desire to preserve the past, of course-green practices, but my favorite reason is their inherent beauty. There is a patina, a softness that only time produces. Occasionally we find wood materials or details which can be bought for a fraction of their newer counterparts, but generally there is a premium for antique products. The premium is due to the labor [...]
I am really excited to announce that after many months of hard work our web master Sven Nebelung completed our new and improved Crisp Architects web site. Sven created the previous web page almost 10 years ago when a lot of people were using dial-up connections for the Internet. At that time images needed to be small for quick loading. Most of us have faster connections these days so we decided to enlarge all the photos and enhance [...]
The selection of a kitchen floor is another example of how our wealth of choices makes those selections all the more difficult. The criteria for a kitchen floor includes the following: 1. It must be attractive-a very broad and subjective requirement, which is often in the eye of the beholder. 2. It must be durable-there are many forms of durability. For wood, durability may mean looking good with dings and scratches. With stone or tile, you will want [...]
This is the first of a series of articles showcasing some of our favorite architectural details. No architectural project is successful unless the details are well thought out, proportional, and designed to last. Â The details do make the project. We often use cupolas to bring in light and for ventilation. Â Best of all, they add detail to a roof and make an historical connection to the barns built in the nineteenth century and before. A fireplace [...]
