Mo, Greeting Me First Thing in the Morning Even when I have a tough day ahead, I cannot ignore the joyous greetings of our four dogs first thing in the morning. Mo, whose fur seems to paint a smile on her face, is the most exuberant of the lot and refuses to take no for an answer when it comes to affection. In reality, it is hard to have a tough day when I sit on the porch [...]
New Family Room In a completely unscientific review of past and current projects, I find that six types of additions are requested more than all the others combined. The reason may be that homeowners value these seven additions the most, or that most homes lack or only have poor examples of these spaces. While I never try to predict real estate trends or future markets, it stands to reason that a home, which includes fine examples of one [...]
Stanfordville Screened Porch with Fireplace When it is buggy out, screened porches are in their glory! Â I love to eat dinner on my open porch (as well as drink my morning coffee), but if the bugs are out, I go inside. Â Screened porches solve those problems entirely. Â It is just lucky for me that my property rarely has a bug problem. Â For some homeowners, the mosquitoes, gnats, and other biting insects come out like clockwork, making it hard [...]
Columbia County New Home Columbia County New Home Spring has sprung, and as the buds come out on my maple trees, contractors are feeling pressure to finish projects and get the landscaping in the ground. We are busy doing punch lists and helping in any way we can to help finish our projects. At the same time Spring is a new begining for many construction projects. Columbia County New Home Stanfordville Renovation/Addition [...]
The Partridge Who Flew Away I was very disappointed to find out that the partridge who had taken up residence in Rodger Manley's workshop had decided to move on before my door was finished. I enjoyed having him/her follow me around while I was visiting. Rodger had always kept a window open in case the partridge wanted to leave, and eventually it happened. See My New Front Door and the Partridge. Door With Raised Panels Up [...]
Gable Window in Stone 3 Gable Windows We love gable windows. Sometimes for the light they bring in and other times just for the details and proportions they lend to the gable of a structure. We spend a lot of time adjusting the proportions of every aspect of a design. Gable windows are no exception. It is not uncommon for us to review dozens of options before choosing a window type, and then we continue to [...]
Bright Breakfast Bay I have always loved sitting in breakfast bays, eating breakfast, and reading the paper. Â These days, the object in front of me is often an iPad or other electronic device, but the wonderful feeling of a breakfast nook is always the same. Â Of course, breakfast bays with windows on three sides will be the brightest. Â Depending on the orientation of the house, the sunlight streaming in can be dramatic. If there are some interesting views, [...]
The Partridge That Came to Stay I love my home's back door. It is close to 200 years old, 2 inches thick, and made to last for centuries. In the 1800s, it was my front door, but like many old homes, the property changed around it, and the back of the house became the front of the house. While my existing front door is quite old, it is thinner, tends to leak air in winter, and needs new [...]
Mudroom with Black and White Stone Tiles Over the years, we have designed many mudrooms.  Sometimes, they are designed as a room dedicated to getting mud off of kids, pets, and everyone coming into the home’s side door.  Other times, they serve light duty as entries with coat hooks and a place to sit and take off or put on shoes. In the design of these mudrooms, we try to make them bright, comfortable, and, above all, functional. [...]
Bedford Garage This winter is turning into one of the coldest we have had in years. Visiting our job sites has been interesting. If not for my YakTrax, I would have hit the ground many times. Alternating between ice, snow, and mud, the job sites have become an obstacle course for both the contractors and the visiting architects. With a few warm days at the end of February and the beginning of March, there will be a number [...]
