There was SO much to do and see on our trip to Savannah, Georgia this summer – we’re going to have to go back to see everything we missed! Everywhere we went in the Historic District, we couldn’t help but notice unique, beautiful stairways, outside and inside. Savannah’s location and climate meant … Read More >>
12 Delightfully Tiny Gingerbread Houses
Someday we're going to head down to the National Gingerbread House Competition in Asheville, NC but until then, we're all smiles while we enjoy these 12 wonderful itsy-bitsy tiny gingerbread houses! Find the directions for building this beautiful "winter scene" house at Goodies by … Read More >>
Inspiring Homes
Tiny Cottage in Virginia is Big on Charm
Warm Springs Virginia is a very small mountain town, near the border with West Virginia. This tiny cottage (only 970 square feet!) caught our eye when we saw it come up for sale and we wanted to share it with you. KAREN : love how the gate “picture frames” the house in this photo! RICH: […]
Updating a Master Bath in a Modest Ohio Cottage
Making the most of a small space is something we typically look for in a Modest Mansion, but sometimes, just a little more space makes everything work the way it should. I added a little more space when I designed this project, turning this cute little hall bath into a very comfortable and well-appointed master […]
Super Remodeling of a Classic California Contemporary, Mid-Century Modern Home
If you’re used to thinking that all “modern” homes are sleek, and cool, and minimalist on the inside, then this remodeled Mid-Century Modern might change your mind. The 1,755 square foot home was built in 1975 by the Streng Brothers in the California Contemporary style (Streng began building great modern homes in California since the 1950’s). It was […]
A Rustic Log Cabin that’s Practically Luxurious Inside
You heard that right. “Rustic” and “luxurious” aren’t often used to describe the same house. Which is exactly what we like about this little place in Hot Springs, Virginia – it’s a yee-haw corncob pipe log cabin on the outside, and a very, very nice family retreat on the inside.
Home Design & Style
What is an “Open Concept” Floor Plan?
It seems like almost everyone on those HGTV shows wants an “open concept” floor plan, doesn’t it? “Open concept” sounds like a new idea, but is it? What is an “open concept” floor plan, anyway – and how is it different from a floor plan that isn’t “open”? The first American homes were built in […]
Tudor Revival Style is a Great Fit for Small Homes
I’ve always liked Tudor Revival-styled homes, but it seems I’m in the minority. In more than three decades of Residential Architecture practice, I’ve had one client express an interest in Tudor Revival style. One. I’ve mentioned it to a few other clients over the years, but the reaction I typically get is something along the lines […]
Our 5 Rules for Better Home Design
Recently a friend asked me to help him figure out the proper size for a family room addition he was designing to expand his home a bit. He was looking for some “rules of thumb” that would guarantee a comfortable, “architecturally-correct” space – a short cut to good design, because lot of money was at […]
Five Strategies to Make the Home You’re Designing More “Green”
It takes a little science and a little art to design a beautiful, livable new home that’s energy-efficient, uses less material to build, and connects with its building site. Those are some of the major ingredients of good design – and essential ingredients of “green” design.
Our Journey
12 Delightfully Tiny Gingerbread Houses
Someday we’re going to head down to the National Gingerbread House Competition in Asheville, NC but until then, we’re all smiles while we enjoy these 12 wonderful itsy-bitsy tiny gingerbread houses! Find the directions for building this beautiful “winter scene” house at Goodies by Anna Carrie Stephens This house and others in the cooking pages of […]
House Number Three
Some of you know that Karen and I recently moved from our family home of 26 years to an empty-nester home. Like the experiences of many of you, our move was a bit of a long and winding road, including a two-month stopover in an apartment between homes. We’ve owned three homes together including this […]
Minor Repairs to Our Stone Walk Turns into a Bigger Job than We Thought…
So we’ve been in the new house about 7 months now, and after all the work we’ve done inside, it’s finally time to start sprucing up the exterior. We were so excited to find this home, and the patio is one of the reasons why – it’s just the right size and it was very […]
How We Re-Tiled Our Big Master Bath Shower (with help). Part Two
Part Two of the continuing saga of re-tileing the shower in our master bath, part of an overall master bath remodel. (Read Part One of this story here) With demolition done and all the finish material delivered, Week Two started with the first actual construction work on the shower. First up was replacing the old shower […]
Build & Maintain
7 Ways to Hold Down the Construction Cost of Your New Home
You might think the only way to hold down construction costs on a house is to strip all the niceties away, and build a “bare bones” house. You’re partly right – adding lots of expensive goodies to a house can jack the price up quickly. But the real culprits are poor planning and waste. Plan your […]
The 3 Big Things That Have the Most Impact on the Cost of Your New Home
You want the best house you can get, with an interesting, family-friendly layout, an attractive exterior, and nice finishes – without blowing up your budget. But if you get heavily invested (emotionally and financially) in a design before you have a handle on potential costs, you’ll end up cutting costs at the very end of the process, […]
How to Be Sure You’re Getting a Fair Price on Your New Home or Remodeling Project
A few years ago a gentleman stopped by our house to ask if he could give me a quote on trimming the trees in my yard – a fairly frequent event on my street, which has a lot of older trees. I’ve lived here long enough to have talked to dozens of tree trimmers. So I pretty […]
How We Re-Tiled Our Big Master Bath Shower (with help). Part Two
Part Two of the continuing saga of re-tileing the shower in our master bath, part of an overall master bath remodel. (Read Part One of this story here) With demolition done and all the finish material delivered, Week Two started with the first actual construction work on the shower. First up was replacing the old shower […]