When the words "historic home" or "historic district" show up in a home description, we can't help but take a look. Glad we did on this one in Bentonville, Arkansas. On the outside, it's a very nice basic blue historic Colonial home but on the inside, a few contemporary touches have been added to accent the 1863 interior. KAREN: Just needs a flag to be perfect … [Read more...]
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"? You all know by now that a lot of my Architecture articles start with a little history background...so here we go! The … [Read more...]
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: lots of wood - floors, walls, ceiling...everywhere you look KAREN: makes me … [Read more...]
Why Tudor Style is a Great Fit for Small Homes
I've always liked Tudor style 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 of “yuck”, “ewww”, and “I hate Tudor”. I hear … [Read more...]
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 for better home design" that would guarantee a comfortable, “architecturally-correct” space – a short cut to good design, because lot of money was at stake and he didn’t want to do it wrong. Modest mansions … [Read more...]
Five Strategies for Better Green Home Design
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 home design. … [Read more...]
Make a Master Plan for Your Home Design When You Can’t Do Everything Right Now
Sometimes it's not possible to do everything on your renovation wish list right away. Money's usually the immediate issue, but if you don't plan the whole project out now, you might waste it anyway, down the road. You don't want to have to significantly renovate "phase one" in order to build "phase two" a few years later. Avoid that by creating a master plan for your home … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Hold Down Home Construction Costs
You might think the only way to control home construction costs 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 house a little better and you'll money left over for some bling. … [Read more...]
The 3 Big Things That Have the Most Impact on New Home Construction Costs
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 new home construction costs, you'll end up cutting costs at the very end of the process, resulting in an … [Read more...]
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 much knew what to expect as soon as he pulled in the driveway in his spotless pickup truck. The truck … [Read more...]
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