Checking for Icicles
This is a great time of year to see whether you could lower your heating bills by adding insulation. If you can see the pattern of your roof rafters in the snow on your roof, or if you have a lot of icicles, chances are you would benefit from having more insulation in your attic. Both are signs […]
Getting to Beautiful
“Someone thought those ceiling beams were beautiful. It would not have been me.” Debra Silber wrote this recently in an article for “Fine Homebuilding” magazine on what makes a house beautiful. And while I agreed with most of the article, I disagreed with her comment about the ugly ceiling beams. I am confident that no one ever […]
Add More Space without Adding Square Footage
More Space without Adding On This project is proof you can make your home look and live bigger without adding any square footage. Located in one of Highland Square’s multi-story condominium buildings, adding on wasn’t an option for this home. So instead of adding space, we used three strategies to make the space we had […]
Get Ready for Winter
Now that it’s almost November, you’ve probably spent some time getting your yard ready for winter by raking leaves, putting the gardens to bed, and maybe putting away some outdoor furniture. But before you get too comfy with that cup of hot chocolate, you’ll want to make sure your house is ready for winter. And […]
Choosing a Contractor
Who do you call? Where do you start? Your choice of contractor is an important one, and you have a lot of companies to choose from. How do you narrow down the choices and finally make a selection? There are no magic answers, but over the years I’ve come up with some guidelines to share with […]
Beginning the Design Process: Programming
If you are just starting to think about a project things can seem a little overwhelming. Where do you even begin? Fortunately, your architect has been here before. We even have a name for this phase, where you may not have a clear idea of what the project should look like. It’s called Programming. At […]
The Value of Design and Drawings
Not long ago I met with an older woman who had purchased a New Leaf consultation at an auction for a non-profit group. Unfortunately, she had already had the addition to her home built, and had multiple complaints. As a result, she wasn’t using the new spaces at all. At this point there wasn’t a […]
Green Certification and You
So, you may ask, just what is Green certification and how does it help in building a Green home, or renovating my existing home? Simply put, Green certification is a way for you to know that a new home or renovation really incorporates design and features that make it more sustainable than a home “built […]
What an architect really does all day…
When most people picture an architect, they probably think of her drawing “blueprints”. I do spend some time drawing, but if you look in my office window, you are at least as likely to see me exchanging emails or talking on the phone. That’s because an architect doesn’t just “do drawings”. What I really do […]
The Value of Good Planning
Whatever your project, it’s important to have plenty of time to find the right professionals for your team, consider your design options, and make decisions. Now is a good time to start planning for the projects you would like to have built next spring. It’s okay if you don’t have the details sorted out yet- […]