A simple one-story white clapboard 1920s cottage bungalow sat on a narrow straight street with many older homes, all of which meeting the street with a similar dignified approach. This house was the smallest of them all, built in 1922 as a weekend cottage, near the old East Falls Church rail station which provided direct access to Washington D.C. Its diminutive scale, low-pitched roof with the ridge parallel to the street, and lack of superfluous decoration characterized this cottage bungalow. Though the owners fell in love with the charm of the original house, their growing family presented an architectural dilemma: how do you significantly expand a charming little 1920’s Craftsman style house that you love without totally losing the integrity that made it so perfect? The answer began to formulate after a review of the houses in the turn-of-the-century neighborhood; every older house was two stories tall, each built in a different style, each beautifully proportioned, each much larger than this cottage bungalow. Most of the neighborhood houses had been significantly renovated or expanded. Growing this one-story house would certainly not adversely affect the architectural character of the neighborhood. Given that, the house needed to maintain a diminutive scale in order to appear friendly and avoid a dominating presence. The simplistic, crisp, honest materials and details of the little house, all painted white, would be saved and incorporated into a new house. Across the front of the house, the three public spaces would be saved, connected along an axis anchored on the left by the living room fireplace, with the dining room and the sitting room to the right. These three rooms are punctuated by thirteen windows, which for this house age and style, really suggests a more modern aesthetic. Hoachlander Davis Photography

Vienna Addition Skill Construction & Design, LLC, Design/Build a two-story addition to include remodeling the kitchen and connecting to the adjoining rooms, creating a great room for this family of four. After removing the side office and back patio, it was replaced with a great room connected to the newly renovated kitchen with an eating area that doubles as a homework area for the children. There was plenty of space left over for a walk-in pantry, powder room, and office/craft room. The second story design was for an Adult’s Only oasis; this was designed for the parents to have a permitted Staycation. This space includes a Grand Master bedroom with three walk-in closets, and a sitting area, with plenty of room for a king size bed. This room was not been completed until we brought the outdoors in; this was created with the three big picture windows allowing the parents to look out at their Zen Patio. The Master Bathroom includes a double size jet tub, his & her walk-in shower, and his & her double vanity with plenty of storage and two hideaway hampers. The exterior was created to bring a modern craftsman style feel, these rich architectural details are displayed around the windows with simple geometric lines and symmetry throughout. Craftsman style is an extension of its natural surroundings. This addition is a reflection of indigenous wood and stone sturdy, defined structure with clean yet prominent lines and exterior details, while utilizing low-maintenance, high-performance materials. We love the artisan style of intricate details and the use of natural materials of this Vienna, VA addition. We especially loved working with the family to Design & Build a space that meets their family’s needs as they grow.

As seen in this photo, the front to back view offers homeowners and guests alike a direct view and access to the deck off the back of the house. In addition to holding access to the garage, this space holds two closets. One, the homeowners are using as a coat closest and the other, a pantry closet. You also see a custom built in unit with a bench and storage. There is also access to a powder room, a bathroom that was relocated from middle of the 1st floor layout. Relocating the bathroom allowed us to open up the floor plan, offering a view directly into and out of the playroom and dining room.

Cynthia Karegeannes
Example of a country white two-story wood exterior home design in Atlanta

While cleaning out the attic of this recently purchased Arlington farmhouse, an amazing view was discovered: the Washington Monument was visible on the horizon. The architect and owner agreed that this was a serendipitous opportunity. A badly needed renovation and addition of this residence was organized around a grand gesture reinforcing this view shed. A glassy “look out room” caps a new tower element added to the left side of the house and reveals distant views east over the Rosslyn business district and beyond to the National Mall. A two-story addition, containing a new kitchen and master suite, was placed in the rear yard, where a crumbling former porch and oddly shaped closet addition was removed. The new work defers to the original structure, stepping back to maintain a reading of the historic house. The dwelling was completely restored and repaired, maintaining existing room proportions as much as possible, while opening up views and adding larger windows. A small mudroom appendage engages the landscape and helps to create an outdoor room at the rear of the property. It also provides a secondary entrance to the house from the detached garage. Internally, there is a seamless transition between old and new. Photos: Hoachlander Davis Photography

Recipient of the 2009 First Place Award for Design Excellence, House Addition Category from the National Association of Remodeling Industry, San Francisco Chapter. A Second Story Master Bedroom, Master Bath Addition with Entry and Office Loft to an existing Mid-Century Bungalow in Alameda.

Design by Joanna Hartman Photography by Ryann Ford Styling by Adam Fortner This bath features 3cm Bianco Carrera Marble at the vanities, Restoration Hardware, Ann Sacks "Savoy" 3X6 and 2x4 tile in Dove on shower walls and backsplash, D190 Payette Liner for shower walls and niche, 3" Carrara Hex honed and polished floor and shower floor tile, Benjamin Moore "River Reflections" paint, and Restoration Hardware chrome Dillon sconces.

This beautiful 2 story kitchen remodel was created by removing an unwanted bedroom. The increased ceiling height was conceived by adding some structural columns and a triple barrel arch, creating a usable balcony that connects to the original back stairwell and overlooks the Kitchen as well as the Greatroom. This dramatic renovation took place without disturbing the original 100yr. old stone exterior and maintaining the original french doors above the balcony.

This brownstone, located in Harlem, consists of five stories which had been duplexed to create a two story rental unit and a 3 story home for the owners. The owner hired us to do a modern renovation of their home and rear garden. The garden was under utilized, barely visible from the interior and could only be accessed via a small steel stair at the rear of the second floor. We enlarged the owner’s home to include the rear third of the floor below which had walk out access to the garden. The additional square footage became a new family room connected to the living room and kitchen on the floor above via a double height space and a new sculptural stair. The rear facade was completely restructured to allow us to install a wall to wall two story window and door system within the new double height space creating a connection not only between the two floors but with the outside. The garden itself was terraced into two levels, the bottom level of which is directly accessed from the new family room space, the upper level accessed via a few stone clad steps. The upper level of the garden features a playful interplay of stone pavers with wood decking adjacent to a large seating area and a new planting bed. Wet bar cabinetry at the family room level is mirrored by an outside cabinetry/grill configuration as another way to visually tie inside to out. The second floor features the dining room, kitchen and living room in a large open space. Wall to wall builtins from the front to the rear transition from storage to dining display to kitchen; ending at an open shelf display with a fireplace feature in the base. The third floor serves as the children’s floor with two bedrooms and two ensuite baths. The fourth floor is a master suite with a large bedroom and a large bathroom bridged by a walnut clad hall that conceals a closet system and features a built in desk. The master bath consists of a tiled partition wall dividing the space to create a large walkthrough shower for two on one side and showcasing a free standing tub on the other. The house is full of custom modern details such as the recessed, lit handrail at the house’s main stair, floor to ceiling glass partitions separating the halls from the stairs and a whimsical builtin bench in the entry.

Originally built in 1889 a short walk from the old East Falls Church rail station, the vaguely reminiscent gothic Victorian was a landmark in a neighborhood of late 19th century wood frame homes. The two story house had been changed many times over its 116 year life with most of the changes diminishing the style and integrity of the original home. Beginning during the mid-twentieth century, few of the changes could be seen as improvements. The wonderfully dominate front tower was obscured by a bathroom shed roof addition. The exterior skin was covered with asbestos siding, requiring the removal of any wood detailing projecting from its surface. Poorly designed diminutive additions were added to the rear creating small, awkward, low ceiling spaces that became irrelevant to the modern user. The house was in serious need of a significant renovation and restoration. A young family purchased the house and immediately realized the inadequacies; sub-par spaces, kitchen, bathrooms and systems. The program for this project was closely linked to aesthetics, function and budget. The program called for significantly enlarging the house with a major new rear addition taking the place of the former small additions. Critically important to the program was to not only protect the integrity of the original house, but to restore and expand the house in such a way that the addition would be seamless. The completed house had to fulfill all of the requirements of a modern house with significant living spaces, including reconfigured foyer, living room and dining room on the first floor and three modified bedrooms on the second floor. On the rear of the house a new addition created a new kitchen, family room, mud room, powder room and back stair hall. This new stair hall connected the new and existing first floor to a new basement recreation room below and a new master bedroom suite with laundry and second bathroom on the second floor. The entire exterior of the house was stripped to the original sheathing. New wood windows, wood lap siding, wall trim including roof eave and rake trim were installed. Each of the details on the exterior of the house matched the original details. This fact was confirmed by researching the house and studying turn-of-the-century photographs. The second floor addition was removed, facilitating the restoration of the four sided mansard roof tower. The final design for the house is strong but not overpowering. As a renovated house, the finished product fits the neighborhood, restoring its standing as a landmark, satisfying the owner’s needs for house and home. Hoachlander Davis Photography

Bathroom - transitional white tile bathroom idea in Santa Barbara with white cabinets, white walls and an undermount sink

When the homeowners first purchased the 1925 house, it was compartmentalized, outdated, and completely unfunctional for their growing family. Casework designed the owner's previous kitchen and family room and was brought in to lead up the creative direction for the project. Casework teamed up with architect Paul Crowther and brother sister team Ainslie Davis on the addition and remodel of the Colonial. The existing kitchen and powder bath were demoed and walls expanded to create a new footprint for the home. This created a much larger, more open kitchen and breakfast nook with mudroom, pantry and more private half bath. In the spacious kitchen, a large walnut island perfectly compliments the homes existing oak floors without feeling too heavy. Paired with brass accents, Calcutta Carrera marble countertops, and clean white cabinets and tile, the kitchen feels bright and open - the perfect spot for a glass of wine with friends or dinner with the whole family. There was no official master prior to the renovations. The existing four bedrooms and one separate bathroom became two smaller bedrooms perfectly suited for the client’s two daughters, while the third became the true master complete with walk-in closet and master bath. There are future plans for a second story addition that would transform the current master into a guest suite and build out a master bedroom and bath complete with walk in shower and free standing tub. Overall, a light, neutral palette was incorporated to draw attention to the existing colonial details of the home, like coved ceilings and leaded glass windows, that the homeowners fell in love with. Modern furnishings and art were mixed in to make this space an eclectic haven.

This brownstone, located in Harlem, consists of five stories which had been duplexed to create a two story rental unit and a 3 story home for the owners. The owner hired us to do a modern renovation of their home and rear garden. The garden was under utilized, barely visible from the interior and could only be accessed via a small steel stair at the rear of the second floor. We enlarged the owner’s home to include the rear third of the floor below which had walk out access to the garden. The additional square footage became a new family room connected to the living room and kitchen on the floor above via a double height space and a new sculptural stair. The rear facade was completely restructured to allow us to install a wall to wall two story window and door system within the new double height space creating a connection not only between the two floors but with the outside. The garden itself was terraced into two levels, the bottom level of which is directly accessed from the new family room space, the upper level accessed via a few stone clad steps. The upper level of the garden features a playful interplay of stone pavers with wood decking adjacent to a large seating area and a new planting bed. Wet bar cabinetry at the family room level is mirrored by an outside cabinetry/grill configuration as another way to visually tie inside to out. The second floor features the dining room, kitchen and living room in a large open space. Wall to wall builtins from the front to the rear transition from storage to dining display to kitchen; ending at an open shelf display with a fireplace feature in the base. The third floor serves as the children’s floor with two bedrooms and two ensuite baths. The fourth floor is a master suite with a large bedroom and a large bathroom bridged by a walnut clad hall that conceals a closet system and features a built in desk. The master bath consists of a tiled partition wall dividing the space to create a large walkthrough shower for two on one side and showcasing a free standing tub on the other. The house is full of custom modern details such as the recessed, lit handrail at the house’s main stair, floor to ceiling glass partitions separating the halls from the stairs and a whimsical builtin bench in the entry.

When the homeowners first purchased the 1925 house, it was compartmentalized, outdated, and completely unfunctional for their growing family. Casework designed the owner's previous kitchen and family room and was brought in to lead up the creative direction for the project. Casework teamed up with architect Paul Crowther and brother sister team Ainslie Davis on the addition and remodel of the Colonial. The existing kitchen and powder bath were demoed and walls expanded to create a new footprint for the home. This created a much larger, more open kitchen and breakfast nook with mudroom, pantry and more private half bath. In the spacious kitchen, a large walnut island perfectly compliments the homes existing oak floors without feeling too heavy. Paired with brass accents, Calcutta Carrera marble countertops, and clean white cabinets and tile, the kitchen feels bright and open - the perfect spot for a glass of wine with friends or dinner with the whole family. There was no official master prior to the renovations. The existing four bedrooms and one separate bathroom became two smaller bedrooms perfectly suited for the client’s two daughters, while the third became the true master complete with walk-in closet and master bath. There are future plans for a second story addition that would transform the current master into a guest suite and build out a master bedroom and bath complete with walk in shower and free standing tub. Overall, a light, neutral palette was incorporated to draw attention to the existing colonial details of the home, like coved ceilings and leaded glass windows, that the homeowners fell in love with. Modern furnishings and art were mixed in to make this space an eclectic haven.

This kitchen addition project is an expansion of an old story and a half South Bozeman home. See the video about the finished project here: https://youtu.be/ClH5A3qs6Ik This old house has been remodeled and added onto many times over. A complete demolition and rebuild of this structure would be the best course of action, but we are in a historic neighborhood and we will be working with it as is. Budget is an issue as well, so in addition to the second story addition, we are limiting our renovation efforts to the kitchen and bathroom areas at the back the house. We are making a concerted effort to not get into too much of the existing front half of this house. This is precisely the type of remodeling work that requires a very skilled and experienced builder. And I emphasize experienced. We are lucky to be working with Luke Stahlberg of Ibex Builders. Luke is a talented local Bozeman contractor with years of experience in the remodeling industry. Luke is very methodical and well organized. This is a classic remodeling project with enough detail to really test a contractor’s skill and experience.

Dining room freshly remodeled, with coffered ceiling and restored original wood windows, views of new entry and newly remodeled kitchen: part of a full house remodel and second story addition in the Bryant neighborhood of Seattle. Builder: Blue Sound Construction, Inc. Architect: SHKS Architects Photo: Miranda Estes

When the homeowners first purchased the 1925 house, it was compartmentalized, outdated, and completely unfunctional for their growing family. Casework designed the owner's previous kitchen and family room and was brought in to lead up the creative direction for the project. Casework teamed up with architect Paul Crowther and brother sister team Ainslie Davis on the addition and remodel of the Colonial. The existing kitchen and powder bath were demoed and walls expanded to create a new footprint for the home. This created a much larger, more open kitchen and breakfast nook with mudroom, pantry and more private half bath. In the spacious kitchen, a large walnut island perfectly compliments the homes existing oak floors without feeling too heavy. Paired with brass accents, Calcutta Carrera marble countertops, and clean white cabinets and tile, the kitchen feels bright and open - the perfect spot for a glass of wine with friends or dinner with the whole family. There was no official master prior to the renovations. The existing four bedrooms and one separate bathroom became two smaller bedrooms perfectly suited for the client’s two daughters, while the third became the true master complete with walk-in closet and master bath. There are future plans for a second story addition that would transform the current master into a guest suite and build out a master bedroom and bath complete with walk in shower and free standing tub. Overall, a light, neutral palette was incorporated to draw attention to the existing colonial details of the home, like coved ceilings and leaded glass windows, that the homeowners fell in love with. Modern furnishings and art were mixed in to make this space an eclectic haven.

This sun-filled farmhouse kitchen is the focal point of this home’s new addition. The kitchen is white with wood elements, giving it a contemporary feel. From the recessed outlets in the island, to the columns adorning the island, to the hood with walnut trim, to the paneled refrigerator that matches the cabinetry, every detail was customized for the homeowners. The kitchen is anchored by a large island with seating for seven and tons of storage. The island is bookended by additional components topped by walnut butcher block counters. One end serves as a table and the other end is an extra area for food prep and storage. There is also a cutting board integrated into the sink. The white quartz on the island and main kitchen counters and white subway tile backsplash give the kitchen a modern, sleek look. The walnut trim around the hood is a special touch that ties directly into the walnut butcher block counters. After tearing down this home's existing addition, we set out to create a new addition with a modern farmhouse feel that still blended seamlessly with the original house. The addition includes a kitchen great room, laundry room and sitting room. Outside, we perfectly aligned the cupola on top of the roof, with the upper story windows and those with the lower windows, giving the addition a clean and crisp look. Using granite from Chester County, mica schist stone and hardy plank siding on the exterior walls helped the addition to blend in seamlessly with the original house. Inside, we customized each new space by paying close attention to the little details. Reclaimed wood for the mantle and shelving, sleek and subtle lighting under the reclaimed shelves, unique wall and floor tile, recessed outlets in the island, walnut trim on the hood, paneled appliances, and repeating materials in a symmetrical way work together to give the interior a sophisticated yet comfortable feel. Rudloff Custom Builders has won Best of Houzz for Customer Service in 2014, 2015 2016, 2017 and 2019. We also were voted Best of Design in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 which only 2% of professionals receive. Rudloff Custom Builders has been featured on Houzz in their Kitchen of the Week, What to Know About Using Reclaimed Wood in the Kitchen as well as included in their Bathroom WorkBook article. We are a full service, certified remodeling company that covers all of the Philadelphia suburban area. This business, like most others, developed from a friendship of young entrepreneurs who wanted to make a difference in their clients’ lives, one household at a time. This relationship between partners is much more than a friendship. Edward and Stephen Rudloff are brothers who have renovated and built custom homes together paying close attention to detail. They are carpenters by trade and understand concept and execution. Rudloff Custom Builders will provide services for you with the highest level of professionalism, quality, detail, punctuality and craftsmanship, every step of the way along our journey together. Specializing in residential construction allows us to connect with our clients early in the design phase to ensure that every detail is captured as you imagined. One stop shopping is essentially what you will receive with Rudloff Custom Builders from design of your project to the construction of your dreams, executed by on-site project managers and skilled craftsmen. Our concept: envision our client’s ideas and make them a reality. Our mission: CREATING LIFETIME RELATIONSHIPS BUILT ON TRUST AND INTEGRITY. Photo Credit: Linda McManus Images

Complete house renovation with a second story and garage addition. Craftsman style details on dormers, all new windows and doors, painted brick, and custom board and batten shutters.