Example of a transitional home design design in Philadelphia

Willie & Leslie of Barrington Hills loved the location of their home. Its breathtaking views overlooked a wooded backyard and a captivating lake. They didn’t want to move, but they needed more space. But the house was missing that big family room where everyone could gather, relax and converse, and the house was completely cut off visually from the beautiful outdoor view right outside! They knew what they wanted meant building an addition to their home. They began searching the internet and came across Advance Design Studio, and after browsing through project after project and reading one outstanding client review after another, they were sold on Advance Design. Additionally, they loved Advance Design’s “Common Sense Remodeling” process and felt confident that it would allow the Design/Build company to easily coordinate the multiple projects they wanted to complete all at one time. Willie and Leslie immediately set up a meeting with Owner Todd Jurs and Project Designer Claudia Pop. When the meeting ended, they were sure that Advance Design were the right people and the right approach for their project. "Establishing a direction and a budget is always key in project of this size," Todd said. "This house was screaming for a family room and it didn't have one. Ultimately, it's about working together towards the same goal of a beautiful functional addition." The project consisted of a significant family room addition with an extraordinary vaulted ceiling and floor to ceiling fireplace, a guest suite renovation with a luxury bath, a garage addition, and an adjoining outdoor patio renovation complete with a fantastic built in grilling station. The main goal was to add comfort and space to the existing home that would last their lifetime, and finally allow them to capture the amazing view of the backyard and lake that they never could really enjoy previously. Willie, Leslie and Claudia paid special attention to designing the space to make sure that the footprint of the room did not interfere with the views. Floor to ceiling Pella windows were incorporated into a spectacular window wall to provide plenty of natural light. Vaulted ceilings gave the room a bigger feel and the stunning floor to ceiling masonry fireplace was designed giving the room a rustic, comfortable feel of a Colorado Lodge. Barnwood doors and exposed wooden beams accentuate the crackling fireplace and family gathering space. An oversized statement chandelier bathes the space in soft light once the sun sets and compliments the exposed wood and fireplace perfectly. “It simple elegant and beautiful,” Designer Claudia Pop said. “It is a great family room that captures the views perfectly. They love the fireplace, the barndoors and the openness of the space we designed for the whole family now to enjoy.” And when warm weather beckons, the outdoor patio is a terrific place to spend an evening. The family now enjoys fall nights in front of their outdoor fireplace overlooking the quiet lake. Dekton Trillium Quartz counters tops adorn an amazing grilling bar. Nearly indestructible, they are the only manufactured stone product designed exclusively to withstand high heat in summer and extreme cold temperatures in winter. The guest bath renovation makes Willie and Leslie’s friends and family feel like they are staying at a 5-star hotel. Carlisle colored Maple cabinets from Medallion make a roomy dual vanity more than adequate with plenty of space to get ready for the day after a peaceful night’s sleep. Cambria Quartz countertops are durable and elegant, while contrasting the neutral cabinets flawlessly. Heated flooring from Warmly Yours is the cherry on top for this cozy guest bath. All the projects turned out better than they even imagined. Willie and Leslie now have a spacious family room with even better views of the lake and woods, a much larger garage, a fantastic relaxing outdoor patio, and a guest bath that makes it almost impossible to get the guest to leave after their stay. Are you thinking about a remodeling project? Talk to the experts at Advance Design about the renovation of your dreams. Now is the perfect time to renovate. Check out other amazing projects here. With “Common Sense Remodeling”, the process of renovating your home has never been easier. Contact us today at 847-836-2600 or schedule an appointment to talk with us about your kitchen remodeling project, or any other home renovation you are planning. Our talented team can help you design and build the new space you’ve been dreaming about.

Transitional sunroom photo in Other

The owners of this project wanted additional living + play space for their two children. The solution was to add a second story and make the transition between the spaces a key design feature. Inside the tower is a light-filled lounge + library for the children and their friends. The stair becomes a sculptural piece able to be viewed from all areas of the home. From the exterior, the wood-clad tower creates a pleasing composition that brings together the existing house and addition seamlessly. The kitchen was fully renovated to integrate this theme of an open, bright, family-friendly space. Throughout the existing house and addition, the clean, light-filled space allows the beautiful material palette + finishes to come to the forefront. Chris Nyce, Nyceone Photography

Baron Construction & Remodeling Design Build Firm General Contractor Home Builder 700 sf room addition Master Bathroom Kitchen Remodel Bathroom Remodel Flooring Remodel Open Concept Home Extension

Angle Eye Photography
Classic back porch idea in Philadelphia with a roof extension and decking

Hillside Modernism In Context. The owners of this modern hillside home sought to have a home in a nice Los Angeles neighborhood wherein they could raise their burgeoning family. The owners purchased a 1948 2000sf, single story, 2 bedroom English Cottage styled home (believed to have been originally owned by Yul Brynner) on a ½ acre hillside site in the exclusive Brentwood area of Los Angeles. The property slopes downward away from the street and overlooks a mini eucalyptus arroyo. The owners love their new location but are now faced-with having to raise their new and growing family on a hillside with extremely limited yard spaces for children to play and in a location where nature is very close – deer as well as coyotes wander the arroyo. In 2000 the owners commissioned architect Richard Best to add 2500sf to the cottage and transform it into a home more fitting to their growing family’s needs. Subsequently, in 2014/15, the owners again commissioned Richard to create a 2-story master suite addition. Living in or visiting the completed project - the original 1948 home remodeled + the 2000 addition + the 2014/15 addition, one goes through an unexpected and delightful experience as the spaces of the home “unfold” to reveal intimacy and environmental immersion. It was important to Richard and to the owners that their remodels and additions be appropriately designed to fit into the neighborhood and have the feel, scale, and soul of the original cottage. With this in-mind, Richard has interpreted the design intentions of the original cottage - “modernizing” the architectural vocabulary and creating open-plan, 2-story additions which promote site “engagement” at various floor levels and openness to the outdoors in a manner clearly inspired by the original cottage, yet modern. At the front door of the original (still remains as it was) 1948 structure, one is presented with a quaint a low-slung entry which establishes a very comfortable sense of scale. Inside, the remodeled spaces of the original cottage exude comfort and a cozy sensibility evoked by the reuse of the original home’s exposed timber framing structure, open-plan circulation, and an inventive two-sided steel fireplace which acts as a room divider between the living room and a home office. Accordion wood doors connect these rooms to a newly formed outdoor rear patio. At this point one also gets ones first hint that something very interesting is happening just beyond – a glimpse of the 2000 & 2014/15 additions. Moving from the original 1948 structure into the 2-story 2000 addition, one is greeted by a modern and open linear floor plan arrangement – a kitchen, casual dining and family room extend perpendicularly from the 1948 structure into the rear yard and down the hillside. The open framed cathedral ceiling and wood roof trusses establish a lofty feeling and a rhythm discretely separating the open rooms one from the other. Extensive use of windows and French doors connect the indoors to the outdoors and provide abundant natural lighting. This new appendage ends with a symmetrical family room which has no corners – it is a geometry composed of two overlapped squares - one rotated 45 degrees atop the other to create double opportunities for bay windows. The design not only connects the home to the desired exterior flat yards spaces, but it also takes full advantage of the sloping terrain by adding a floor below the original level so as to maintain a scale appropriate to the neighborhood. The exterior materials were chosen taking “hints” from the original 1948 structure – natural redwood siding, reused brick veneer and wood doors/windows all serving to aesthetically connect the addition back-to the spirit of the original structure. By 2014/15 the owners’ family has fully blossomed - the children are now teenagers and there is a need for additional space. However, the owners are very content with their remodeled cottage and Richard’s 2000 addition – unsure how to add to a home which they feel is quite perfect as it is … wanting whatever changes are to be made to be sympathetic to it. They are also concerned about potential additions blocking-out their views of the eucalyptus arroyo. The owners approached Richard with trepidation – we love our perfect house but we need it to be a bit bigger and we don’t want to block-out the arroyo views or create a hemmed-in feeling – how can we add but still see the arroyo. In response Richard created a private yet connected 2-story master suite, which by its positioning, dynamic geometries and extensive glazing create the fourth side of the former rear patio, making it into exterior courtyard with views around and through the new addition into the arroyo. A dynamic angularity in the new master addition (inspired by the 2000 addition) simultaneously reduces the apparent size/presence of the master suite addition on the edge of the eucalyptus arroyo while creating framed views into the arroyo from the newly formed courtyard. The new master suite - a master bathroom, master closet and a master sleeping loft each having exterior decks and/or patios, is connected back to the 2000 addition via a glazed hallway which provides a sense of connectedness and privacy. A modern rustic aesthetic of exposed board-formed concrete, natural finished Corten steel exterior cladding, frameless metal windows, and clear finished Douglas Fir planks serve to “extend” the soul of the original cottage into the master suite. The project is a highly sustainable design as well. Energy use is reduced by employing a high efficiency heat pump heating and cooling system, dual paned/gasketed metal window/door systems, natural lighting through a Kalwall skylight and generous exterior glazing with extensive eaves for shading, rigid roof insulation, and earthen backing – the lower floor is up-against the hillside which tends to even-out the day/night temperature differential. Credits: Architecture & Interior Design: Richard Best Architect Inc. Structural Engineering: Dan Echeto & David Choi Associates Interior Decor: Noelle Schoop Landscape: Connie Heitzman Photos: Carmel McFayden and Adriano Sarmento / James Porschen

This minute addition reimagined the entry of a St. Martins home into a gracious gesture, motivated by acute space constraints that rendered moving furniture to the second floor impossible. A focal aspect of the 221 square-foot addition is its stairway. Beyond its newel post, the railing ribbons up to the second floor, bridging over the doorway. The resulting open space, canopied above the foyer contributes to an airy atmosphere, allowing natural light to sprawl throughout the entry space and to the private second-floor family area. The new windows further add buoyancy and sunlight. The addition also provided an opportunity to move the powder room to a more discreet location adjacent to the dining room. On the outside of the home, the entry addition introduces a gambrel form, drawing from and repurposing the design of the original structure. Despite its modest size, the addition transformed the entry of the home and its first impression, communicating openness and warmth within first acquainting steps.

A traditional Georgian home receives an incredible transformation with an addition to expand the originally compact kitchen and create a pathway into the family room and dining area, opening the flow of the spaces that allow for fluid movement from each living space for the young family of four. Taking the lead from the client's desire to have a contemporary and edgier feel to their home's very classic facade, House of L worked with the architect's addition to the existing kitchen to design a kitchen that was incredibly functional and gorgeously dramatic, beckoning people to grab a barstool and hang out. Glossy macassar ebony wood is complimented with lacquered white cabinets for an amazing study in contrast. An oversized brushed nickel hood with polished nickel banding makes a presence on the feature wall of the kitchen. Brushed and polished nickel details are peppered in the landscape of this room, including the cabinets in the second island, a storage cabinet and automated hopper doors by Hafele on the refrigeration wall and all of the cabinet hardware, supplied and custom sized by Rajack. White quartz countertops by Hanstone in the Bianco Canvas colorway float on all the perimeter cabinets and the secondary island and creates a floating frame for the Palomino Quartzite that is a highlight in the kitchen and lends an organic feel to the clean lines of the millwork. The backsplash area behind the rangetop is a brick patterned mosaic blend of stone and glass, while surrounding walls have a layered sandstone tile that lend an incredible texture to the room. The light fixture hanging above the second island is by Wells Long and features faceted metal polygons with an amber gold interior. Woven linen drapes at window winks at the warmer tones in the room with a lustrous sheen that catches the natural light filtering in. The rift and sawn cut white oak floors are 8" planks that were fitted and finished on site to match the existing floor in the family and dining rooms. The clients were very clear on the appliances they needed the kitchen to accommodate. In addition to the vast expanses of wall space that were gained with the kitchen addition the larger footprint allowed for two sizeable islands and a host of cooking amenities, including a 48" rangetop, two double ovens, a warming drawer, and a built-in coffee maker by Miele and a 36" Refrigerator and Freezer and a beverage drawer by Subzero. A fabulous stainless steel Kallista sink by Mick De Giulio's series for the company is fitted in the first island which serves as a prep area, flanked by an Asko dishwasher to the right. A Dorenbracht faucet is a strong compliment to the scale of the sink. A smaller Kallista stainless sink is centered in the second island which has a secondary burner by Miele for overflow cooking. Jason Miller, Pixelate

Angle Eye Photography
Traditional brown two-story stone gable roof idea in Philadelphia

This beverage area has a wet bar within its absolute black polished granite counter, tops white shaker cabinets. The backsplash is tin. The open shelves are made from reclaimed wood and feature subtle and modern lighting. The black iron hardware matches the hardware on the adjacent Dutch door. 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

Inspiration for a large cottage detached studio / workshop shed remodel in Manchester

Inspiration for a transitional porch remodel in DC Metro

Addition project by Glickman Design Build. The firm serves the MD, VA and DC area. An award-winning firm that do renovations, remodeling and additions. Russ Glickman, CAPS

Inspiration for a large timeless brick back porch remodel in Portland with a roof extension

Jeffrey Sauers
Example of a huge classic hallway design in DC Metro with white walls

We designed a small addition to the rear of an old stone house, connected to a renovated kitchen. The addition has a breakfast room and a new mudroom entrance with stairs down to this basement-level gym. The gym leads to the existing basement family room/TV room, with a renovated bath, kitchenette, and laundry. Photo: (c) Jeffrey Totaro 2020

This early 20th century Poppleton Park home was originally 2548 sq ft. with a small kitchen, nook, powder room and dining room on the first floor. The second floor included a single full bath and 3 bedrooms. The client expressed a need for about 1500 additional square feet added to the basement, first floor and second floor. In order to create a fluid addition that seamlessly attached to this home, we tore down the original one car garage, nook and powder room. The addition was added off the northern portion of the home, which allowed for a side entry garage. Plus, a small addition on the Eastern portion of the home enlarged the kitchen, nook and added an exterior covered porch. Special features of the interior first floor include a beautiful new custom kitchen with island seating, stone countertops, commercial appliances, large nook/gathering with French doors to the covered porch, mud and powder room off of the new four car garage. Most of the 2nd floor was allocated to the master suite. This beautiful new area has views of the park and includes a luxurious master bath with free standing tub and walk-in shower, along with a 2nd floor custom laundry room! Attention to detail on the exterior was essential to keeping the charm and character of the home. The brick façade from the front view was mimicked along the garage elevation. A small copper cap above the garage doors and 6” half-round copper gutters finish the look. KateBenjamin Photography

Inspiration for a small eclectic single-wall kitchen remodel in Chicago with a drop-in sink, recessed-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances and no island