This storybook Tudor languished on the market due to the lack of bedrooms and their inequitable sizes. In a pre-purchase consultation, we assured the owners that we could yield a four-bedroom house - one primary suite and three additional rooms of near equal size - while maintaining the distinguishing details of the home such as the grand stair. Further, the owners were looking to improve the first-floor functionality of the existing home to support a young growing family. Strollers, shoes, and outerwear were visible and disorganized in the enclosed porch that had become a de facto mudroom. The home had evolved over time to include two forward facing doors; the homeowners primarily used the door into the porch/ mudroom, but consequently felt that the formal entrance for visitors was hierarchically unclear. The first floor’s only bathroom adjacent to the mudroom was dark and cramped. The realized design maximized the footprint with a modest first and second floor addition while maintaining the home’s distinctive Tudor forms to create more interior space. The entry to the reconfigured mudroom was relocated to the driveway side for easy homeowner access. This also restored the home’s original historic entry door as the public point of welcome. The mudroom was designed with increased options for storage and a large closet. A new compact, yet efficient powder room includes a custom marble sink and a window to the exterior for natural light. On the second floor, a bedroom suite – affectionately referred to as a “kid zone” – achieved equitable sizes and a bonus “kids only” attic loft space. New architectural features such as the box bay, door canopy, and interior Gothic arched entry to the “kid zone” compliment the original Tudor architectural language, while the massing of the addition appears harmonious. The result achieved the space and lifestyle goals of the homeowners while sensitively maintaining the scale and style of the home and its neighbors.

Believed to be the oldest building in Excelsior Minnesota, this humble brick structure has transformed, been moved, and housed countless people over its 162 years. Affectionately known as ‘The Beehive’, it was built in 1857 and began as the original Excelsior schoolhouse. It was moved to its’ current location in the 1880’s and became a 23-room dormitory for Northwestern Christian College, followed by a boarding house, and finally apartments (in addition to the rumors of more sordid activities in the early 20th century!). After being in the same family for several decades, the owner wanted to transform the building one more time to make it her own home. Citydeskstudio worked closely with her and the Excelsior Historic Preservation Commission on the design. She now occupies the main floor, with additional units above and below for rental and for family. The design celebrates the stout and blocky character of the building with a new modern expansion off the back. There, the building steps and expands outwards in glassy boxes of charred cedar. Inside, the original structure was repaired and uncovered where possible, and previous poorly done modifications were corrected. The center piece of this more open and light-filled home is a rich modern kitchen in walnut, travertine, and steel. The old character remains ever present and is essential to the spirit of The Beehive’s latest transformation. This multigenerational home’s design honors the legacy of the property, marrying the original Excelsior schoolhouse with a beautiful, modern, contextually-sensitive remodel and addition. Project Team: Ben Awes, AIA, Principal-In-Charge Chris Bach Nate Dodge

This award winning home was built in 2015 as a second home, and she affectionately named it “Second Wind”. There’s 3,000 SF of living space, and 2,000 SF of outdoor decks and porches. The home has an open floor plan and a dining booth built out of reclaimed pine. It even sports a “shuffleboard court” out on the patio.

Finding the Perfect Match Caribbean Blue Pools did a great job on this Franklin Lakes home, affectionately known as grandma’s house. Matching the existing stone on the house was challenging because the stone was no longer being quarried. This meant beginning the search for a similar stone that was still available. Ultimately using the experts at Braen Supply, a natural blend was selected to match the existing stone for the pool house as well as the focal point of the backyard, the fireplace. Perfecting the Details The details on this custom built fireplace, which include custom bluestone surrounds, bluestone chimney caps, and bluestone wall caps, were hand chiseled to enhance the look of the fireplace surrounds. Moss rock boulders and Kearney stone steps were chosen to help add natural beauty to the project. Norwegian Buff was an easy choice for the patio due to its favorable temperature and beauty around pool areas.

Located in the Barton Creek Country Club Neighborhood. Arrowhead (affectionately named at one found at the site) sits high on a cliff giving a stunning birds eye view of the beautiful Barton Creek and hill country at only 20 min from downtown. Meticulously Designed and Built by NY/Austin Architect principal of Collaborated Works, this ludder stone house was conceived as a retreat to blend with the natural vernacular, yet was carve out a spectacular interior filled with light.

Affectionately nicknamed "The Beast," this 7,000 square foot log home located on the shores of Lake Michigan is a sight to behold. We worked on this estate with Northern Expedition Log Homes, LLC and Expedition Log Homes in Sheboygan, WI and can't be more pleased with the final, jaw-dropping results. This home was crafted with 8' cedar logs and we at DW3 Construction were in charge of framing as well as soffits and siding. Let's just say, it turned out better than we ever imagined. Take a look inside and let us know what you think... Kim Hanson Photography, Art and Design

This 3,738 Square Foot custom home resides on a lush, wooded hillside overlooking Arbutus Lake. The clients wanted to thoughtfully combine a “lodge” and “cottage” feel to their space. The home’s style has been affectionately and effectively called “Cott-odge” A beautiful blend of neutrals compose the home’s color palette to reflect the surrounding setting’s stone, sands, woods and water. White casework and rustic knotty beams round out the careful blend of “cott-odge” style. The great room’s multi-colored ledge stone fireplace and large beams create a cozy space to gather with family, while the efficient kitchen adorned with custom cabinetry accommodates optimal work-flow. The pairing of the varied styles creates an inviting lakeside, family retreat.

The original house was built as a kit on the coast. The potential view was spectacular but the existing house suffered from a deep sense of tunnel vision and the interior was a maze of disconnected spaces. By changing the location of the kitchen to a more commanding location and unfolding the spaces into a more logical flow the house not only captures the panoramic view but feels twice as big without adding one square foot to the building footprint. Small changes in the deck sizes with some sweeping curves and more logical exterior stair locations connect the interior with the surrounding natural landscape. An “away” space, affectionately called the Quiet Room, is crowned with a sculptural plaster ceiling that evokes a wave, or a shell, or a soft sky canopy floating above this unusual living area. Outdoors is an infinity edge spa overlooking Gloucester’s Eastern Point Lighthouse and the ocean beyond.

Affectionately nicknamed "The Beast," this 7,000 square foot log home located on the shores of Lake Michigan is a sight to behold. We worked on this estate with Northern Expedition Log Homes, LLC and Expedition Log Homes in Sheboygan, WI and can't be more pleased with the final, jaw-dropping results. This home was crafted with 8' cedar logs and we at DW3 Construction were in charge of framing as well as soffits and siding. Let's just say, it turned out better than we ever imagined. Take a look inside and let us know what you think... Kim Hanson Photography, Art and Design

This 3,738 Square Foot custom home resides on a lush, wooded hillside overlooking Arbutus Lake. The clients wanted to thoughtfully combine a “lodge” and “cottage” feel to their space. The home’s style has been affectionately and effectively called “Cott-odge” A beautiful blend of neutrals compose the home’s color palette to reflect the surrounding setting’s stone, sands, woods and water. White casework and rustic knotty beams round out the careful blend of “cott-odge” style. The great room’s multi-colored ledge stone fireplace and large beams create a cozy space to gather with family, while the efficient kitchen adorned with custom cabinetry accommodates optimal work-flow. The pairing of the varied styles creates an inviting lakeside, family retreat.

Located in the Houston Historic District of Courtlandt Place, this English brick tutor home is the perfect canvas for a manicured European landscape. A gated garden entry highlights the client's four-tiered fountain then leads into two scaled rooms with bench seating and anchored with sculpted Japanese Yew hedges. An outdoor pavilion is encircled with a Belinda's Dream rose garden and boasts Greco-Roman ironwork key details (inspired by tiling in the home's interior). The pool is framed with hand-trimmed boxwood hedges and mirrored on either side by large boxwood spheres centering an English shell bowl water feature. Eagleston Hollies, affectionately pruned to jewel-shapes, add visual interest to the view from the grand terraced lawn.

This 3,738 Square Foot custom home resides on a lush, wooded hillside overlooking Arbutus Lake. The clients wanted to thoughtfully combine a “lodge” and “cottage” feel to their space. The home’s style has been affectionately and effectively called “Cott-odge” A beautiful blend of neutrals compose the home’s color palette to reflect the surrounding setting’s stone, sands, woods and water. White casework and rustic knotty beams round out the careful blend of “cott-odge” style. The great room’s multi-colored ledge stone fireplace and large beams create a cozy space to gather with family, while the efficient kitchen adorned with custom cabinetry accommodates optimal work-flow. The pairing of the varied styles creates an inviting lakeside, family retreat.

Believed to be the oldest building in Excelsior Minnesota, this humble brick structure has transformed, been moved, and housed countless people over its 162 years. Affectionately known as ‘The Beehive’, it was built in 1857 and began as the original Excelsior schoolhouse. It was moved to its’ current location in the 1880’s and became a 23-room dormitory for Northwestern Christian College, followed by a boarding house, and finally apartments (in addition to the rumors of more sordid activities in the early 20th century!). After being in the same family for several decades, the owner wanted to transform the building one more time to make it her own home. Citydeskstudio worked closely with her and the Excelsior Historic Preservation Commission on the design. She now occupies the main floor, with additional units above and below for rental and for family. The design celebrates the stout and blocky character of the building with a new modern expansion off the back. There, the building steps and expands outwards in glassy boxes of charred cedar. Inside, the original structure was repaired and uncovered where possible, and previous poorly done modifications were corrected. The center piece of this more open and light-filled home is a rich modern kitchen in walnut, travertine, and steel. The old character remains ever present and is essential to the spirit of The Beehive’s latest transformation. This multigenerational home’s design honors the legacy of the property, marrying the original Excelsior schoolhouse with a beautiful, modern, contextually-sensitive remodel and addition. Project Team: Ben Awes, AIA, Principal-In-Charge Chris Bach Nate Dodge

At the confluence of the Guadelupe River and Holiday Creek, two miles downstream from Comfort, TX, a farmhouse built in 1903 recently received a revitalizing renovation. Aptly and affectionately named the Blue House, referring to blue exterior maintained over several generations, the historic home serves as a hill country retreat for the San Antonio family who sought to refresh the interiors and refocus the home on indoor-outdoor living.

The tightly constrained footprint of the affectionately named “Box on the Rock” is a response to a limited budget and difficult site. Shallow underground hillside waterways run across the site often daylighting in unexpected and unwanted locations. These necessitated relatively expensive pier footings thus motivating an extremely efficient 2,000 sq ft footprint. With no initial resources to develop the wild scrub and rock landscape of the 3-acre property, the home becomes a lone outpost settling the higher ground of the larger natural site --a literal box on a rock. Given these limitations, the architecture of this outpost needs to provide for all indoor and outdoor functions within its area. With the extremes of the wine country microclimate on the exposed site, this becomes an even more critical requirement for year-round comfort. The central courtyard and the cantilevered deck are strategically carved out of the diagrammatic box to ensure that over the course of the day, temperate options for both sun and shade are always available. In particular, the geometry of the overhang at the front cantilevered deck and the inward angle of its exterior glass walls are carefully calibrated to capture morning sun and winter warming while shielding the internal space from the harshest summer glare. Later in the day the central courtyard comes alive as the sunniest developed outdoor space, yet one that is naturally cooled by capturing the valley cross breezes. With an economy of means, this simple form morphs to amplify the experience of the dramatic site and create an expansive feeling home that belies its small footprint. Each adjustment to the diagrammatic box negotiates the functional and environmental needs to foster self-contained and site-specific living with a minimal environmental impact. Photo by Bruce Damonte

Affectionately nicknamed "The Beast," this 7,000 square foot log home located on the shores of Lake Michigan is a sight to behold. We worked on this estate with Northern Expedition Log Homes, LLC and Expedition Log Homes in Sheboygan, WI and can't be more pleased with the final, jaw-dropping results. This home was crafted with 8' cedar logs and we at DW3 Construction were in charge of framing as well as soffits and siding. Let's just say, it turned out better than we ever imagined. Take a look inside and let us know what you think... Kim Hanson Photography, Art and Design

This gorgeous Carmel Valley kitchen and master bathroom remodel is a great example of how strategic spatial planning can truly transform a space. Affectionately referred to as “Mary Kay’s Kitchen” by the client, the addition of the large, functional island created the perfect focal point for the room and spot to entertain family and friends. By reconfiguring the appliance layout, we were able to achieve one of the client’s most important goals - more storage. A large walk-in pantry was created where previously, only a small cabinet existed. While the overall design is classic, vibrant pops of color pair perfectly with the white cabinetry, white marbled quartz countertops, and rich wood flooring. State of the art appliances by Sub-Zero and Wolf were also selected, making this avid home chef’s dream a reality. Upstairs, the master bath went from dated and drab to stunning and serene featuring His and Hers vanities, a double-sized walk-in shower with beautiful tile work, custom bench seating and dual shower heads, along with gorgeous flooring, and a luxurious soaking tub.

Surrounded by redwood trees and the flowing sound of Soquel Creek, this charming multi-generational family winery is concurrently a tasting room, working winery and wedding venue. Clients wanted to update the landscaping, lighting and overall look of the property to reflect a rustic yet elegant European aesthetic that matches their fine wine. As such, striking and colorful plants were chosen in deep reds and pinks to match the brick and tile as well as the wine itself. High-quality FX Luminaire lighting was added throughout parking lot and trees were illuminated with uplights for a beautiful nighttime effect. The vintage cottage which was once "Grandma's House" is still affectionately referred to as such and now hosts bridal parties! The courtyard outside Grandma's House was updated with large pots, cascading roses and olive trees. The wedding reservations are coming in and tasting room guests are sipping Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir on the patio next to the creek.

Finding the Perfect Match Caribbean Blue Pools did a great job on this Franklin Lakes home, affectionately known as grandma’s house. Matching the existing stone on the house was challenging because the stone was no longer being quarried. This meant beginning the search for a similar stone that was still available. Ultimately using the experts at Braen Supply, a natural blend was selected to match the existing stone for the pool house as well as the focal point of the backyard, the fireplace. Perfecting the Details The details on this custom built fireplace, which include custom bluestone surrounds, bluestone chimney caps, and bluestone wall caps, were hand chiseled to enhance the look of the fireplace surrounds. Moss rock boulders and Kearney stone steps were chosen to help add natural beauty to the project. Norwegian Buff was an easy choice for the patio due to its favorable temperature and beauty around pool areas.