For this job, I paid a visit to the bustling town of Windermere in South Cumbria. My client asked me to refinish a black and white Terrazzo tiled entrance and hallway floor. Terrazzo if you’re not familiar is a very interesting and beautiful stone of Italian origin, which has been used for flooring in houses for centuries. We had previously quoted to do the work on this floor however the customer has also received a quote from another firm in Glasgow and had chosen to go with them solely because they were more expensive. However, it stands to reason that the most expensive companies are not always the best quality and Tile Doctor prides itself on the amount of customer feedback we display on our websites which we believe is a far better indicator. On the arranged day no one from the Glasgow firm showed up and after following up with the firm a young man in his early 20s arrived five hours late and began work on the floor. According to the customer he spent three days attempting to complete the job, but ran out of time and asked the client to apply the sealer themselves. The client applied the sealer, but as she had never done it before the floor turned out blotchy in appearance and she was far from happy. To cut a long story short, my client complained to the Glaswegian company, after all she had paid for a full service and not received it. Unable to get a satisfactory conclusion from them she decided to call in Tile Doctor to put the matter right. I must point out that although I have included before and after photos one this post it’s really difficult to appreciate the extent of the problem without seeing the floor in real life. To resolve the sealer, and to provide my client with the polished finish she had originally wanted, I burnished the floor using a set of four Tile Doctor Diamond encrusted burnishing pads. Each of the four pads has a different grit: I first applied the coarse pad and worked my way through medium, fine and eventually very fine using a little water to lubricate and rinsing the floor between each pad to remove any residue; after the burnishing process was complete I gave the entire floor a final, thorough wash. I then used a wet-vac machine to extract the water and get the floor as dry as possible before leaving for the day and allowing it to fully dry completely overnight, it’s very important that the floor is as moisture free as possible before being sealed as it can affect the final result. The next day I returned to the house and sealed the floor with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, an impregnating, colour-enhancing sealer that really accentuates the look of the black and white tiles. Now that the problem has been resolved, my client is very happy with the condition of her Terrazzo tiled entrance and hallway floor. Heidi Taylor South Cumbria Tile Doctor

LOS ANGELES, CA / SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL The commission for this 4,300-square-foot residence came with significant challenges for the architects – a house had once existed on the lot but had burned down and the attempt to replace the house had stalled, leading to an abatement order and a lapse of permits. Our first challenge was to revive the lapsed construction permit by proposing to “modify” the existing structure. The practical effect this had was to fix the footprint of the new home to the existing structure’s plan outline. Having thereby inherited the large, dense block of the original house, the new strategy became one of substituting selective areas of indoor space for outdoor courtyard. This strategy of trading indoor space for outdoor courtyard allowed an erosion of the formerly monolithic structure into a series of distinct volumetric elements, and further suggested that the architectural pieces could cohere as a “village.” The main level is further eroded by large, glazed planes, merging indoor with outdoor, and virtually stretching the landscape across interior space. Moving the detached garage from the rear yard to beneath the new living space allowed for a 75-meter lap pool and a shaded olive garden. The gardens include built-in seating, extensive use of ornamental grasses and Zen-like interior courtyards. A material palette of fossilized stone, bonderized-galvanized metal, and natural Douglas fir allows for the warmth desired by the wife, while providing the modernity required by the husband. Programmatically, her music room borrows from the calm and protected olive court in the rear, while his office becomes a pavilion set in the landscape, which both addresses the street and acts as a sheltering monument for the terraced entry garden.

VISION AND NEEDS: Our client came to us with a vision for their dream house for their growing family with three young children. This was their second attempt at getting the right design. The first time around, after working with an out-of-state online architect, they could not achieve the level of quality they wanted. McHugh delivered a home with higher quality design. MCHUGH SOLUTION: The Shingle/Dutch Colonial Design was our client's dream home style. Their priorities were to have a home office for both parents. Ample living space for kids and friends, along with outdoor space and a pool. Double sink bathroom for the kids and a master bedroom with bath for the parents. Despite being close a flood zone, clients could have a fully finished basement with 9ft ceilings and a full attic. Because of the higher water table, the first floor was considerably above grade. To soften the ascent of the front walkway, we designed planters around the stairs, leading up to the porch.

Example of a 1950s home design design in Phoenix

This space was special indeed! When the family moved into their home the daughter of the house immediately laid claim to this room - which included a half-height storage space, full of possibilities! For the main space we chose a bright, fresh green to keep the space uplifting all through the year. I used a blue stripe to mimic the feel of a canopy and to make a feature of the sloped section of the ceiling rather than attempt to hide it. The room is filled with storage to accommodate a growing wardrobe and features upcycled furniture to ensure the space is completely bespoke. Hidden behind a poster is a secret library, painted a dark, moody blue and styled to give hints of Hogwarts. The ceiling is adorned with a navy, celestial print wallpaper and there are cosy touches dotted around to make this the perfect spot to curl up and while away hours with a good book. Floating candles lend a touch of fun and much needed light to the space.

This urban infill project is a make-over of a decrepit structure that had been used as a student rental for close to 50 years. Situated on an elevated, 3300 sf lot, nothing in the original house was salvageable and the entire house was stripped down to the studs. Our challenge with this project was to then open up the original interiors, flood them with natural light while creating a design that appealed to the broadest buyer pool possible. We solved this problem by organizing a compact floor plan that resulted in a 4 bedroom, 4 bath residence organized around a great room on the main level, a family room on the basement level and an additional 2 bedrooms with city views on the upper. By minimizing circulation space, we were able to re-purpose every square foot of floor area while creating a dramatic, light-filled staircase that tied all 3 levels of the house together into a unified living scheme. Clean lines and clean details, this is another of our attempts at a 'Not So Big House.' Marketing of the final product lasted less than 10 days and resulted in 3 full priced offers that netted the developer a tidy profit.

Austrian Pines that were planted 20 years ago,developed the needle blight called Dothistroma, caused by the fungus Mycosphaerella pini. Attempts were tried to treat the Pines, but eventually they had to be removed. The lower branches were cut away first and then the trunks came down, piece by piece.

This house originally started out as a quick sketch of a kitchen. It was a project I was doing in school as almost a first step to creating a full floor plan. I had gotten so excited and actually ended up drawing an entire house. My original plan for the upper floor was awkward and did not fit the space well. My second attempt at the upper floor had too many hallways. Finally, I settled on the floor plan that I have now. I love the way it fits the space and how there are not too many bedrooms compared to the size of the home.

Designed by Akram Aljahmi of Reico Kitchen & Bath in Woodbridge, VA this dated kitchen was opened up and transformed into a stunning white traditional kitchen. Featuring Merillat Masterpiece Townley Cathedral cabinets in Maple with a Canvas with Cocoa Glaze finish and topped with granite countertops in the color Blue Flowers, this new layout opens up the space for everything. Photos courtesy of BTW Images LLC / www.btwimages.com.

This wall shows the wide interests and accomplishments in a fresh way using candle sconces to add depth and drama to an otherwise plain wall.
Mid-sized elegant freestanding desk carpeted home office photo in Other with gray walls

LOS ANGELES, CA / SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL The commission for this 4,300-square-foot residence came with significant challenges for the architects – a house had once existed on the lot but had burned down and the attempt to replace the house had stalled, leading to an abatement order and a lapse of permits. Our first challenge was to revive the lapsed construction permit by proposing to “modify” the existing structure. The practical effect this had was to fix the footprint of the new home to the existing structure’s plan outline. Having thereby inherited the large, dense block of the original house, the new strategy became one of substituting selective areas of indoor space for outdoor courtyard. This strategy of trading indoor space for outdoor courtyard allowed an erosion of the formerly monolithic structure into a series of distinct volumetric elements, and further suggested that the architectural pieces could cohere as a “village.” The main level is further eroded by large, glazed planes, merging indoor with outdoor, and virtually stretching the landscape across interior space. Moving the detached garage from the rear yard to beneath the new living space allowed for a 75-meter lap pool and a shaded olive garden. The gardens include built-in seating, extensive use of ornamental grasses and Zen-like interior courtyards. A material palette of fossilized stone, bonderized-galvanized metal, and natural Douglas fir allows for the warmth desired by the wife, while providing the modernity required by the husband. Programmatically, her music room borrows from the calm and protected olive court in the rear, while his office becomes a pavilion set in the landscape, which both addresses the street and acts as a sheltering monument for the terraced entry garden.

Park Avenue Penthouse - Dining Room Photo by Kris Tamburello Photography
Trendy dining room photo in New York

Inspiration for an exterior home remodel in Boston

HandsOn Design Location: Jackson, WY, USA 1,900 sq.ft custom home, garage and workshop constructed using prefabricated SIP's panels, with custom interior cabinets, doors and finishes. The design of this house is an attempt to develop an architectural iconography which celebrates the history and uniqueness of the land upon which it’s built. The house sits in an irrigated hayfield along with some of the original machinery that used to work here, and reflects the design sensibilities of a common sense agricultural outbuilding as seen through contemporary eyes. Photographed by: Paul Duncker

Outdoor Makeover
This is an example of a traditional landscaping in Atlanta.

Inspiration for a patio remodel in Charlotte

Vorrath Woodworks completely refurbished these Swedish made mid century modern swivel base club chairs. The new East Indian rosewood veneers are even more stunning than the original. Someone attempted a refinish job on the original wood using an orbital sander and left the backs destroyed. We purchased new veneer to bring these beauties back to their original glory. All new foam and fabric round out the restoration job.

VISION AND NEEDS: Our client came to us with a vision for their dream house for their growing family with three young children. This was their second attempt at getting the right design. The first time around, after working with an out-of-state online architect, they could not achieve the level of quality they wanted. McHugh delivered a home with higher quality design. MCHUGH SOLUTION: The Shingle/Dutch Colonial Design was our client's dream home style. Their priorities were to have a home office for both parents. Ample living space for kids and friends, along with outdoor space and a pool. Double sink bathroom for the kids and a master bedroom with bath for the parents. Despite being close a flood zone, clients could have a fully finished basement with 9ft ceilings and a full attic. Because of the higher water table, the first floor was considerably above grade. To soften the ascent of the front walkway, we designed planters around the stairs, leading up to the porch.

This is a prototypical home specially designed with a 200% structural engineering safety factor to easily withstand 150+ mph winds and designed to be extremely durable, low/no maintenance, effectively flood-proofed, super-structured, armored, super-insulted, and extremely energy-efficient. Every effort was made to make the house “fit” the site; it utilizes a Southern coastal vernacular archetype; it is oriented on the site to take advantage of year-round sun sets and moon rises and to minimize solar heat gain; and careful attention has been given to the breathtaking views. It is designed to harmoniously take advantage of both the latest in currently available technology and a site blessed with unparalleled natural beauty. We have attempted to provide an example of enduring environmentally-sensitive design without any compromise of convenience, aesthetics, or quality of life.