Mark Hoyle Originally, this 3700 SF two level eclectic farmhouse from the mid 1980’s underwent design changes to reflect a more colonial style. Now, after being completely renovated with additional 2800 SF living space, it’s combined total of 6500 SF boasts an Energy Star certification of 5 stars. Approaching this completed home, you will meander along a new driveway through the dense buffer of trees until you reach the clearing, and then circle a tiered fountain on axis with the front entry accentuating the symmetrical main structure. Many of the exterior changes included enclosing the front porch and rear screened porch, replacing windows, replacing all the vinyl siding with and fiber cement siding, creating a new front stoop with winding brick stairs and wrought iron railings as will as other additions to the left and rear of the home. The existing interior was completely fro the studs and included modifying uses of many of the existing rooms such as converting the original dining room into an oval shaped theater with reclining theater seats, fiber-optic starlight ceiling and an 80” television with built-in surround sound. The laundry room increased in size by taking in the porch and received all new cabinets and finishes. The screened porch across the back of the house was enclosed to create a new dining room, enlarged the kitchen, all of which allows for a commanding view of the beautifully landscaped pool. The upper master suite begins by entering a private office then leads to a newly vaulted bedroom, a new master bathroom with natural light and an enlarged closet. The major portion of the addition space was added to the left side as a part time home for the owner’s brother. This new addition boasts an open plan living, dining and kitchen, a master suite with a luxurious bathroom and walk–in closet, a guest suite, a garage and its own private gated brick courtyard entry and direct access to the well appointed pool patio. And finally the last part of the project is the sunroom and new lagoon style pool. Tucked tightly against the rear of the home. This room was created to feel like a gazebo including a metal roof and stained wood ceiling, the foundation of this room was constructed with the pool to insure the look as if it is floating on the water. The pool’s negative edge opposite side allows open views of the trees beyond. There is a natural stone waterfall on one side of the pool and a shallow area on the opposite side for lounge chairs to be placed in it along with a hot tub that spills into the pool. The coping completes the pool’s natural shape and continues to the patio utilizing the same stone but separated by Zoysia grass keeping the natural theme. The finishing touches to this backyard oasis is completed utilizing large boulders, Tempest Torches, architectural lighting and abundant variety of landscaping complete the oasis for all to enjoy.

Our clients, a busy husband and wife, live in a top floor condo in an historic brick townhouse. With hectic professional lives, they had not had much time for home improvement but finally felt ready to make some changes. At the top of their to-do list were the kitchen and bathroom. The kitchen, a small, enclosed utility space, featured dated tile flooring and backsplash and a floor plan that made the small space feel even more cramped. Meanwhile, the bathroom was also in need of a refresh, and the homeowners hoped to replace their tub with a safer walk-in shower with bench seating. We began by introducing subtle changes to stitch together the home’s living areas. We opened the wall between the kitchen and dining room, which had been mostly enclosed. The small kitchen had featured a traditional work triangle with refrigerator, stove, and sink/prep/cleaning area along three separate walls. Unfortunately the room was too cramped for this particular layout. Instead, we placed the stove on the same wall as the fridge, which allowed a larger opening to the dining room. We kept the overhanging cabinetry in the kitchen but chose a new unit with separate cabinets facing both the kitchen and dining room for extra storage opportunities. With extra countertop at the sink, the half-wall, and on either side of the stove, the homeowners now have plenty of cooking prep space. The homeowners favor a crisp white palette, and the pearl Omega cabinets that they selected are a perfect fit. A mix of brushed nickel and glass knob pulls offer visual and textile variety. For the countertops, we installed elegant white Quartz Calacatta Novus with a graceful dark wave pattern. The backsplash is Feather Gray Manhattan Field Tile. Refinished and repainted moulding creates a seamless flow among the living spaces. In the dining and living rooms, the color-averse homeowners decided to try Benjamin Moore’s Edgecomb Gray. We also removed tile flooring from the kitchen in favor of restoring the original oak hardwoods, uniting this room with the rest of the condo. In the bathroom, we removed the tub in favor of a curb-less walk-in shower with built-in marble bench seating. We fitted Vintage Studio’s Starry White wall tile and Bianco Carrera honed floor tile, and installed a new vanity (with a Cambria Queen Anne marble top) and Robern medicine cabinet. We were delighted to work on the project with Elizabeth Tanny – a New York-based interior designer who is also the sister and sister-in-law of the homeowners. Elizabeth worked with our clients on artwork and furniture selections, as well as paint colors. Photo by Shelly Harrison

This custom home is nestled between Sugarbush and Mad River Glen. The project consisted of knocking down a large part of the original structure and building a new 3000sf wing and then joining the two together. A durable hand split Cedar shingle exterior combined with many architectural trim details made for a stunning and durable envelope. 
 The noteworthy interior details included reclaimed barn board on the walls, custom cabinetry and builtins, a locally fabricated metal staircase railing, with the clients home mountain resort (Mad River Glen) banner incorporated in the balustrade system. The home combined with the beautiful landscaping, pond, and mountain views make for an amazing sanctuary for our clients to retreat too in both the winter and summer seasons.

Removed Old Locks/Replaced New Locks at Rear Door to First Floor Apartment per Landlords Request.. Supply & Install new Combo Entry and Dead Bolt Locks to rear entries, rear entries, apartment's and garages... (PROMO SPECIAL ONLY HZ-115.95) Contact Gerard Spiotta today, at mobile field office # 973.477.3345 for all your Property Preservation Services, REO Property Services, REO Lock Changes, REO Lock Change, Change Locks, Lock Changes, Lock out Services and Securing Services.... Servicing these local areas of Belleville, 07109, Bloomfield, 07003, East Orange 07019, East Orange 07018, Irvington, 07111, Maplewood, 07040, Montclair, 07042, 07043, Nutley, 07110, Orange 07050, 07051, South Orange, 07079, Verona, 07044, West Orange, 07052 & Northern NJ

Adding a pub table to expand the bar area and provide lake views was the key that made this space become "used" rather than just a pass through. The reclaimed wood base and concrete appearing quartz grounded the bar zone. This is a perfect place to spread out food or just hang with a beer and dice cup!

Mike Small Photography
Doorless shower - large coastal master multicolored tile and pebble tile pebble tile floor doorless shower idea in San Francisco

The new owners of this house in Harvard, Massachusetts loved its location and authentic Shaker characteristics, but weren’t fans of its curious layout. A dated first-floor full bathroom could only be accessed by going up a few steps to a landing, opening the bathroom door and then going down the same number of steps to enter the room. The dark kitchen faced the driveway to the north, rather than the bucolic backyard fields to the south. The dining space felt more like an enlarged hall and could only comfortably seat four. Upstairs, a den/office had a woefully low ceiling; the master bedroom had limited storage, and a sad full bathroom featured a cramped shower. KHS proposed a number of changes to create an updated home where the owners could enjoy cooking, entertaining, and being connected to the outdoors from the first-floor living spaces, while also experiencing more inviting and more functional private spaces upstairs. On the first floor, the primary change was to capture space that had been part of an upper-level screen porch and convert it to interior space. To make the interior expansion seamless, we raised the floor of the area that had been the upper-level porch, so it aligns with the main living level, and made sure there would be no soffits in the planes of the walls we removed. We also raised the floor of the remaining lower-level porch to reduce the number of steps required to circulate from it to the newly expanded interior. New patio door systems now fill the arched openings that used to be infilled with screen. The exterior interventions (which also included some new casement windows in the dining area) were designed to be subtle, while affording significant improvements on the interior. Additionally, the first-floor bathroom was reconfigured, shifting one of its walls to widen the dining space, and moving the entrance to the bathroom from the stair landing to the kitchen instead. These changes (which involved significant structural interventions) resulted in a much more open space to accommodate a new kitchen with a view of the lush backyard and a new dining space defined by a new built-in banquette that comfortably seats six, and -- with the addition of a table extension -- up to eight people. Upstairs in the den/office, replacing the low, board ceiling with a raised, plaster, tray ceiling that springs from above the original board-finish walls – newly painted a light color -- created a much more inviting, bright, and expansive space. Re-configuring the master bath to accommodate a larger shower and adding built-in storage cabinets in the master bedroom improved comfort and function. A new whole-house color palette rounds out the improvements. Photos by Katie Hutchison

Master Closet/Dressing Area Photo Credit: J Allen Smith
Large elegant women's carpeted dressing room photo in DC Metro with recessed-panel cabinets and white cabinets

Our clients, a busy husband and wife, live in a top floor condo in an historic brick townhouse. With hectic professional lives, they had not had much time for home improvement but finally felt ready to make some changes. At the top of their to-do list were the kitchen and bathroom. The kitchen, a small, enclosed utility space, featured dated tile flooring and backsplash and a floor plan that made the small space feel even more cramped. Meanwhile, the bathroom was also in need of a refresh, and the homeowners hoped to replace their tub with a safer walk-in shower with bench seating. We began by introducing subtle changes to stitch together the home’s living areas. We opened the wall between the kitchen and dining room, which had been mostly enclosed. The small kitchen had featured a traditional work triangle with refrigerator, stove, and sink/prep/cleaning area along three separate walls. Unfortunately the room was too cramped for this particular layout. Instead, we placed the stove on the same wall as the fridge, which allowed a larger opening to the dining room. We kept the overhanging cabinetry in the kitchen but chose a new unit with separate cabinets facing both the kitchen and dining room for extra storage opportunities. With extra countertop at the sink, the half-wall, and on either side of the stove, the homeowners now have plenty of cooking prep space. The homeowners favor a crisp white palette, and the pearl Omega cabinets that they selected are a perfect fit. A mix of brushed nickel and glass knob pulls offer visual and textile variety. For the countertops, we installed elegant white Quartz Calacatta Novus with a graceful dark wave pattern. The backsplash is Feather Gray Manhattan Field Tile. Refinished and repainted moulding creates a seamless flow among the living spaces. In the dining and living rooms, the color-averse homeowners decided to try Benjamin Moore’s Edgecomb Gray. We also removed tile flooring from the kitchen in favor of restoring the original oak hardwoods, uniting this room with the rest of the condo. In the bathroom, we removed the tub in favor of a curb-less walk-in shower with built-in marble bench seating. We fitted Vintage Studio’s Starry White wall tile and Bianco Carrera honed floor tile, and installed a new vanity (with a Cambria Queen Anne marble top) and Robern medicine cabinet. We were delighted to work on the project with Elizabeth Tanny – a New York-based interior designer who is also the sister and sister-in-law of the homeowners. Elizabeth worked with our clients on artwork and furniture selections, as well as paint colors. Photo by Shelly Harrison

The new owners of this house in Harvard, Massachusetts loved its location and authentic Shaker characteristics, but weren’t fans of its curious layout. A dated first-floor full bathroom could only be accessed by going up a few steps to a landing, opening the bathroom door and then going down the same number of steps to enter the room. The dark kitchen faced the driveway to the north, rather than the bucolic backyard fields to the south. The dining space felt more like an enlarged hall and could only comfortably seat four. Upstairs, a den/office had a woefully low ceiling; the master bedroom had limited storage, and a sad full bathroom featured a cramped shower. KHS proposed a number of changes to create an updated home where the owners could enjoy cooking, entertaining, and being connected to the outdoors from the first-floor living spaces, while also experiencing more inviting and more functional private spaces upstairs. On the first floor, the primary change was to capture space that had been part of an upper-level screen porch and convert it to interior space. To make the interior expansion seamless, we raised the floor of the area that had been the upper-level porch, so it aligns with the main living level, and made sure there would be no soffits in the planes of the walls we removed. We also raised the floor of the remaining lower-level porch to reduce the number of steps required to circulate from it to the newly expanded interior. New patio door systems now fill the arched openings that used to be infilled with screen. The exterior interventions (which also included some new casement windows in the dining area) were designed to be subtle, while affording significant improvements on the interior. Additionally, the first-floor bathroom was reconfigured, shifting one of its walls to widen the dining space, and moving the entrance to the bathroom from the stair landing to the kitchen instead. These changes (which involved significant structural interventions) resulted in a much more open space to accommodate a new kitchen with a view of the lush backyard and a new dining space defined by a new built-in banquette that comfortably seats six, and -- with the addition of a table extension -- up to eight people. Upstairs in the den/office, replacing the low, board ceiling with a raised, plaster, tray ceiling that springs from above the original board-finish walls – newly painted a light color -- created a much more inviting, bright, and expansive space. Re-configuring the master bath to accommodate a larger shower and adding built-in storage cabinets in the master bedroom improved comfort and function. A new whole-house color palette rounds out the improvements. Photos by Katie Hutchison

Inspiration for a timeless bathroom remodel in San Francisco

Photo: Rikki Snyder © 2017 Houzz
Example of a trendy master carpeted and beige floor bedroom design in New York

Modern Tudor on the Prairie Our clients fell in love with the wide-open spaces of the White Oaks Savanna development. They dreamed of a home that celebrated the beauty of Minnesota’s ever-changing landscape and blurred the line between indoor and outdoor. They wanted a home with a traditional exterior, impressive entry, and modern interiors. The large site provides spectacular views of the restored prairie landscape. All four sides of this home are refined and architecturally resolved since each elevation is highly visible in the open prairie setting. Properly locating the home on the site was critical to maintaining the stunning prairie views. The home is nestled behind a hill instead of sitting on top of it, so it is blocked from the neighbors and respects their views. Natural materials adorn the exterior, including cedar, stone, stucco, and copper, that act as “jewelry” for the home. The cedar and copper will patina with time, adding richness and texture to the home. Front Door: The custom front door is 4 feet wide by 8 feet tall. It is paired with a matching fixed panel, so the door appears to be 8 feet wide from the outside, and is painted a cheery bright blue to greet visitors. The intentional placement of color adds vibrancy throughout the home in contrast to the quiet exterior colors. The bold pops of color requested by the client continue on the interior of the home, including a turquoise dining room, magenta closet doors, and a deep blue basement. Lantern Staircase: A triple-height stair floating in front of 18-foot-high windows welcomes visitors. At night, a hidden, remote controlled retractable shade scrim (lightweight shade) limits light pollution to follow the Dark Skies Initiative. Great Room: Cased openings of white oak create transition spaces and frame views to and from the grand, two-story great room. The entry and dining room have cozy 8-foot ceilings and are perched 12” up from the great room for views over the living room furniture. To avoid dining chairs sliding over the steps, a custom built-in credenza sits on the steps behind the dining table. Folding Outswing Door: The 20’ wide by 9.5’ tall folding outswing door blurs the line between outside and inside. A hidden bi-parting retractable bug screen allows the large door to remain open throughout the day to bring in fresh air. Catwalk: A catwalk, or raised walkway, on the upper floor overlooks the great room and leads to the guest suites. A long bench with built-in linen storage is tucked into a niche with clerestory windows, providing a cozy spot for guests to relax. Guest laundry is tucked into the backside of the fireplace chimney. Owner's Suite: From the start, the owners wanted their bedroom perched on the second level to maximize views of the prairie beyond. Located in its own wing of the home, the owners’ suite offers privacy. Magenta closet doors guide the owners into the bedroom and adjacent bathroom. Lifestyle: The home incorporates numerous lifestyle features that are as much a part of the house as the main spaces. A sauna is located on the main level, allowing for easy access after a dip in the pool and a wine cellar is tucked neatly under the staircase for convenient and beautiful display.

The new owners of this house in Harvard, Massachusetts loved its location and authentic Shaker characteristics, but weren’t fans of its curious layout. A dated first-floor full bathroom could only be accessed by going up a few steps to a landing, opening the bathroom door and then going down the same number of steps to enter the room. The dark kitchen faced the driveway to the north, rather than the bucolic backyard fields to the south. The dining space felt more like an enlarged hall and could only comfortably seat four. Upstairs, a den/office had a woefully low ceiling; the master bedroom had limited storage, and a sad full bathroom featured a cramped shower. KHS proposed a number of changes to create an updated home where the owners could enjoy cooking, entertaining, and being connected to the outdoors from the first-floor living spaces, while also experiencing more inviting and more functional private spaces upstairs. On the first floor, the primary change was to capture space that had been part of an upper-level screen porch and convert it to interior space. To make the interior expansion seamless, we raised the floor of the area that had been the upper-level porch, so it aligns with the main living level, and made sure there would be no soffits in the planes of the walls we removed. We also raised the floor of the remaining lower-level porch to reduce the number of steps required to circulate from it to the newly expanded interior. New patio door systems now fill the arched openings that used to be infilled with screen. The exterior interventions (which also included some new casement windows in the dining area) were designed to be subtle, while affording significant improvements on the interior. Additionally, the first-floor bathroom was reconfigured, shifting one of its walls to widen the dining space, and moving the entrance to the bathroom from the stair landing to the kitchen instead. These changes (which involved significant structural interventions) resulted in a much more open space to accommodate a new kitchen with a view of the lush backyard and a new dining space defined by a new built-in banquette that comfortably seats six, and -- with the addition of a table extension -- up to eight people. Upstairs in the den/office, replacing the low, board ceiling with a raised, plaster, tray ceiling that springs from above the original board-finish walls – newly painted a light color -- created a much more inviting, bright, and expansive space. Re-configuring the master bath to accommodate a larger shower and adding built-in storage cabinets in the master bedroom improved comfort and function. A new whole-house color palette rounds out the improvements. Photos by Katie Hutchison

The new owners of this house in Harvard, Massachusetts loved its location and authentic Shaker characteristics, but weren’t fans of its curious layout. A dated first-floor full bathroom could only be accessed by going up a few steps to a landing, opening the bathroom door and then going down the same number of steps to enter the room. The dark kitchen faced the driveway to the north, rather than the bucolic backyard fields to the south. The dining space felt more like an enlarged hall and could only comfortably seat four. Upstairs, a den/office had a woefully low ceiling; the master bedroom had limited storage, and a sad full bathroom featured a cramped shower. KHS proposed a number of changes to create an updated home where the owners could enjoy cooking, entertaining, and being connected to the outdoors from the first-floor living spaces, while also experiencing more inviting and more functional private spaces upstairs. On the first floor, the primary change was to capture space that had been part of an upper-level screen porch and convert it to interior space. To make the interior expansion seamless, we raised the floor of the area that had been the upper-level porch, so it aligns with the main living level, and made sure there would be no soffits in the planes of the walls we removed. We also raised the floor of the remaining lower-level porch to reduce the number of steps required to circulate from it to the newly expanded interior. New patio door systems now fill the arched openings that used to be infilled with screen. The exterior interventions (which also included some new casement windows in the dining area) were designed to be subtle, while affording significant improvements on the interior. Additionally, the first-floor bathroom was reconfigured, shifting one of its walls to widen the dining space, and moving the entrance to the bathroom from the stair landing to the kitchen instead. These changes (which involved significant structural interventions) resulted in a much more open space to accommodate a new kitchen with a view of the lush backyard and a new dining space defined by a new built-in banquette that comfortably seats six, and -- with the addition of a table extension -- up to eight people. Upstairs in the den/office, replacing the low, board ceiling with a raised, plaster, tray ceiling that springs from above the original board-finish walls – newly painted a light color -- created a much more inviting, bright, and expansive space. Re-configuring the master bath to accommodate a larger shower and adding built-in storage cabinets in the master bedroom improved comfort and function. A new whole-house color palette rounds out the improvements. Photos by Katie Hutchison

Highlight water features, pool areas, and other interesting aspects of your landscaping with this color changing tape light. This outdoor tape light can be submerged in up to 5-feet of water and can be programmed to display the full color spectrum for custom lighting effects. This LED tape light is UL listed for wet locations, has a rated life of 80,000 hours, and is backed by a 5-year warranty. LIGHT FIXTURE 3 Lengths: choose from tape light lengths 1ft, 5ft, or 10 sections Male/Female Connectors: each section has male connectors on one end and female connectors on the other for easily linking and connecting to layout accessories Low Profile: only 1/8in thick and only 5/8in wide Construction: flexible silicone cased tape light 3M Adhesive Backing: sturdy adhesive allows for easy mounting to wood, metals, and most other smooth surfaces Minimum Run 1ft Maximum Run 40ft Dimmable: yes, with controller Field Cuttable: every 2in at the end of a run. Indicator marks on back for field cutting. 2 Mounting Methods: two mounting methods provided: retrofit channel or mounting clips sold separately) LIGHT SOURCE LEDs: 12 LEDs per foot evenly spaced every 1in on center Wattage: 1.5 watts/foot Voltage: 24 volts AC Variable Colors OR Neutral White Color Temperature Excellent Rated Life: 80,000 hours of rated life on average

Minimalist bathroom photo in San Francisco

Mark Hoyle Originally, this 3700 SF two level eclectic farmhouse from the mid 1980’s underwent design changes to reflect a more colonial style. Now, after being completely renovated with additional 2800 SF living space, it’s combined total of 6500 SF boasts an Energy Star certification of 5 stars. Approaching this completed home, you will meander along a new driveway through the dense buffer of trees until you reach the clearing, and then circle a tiered fountain on axis with the front entry accentuating the symmetrical main structure. Many of the exterior changes included enclosing the front porch and rear screened porch, replacing windows, replacing all the vinyl siding with and fiber cement siding, creating a new front stoop with winding brick stairs and wrought iron railings as will as other additions to the left and rear of the home. The existing interior was completely fro the studs and included modifying uses of many of the existing rooms such as converting the original dining room into an oval shaped theater with reclining theater seats, fiber-optic starlight ceiling and an 80” television with built-in surround sound. The laundry room increased in size by taking in the porch and received all new cabinets and finishes. The screened porch across the back of the house was enclosed to create a new dining room, enlarged the kitchen, all of which allows for a commanding view of the beautifully landscaped pool. The upper master suite begins by entering a private office then leads to a newly vaulted bedroom, a new master bathroom with natural light and an enlarged closet. The major portion of the addition space was added to the left side as a part time home for the owner’s brother. This new addition boasts an open plan living, dining and kitchen, a master suite with a luxurious bathroom and walk–in closet, a guest suite, a garage and its own private gated brick courtyard entry and direct access to the well appointed pool patio. And finally the last part of the project is the sunroom and new lagoon style pool. Tucked tightly against the rear of the home. This room was created to feel like a gazebo including a metal roof and stained wood ceiling, the foundation of this room was constructed with the pool to insure the look as if it is floating on the water. The pool’s negative edge opposite side allows open views of the trees beyond. There is a natural stone waterfall on one side of the pool and a shallow area on the opposite side for lounge chairs to be placed in it along with a hot tub that spills into the pool. The coping completes the pool’s natural shape and continues to the patio utilizing the same stone but separated by Zoysia grass keeping the natural theme. The finishing touches to this backyard oasis is completed utilizing large boulders, Tempest Torches, architectural lighting and abundant variety of landscaping complete the oasis for all to enjoy.

Keeping the existing 1970's back bar was a struggle...until we decided to let go of some of the awkward shelving and paint out the unit gray. Now with the addition of the antique mirror reflecting the lake views back into the room, this wet bar functions as a great second kitchen too!