Inspiration for a mid-sized farmhouse wooden u-shaped wood railing staircase remodel in Chicago with wooden risers

A classical garage conversion to an ADU (Guest unit). This 524sq. garage was a prime candidate for such a transformation due to the extra 100+sq. that is not common with most detached garage units. This extra room allowed us to design the perfect layout of 1br+1.5bath. The bathrooms were designed in the classical European layout of main bathroom to house the shower, the vanity and the laundry machines while a secondary smaller room houses the toilet and an additional small wall mounted vanity, this layout is perfect for entertaining guest in the small backyard guest unit. The kitchen is a single line setup with room for full size appliances. The main Livingroom and kitchen area boasts high ceiling with exposed Elder wood beam cover and many windows to welcome the southern sun rays into the living space.

These clients had a need to create an accessible space for their aging family at their home. Approximately 1000 SF of single story living space was added onto their house, as well as large common space and an accessible bathroom with roll in shower.

Model: Cascade Traditional. This traditional, 378 square-foot Kabin has a laundry room and a fully vaulted loft. It also features a common room with a vaulted ceiling to maximize space, 1 bathroom, and a 40 sq. ft. covered porch. This backyard cottage is constructed to Built Green’s 4-star standards.

Like many West Coast cities, Seattle is facing a severe housing shortage at a time when labor and material costs have skyrocketed. Combined with a lack of available dirt, housing vacancy rates stubbornly hover under 5%. A response to this housing perfect storm has been the evolution of a new housing prototype called a detached Auxiliary Dwelling Unit (DADU). This is commonly referred to as a Mother-in-Law (MIL) unit. As the name implies, this is a small, self-contained housing type that allows for additional housing to be built on an existing lot, creating greater density within our urban fabric. Generally thought of as either starter housing or aging-in-place concepts, these are extremely efficient floor plans that squeeze all the basic living functions into a compact space while envisioning the urban fabric as one's living room. In the case of our little DADU, our footprint is 20' x 20' and provides a ground level garage/music studio and an upper level apartment. The misconception of these structure - thanks in large part to the misinformation campaign of the Not-So-Big-House movement - is the smaller translates into cheaper. Since these are essentially small houses, the truth is these are very expensive structures on a cost/sf basis. We conceptualized this structure as inexpensively as we could think of and it still ended up costing more than $400,000 or around $500/sf.

A classical garage conversion to an ADU (Guest unit). This 524sq. garage was a prime candidate for such a transformation due to the extra 100+sq. that is not common with most detached garage units. This extra room allowed us to design the perfect layout of 1br+1.5bath. The bathrooms were designed in the classical European layout of main bathroom to house the shower, the vanity and the laundry machines while a secondary smaller room houses the toilet and an additional small wall mounted vanity, this layout is perfect for entertaining guest in the small backyard guest unit. The kitchen is a single line setup with room for full size appliances. The main Livingroom and kitchen area boasts high ceiling with exposed Elder wood beam cover and many windows to welcome the southern sun rays into the living space.

Home additions in Florida Home Additions are a great way to enjoy the benefits of additional living space and add value to your home. While design and remodeling projects are great ways to improve the functionality of living space, the only way to add additional living space is with a home addition. When you contact us, we can help you consider the best options available for your home. Six basic design options for additions Exterior structure additions, include sunrooms, florida rooms, porches, verandas, lanais, decks or a balcony and give you living spaces that allow you to experience the outdoors and enjoy both relaxing and entertaining. Bump-out additions are small additions which extend a wall a few feet to create areas like an eat-in kitchen. They can expand a small room or add a more favorable appeal to your home overall. Single-room additions add one room to your home. Homeowners often add single room additions that are home offices, home theaters, master bedrooms, family rooms, laundry or mud rooms, master suites, guest rooms, etc. Wing additions expand your home horizontally and are good choices when you need more than a single room. Examples of additions would include au-pair, in-law, or guest suites and can contain a bedroom, living area and small kitchen. Wings sometimes have separate entrances and even parking. This is great option if your lot has the appropriate space. Second-story additions are a great way to cost effectively maximize your living space by adding a second level which share the same roof and foundation. In many cases this is a favorable way to avoid zoning restrictions and allow you to avoid a lot survey. A second-story addition can increase the functionality, value and comfort of your home, without causing you to give up lawn and garden area. Two-story additions are another way to resolve space issues. Common examples would include adding a garage and an additional bedroom as a second story. They can be adjoined or accessed by a passageways to connect on each level. A spiral staircase can give additional aesthetic appeal.

This expansive kitchen was done by Bilotta senior designer in collaboration with Nancy Epstein, founder and CEO of Artistic Tile, for Nancy’s son and daughter-in-law’s home. Frameless Rutt Regency cabinetry is featured in two different finishes: linen white paint on the perimeter and stained walnut on the island. Almost all surfaces are Calacatta Gold marble but in a variety of formats and finishes, obviously all by Artistic Tile. The backsplash, including the dramatic arched wall the houses the range and hood, features elongated brick tiles with a honed finish. The underside of the arch is lined with polished mosaics and the countertops are 2” thick slabs, polished. The flooring is the only surface in a different material – for that they used Artistic Tile’s “Vestige Ash”, a limestone with a brushed finish in a chevron pattern that creates texture and really shows the stone’s veining. In an article in Traditional Home, written by Amy Elbert, Nancy commented, “Everything has some weight, some girth to it. A common design mistake is making things too skinny. You want to feel the tile’s majesty and its beauty.” Rita added, “We always played with a delicate balance between contemporary and traditional elements.” The two stainless steel undermount sinks are Franke with Dornbracht faucets. There are various different work zones making it also a very functional space, aside from being sophisticated and elegant overall. There is the cooking area with the 36” range and custom hood on one wall; the island holds the main sink and a dishwasher; another wall houses the full height, 36” wide stainless steel refrigerator and freezer; and the sink wall (with a beautiful view to the backyard) has another dishwasher as well as refrigerator drawers. The circular dining table for six is by Zoffany and the chairs are “Normandie” by Artistic Frame with Duralee fabric. Photo Credit Francesco Lagnese

This new home was built on an old lot in Dallas, TX in the Preston Hollow neighborhood. The new home is a little over 5,600 sq.ft. and features an expansive great room and a professional chef’s kitchen. This 100% brick exterior home was built with full-foam encapsulation for maximum energy performance. There is an immaculate courtyard enclosed by a 9' brick wall keeping their spool (spa/pool) private. Electric infrared radiant patio heaters and patio fans and of course a fireplace keep the courtyard comfortable no matter what time of year. A custom king and a half bed was built with steps at the end of the bed, making it easy for their dog Roxy, to get up on the bed. There are electrical outlets in the back of the bathroom drawers and a TV mounted on the wall behind the tub for convenience. The bathroom also has a steam shower with a digital thermostatic valve. The kitchen has two of everything, as it should, being a commercial chef's kitchen! The stainless vent hood, flanked by floating wooden shelves, draws your eyes to the center of this immaculate kitchen full of Bluestar Commercial appliances. There is also a wall oven with a warming drawer, a brick pizza oven, and an indoor churrasco grill. There are two refrigerators, one on either end of the expansive kitchen wall, making everything convenient. There are two islands; one with casual dining bar stools, as well as a built-in dining table and another for prepping food. At the top of the stairs is a good size landing for storage and family photos. There are two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, as well as a movie room. What makes this home so special is the Casita! It has its own entrance off the common breezeway to the main house and courtyard. There is a full kitchen, a living area, an ADA compliant full bath, and a comfortable king bedroom. It’s perfect for friends staying the weekend or in-laws staying for a month.

This expansive kitchen was done by Bilotta senior designer in collaboration with Nancy Epstein, founder and CEO of Artistic Tile, for Nancy’s son and daughter-in-law’s home. Frameless Rutt Regency cabinetry is featured in two different finishes: linen white paint on the perimeter and stained walnut on the island. Almost all surfaces are Calacatta Gold marble but in a variety of formats and finishes, obviously all by Artistic Tile. The backsplash, including the dramatic arched wall the houses the range and hood, features elongated brick tiles with a honed finish. The underside of the arch is lined with polished mosaics and the countertops are 2” thick slabs, polished. The flooring is the only surface in a different material – for that they used Artistic Tile’s “Vestige Ash”, a limestone with a brushed finish in a chevron pattern that creates texture and really shows the stone’s veining. In an article in Traditional Home, written by Amy Elbert, Nancy commented, “Everything has some weight, some girth to it. A common design mistake is making things too skinny. You want to feel the tile’s majesty and its beauty.” Rita added, “We always played with a delicate balance between contemporary and traditional elements.” The two stainless steel undermount sinks are Franke with Dornbracht faucets. There are various different work zones making it also a very functional space, aside from being sophisticated and elegant overall. There is the cooking area with the 36” range and custom hood on one wall; the island holds the main sink and a dishwasher; another wall houses the full height, 36” wide stainless steel refrigerator and freezer; and the sink wall (with a beautiful view to the backyard) has another dishwasher as well as refrigerator drawers. The circular dining table for six is by Zoffany and the chairs are “Normandie” by Artistic Frame with Duralee fabric. Photo Credit Francesco Lagnese

Like many West Coast cities, Seattle is facing a severe housing shortage at a time when labor and material costs have skyrocketed. Combined with a lack of available dirt, housing vacancy rates stubbornly hover under 5%. A response to this housing perfect storm has been the evolution of a new housing prototype called a detached Auxiliary Dwelling Unit (DADU). This is commonly referred to as a Mother-in-Law (MIL) unit. As the name implies, this is a small, self-contained housing type that allows for additional housing to be built on an existing lot, creating greater density within our urban fabric. Generally thought of as either starter housing or aging-in-place concepts, these are extremely efficient floor plans that squeeze all the basic living functions into a compact space while envisioning the urban fabric as one's living room. In the case of our little DADU, our footprint is 20' x 20' and provides a ground level garage/music studio and an upper level apartment. The misconception of these structure - thanks in large part to the misinformation campaign of the Not-So-Big-House movement - is the smaller translates into cheaper. Since these are essentially small houses, the truth is these are very expensive structures on a cost/sf basis. We conceptualized this structure as inexpensively as we could think of and it still ended up costing more than $400,000 or around $500/sf.

This expansive kitchen was done by Bilotta senior designer in collaboration with Nancy Epstein, founder and CEO of Artistic Tile, for Nancy’s son and daughter-in-law’s home. Frameless Rutt Regency cabinetry is featured in two different finishes: linen white paint on the perimeter and stained walnut on the island. Almost all surfaces are Calacatta Gold marble but in a variety of formats and finishes, obviously all by Artistic Tile. The backsplash, including the dramatic arched wall the houses the range and hood, features elongated brick tiles with a honed finish. The underside of the arch is lined with polished mosaics and the countertops are 2” thick slabs, polished. The flooring is the only surface in a different material – for that they used Artistic Tile’s “Vestige Ash”, a limestone with a brushed finish in a chevron pattern that creates texture and really shows the stone’s veining. In an article in Traditional Home, written by Amy Elbert, Nancy commented, “Everything has some weight, some girth to it. A common design mistake is making things too skinny. You want to feel the tile’s majesty and its beauty.” Rita added, “We always played with a delicate balance between contemporary and traditional elements.” The two stainless steel undermount sinks are Franke with Dornbracht faucets. There are various different work zones making it also a very functional space, aside from being sophisticated and elegant overall. There is the cooking area with the 36” range and custom hood on one wall; the island holds the main sink and a dishwasher; another wall houses the full height, 36” wide stainless steel refrigerator and freezer; and the sink wall (with a beautiful view to the backyard) has another dishwasher as well as refrigerator drawers. The circular dining table for six is by Zoffany and the chairs are “Normandie” by Artistic Frame with Duralee fabric. Photo Credit Francesco Lagnese

Like many West Coast cities, Seattle is facing a severe housing shortage at a time when labor and material costs have skyrocketed. Combined with a lack of available dirt, housing vacancy rates stubbornly hover under 5%. A response to this housing perfect storm has been the evolution of a new housing prototype called a detached Auxiliary Dwelling Unit (DADU). This is commonly referred to as a Mother-in-Law (MIL) unit. As the name implies, this is a small, self-contained housing type that allows for additional housing to be built on an existing lot, creating greater density within our urban fabric. Generally thought of as either starter housing or aging-in-place concepts, these are extremely efficient floor plans that squeeze all the basic living functions into a compact space while envisioning the urban fabric as one's living room. In the case of our little DADU, our footprint is 20' x 20' and provides a ground level garage/music studio and an upper level apartment. The misconception of these structure - thanks in large part to the misinformation campaign of the Not-So-Big-House movement - is the smaller translates into cheaper. Since these are essentially small houses, the truth is these are very expensive structures on a cost/sf basis. We conceptualized this structure as inexpensively as we could think of and it still ended up costing more than $400,000 or around $500/sf.

Like many West Coast cities, Seattle is facing a severe housing shortage at a time when labor and material costs have skyrocketed. Combined with a lack of available dirt, housing vacancy rates stubbornly hover under 5%. A response to this housing perfect storm has been the evolution of a new housing prototype called a detached Auxiliary Dwelling Unit (DADU). This is commonly referred to as a Mother-in-Law (MIL) unit. As the name implies, this is a small, self-contained housing type that allows for additional housing to be built on an existing lot, creating greater density within our urban fabric. Generally thought of as either starter housing or aging-in-place concepts, these are extremely efficient floor plans that squeeze all the basic living functions into a compact space while envisioning the urban fabric as one's living room. In the case of our little DADU, our footprint is 20' x 20' and provides a ground level garage/music studio and an upper level apartment. The misconception of these structure - thanks in large part to the misinformation campaign of the Not-So-Big-House movement - is the smaller translates into cheaper. Since these are essentially small houses, the truth is these are very expensive structures on a cost/sf basis. We conceptualized this structure as inexpensively as we could think of and it still ended up costing more than $400,000 or around $500/sf.

A classical garage conversion to an ADU (Guest unit). This 524sq. garage was a prime candidate for such a transformation due to the extra 100+sq. that is not common with most detached garage units. This extra room allowed us to design the perfect layout of 1br+1.5bath. The bathrooms were designed in the classical European layout of main bathroom to house the shower, the vanity and the laundry machines while a secondary smaller room houses the toilet and an additional small wall mounted vanity, this layout is perfect for entertaining guest in the small backyard guest unit. The kitchen is a single line setup with room for full size appliances. The main Livingroom and kitchen area boasts high ceiling with exposed Elder wood beam cover and many windows to welcome the southern sun rays into the living space.

Model: Cascade Traditional. This traditional, 378 square-foot Kabin has a laundry room and a fully vaulted loft. It also features a common room with a vaulted ceiling to maximize space, 1 bathroom, and a 40 sq. ft. covered porch. This backyard cottage is constructed to Built Green’s 4-star standards.

This new home was built on an old lot in Dallas, TX in the Preston Hollow neighborhood. The new home is a little over 5,600 sq.ft. and features an expansive great room and a professional chef’s kitchen. This 100% brick exterior home was built with full-foam encapsulation for maximum energy performance. There is an immaculate courtyard enclosed by a 9' brick wall keeping their spool (spa/pool) private. Electric infrared radiant patio heaters and patio fans and of course a fireplace keep the courtyard comfortable no matter what time of year. A custom king and a half bed was built with steps at the end of the bed, making it easy for their dog Roxy, to get up on the bed. There are electrical outlets in the back of the bathroom drawers and a TV mounted on the wall behind the tub for convenience. The bathroom also has a steam shower with a digital thermostatic valve. The kitchen has two of everything, as it should, being a commercial chef's kitchen! The stainless vent hood, flanked by floating wooden shelves, draws your eyes to the center of this immaculate kitchen full of Bluestar Commercial appliances. There is also a wall oven with a warming drawer, a brick pizza oven, and an indoor churrasco grill. There are two refrigerators, one on either end of the expansive kitchen wall, making everything convenient. There are two islands; one with casual dining bar stools, as well as a built-in dining table and another for prepping food. At the top of the stairs is a good size landing for storage and family photos. There are two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, as well as a movie room. What makes this home so special is the Casita! It has its own entrance off the common breezeway to the main house and courtyard. There is a full kitchen, a living area, an ADA compliant full bath, and a comfortable king bedroom. It’s perfect for friends staying the weekend or in-laws staying for a month.

Like many West Coast cities, Seattle is facing a severe housing shortage at a time when labor and material costs have skyrocketed. Combined with a lack of available dirt, housing vacancy rates stubbornly hover under 5%. A response to this housing perfect storm has been the evolution of a new housing prototype called a detached Auxiliary Dwelling Unit (DADU). This is commonly referred to as a Mother-in-Law (MIL) unit. As the name implies, this is a small, self-contained housing type that allows for additional housing to be built on an existing lot, creating greater density within our urban fabric. Generally thought of as either starter housing or aging-in-place concepts, these are extremely efficient floor plans that squeeze all the basic living functions into a compact space while envisioning the urban fabric as one's living room. In the case of our little DADU, our footprint is 20' x 20' and provides a ground level garage/music studio and an upper level apartment. The misconception of these structure - thanks in large part to the misinformation campaign of the Not-So-Big-House movement - is the smaller translates into cheaper. Since these are essentially small houses, the truth is these are very expensive structures on a cost/sf basis. We conceptualized this structure as inexpensively as we could think of and it still ended up costing more than $400,000 or around $500/sf.

These clients had a need to create an accessible space for their aging family at their home. Approximately 1000 SF of single story living space was added onto their house, as well as large common space and an accessible bathroom with roll in shower.