Builder's bulkheads... were a cheap simple way for home builders of years past (hopefully past) to cut costs and streamline projects, but cast away key elements such as functionality and aesthetics. Removing them...can be very complex...but extremely rewarding. Plumbing, structural, electrical and hvac components can lie hidden behind causing all manner of challenges. All worth it...wouldn't you agree?

A view of the side porch which connects to the mud room and craft room (finished in wood siding, painted red) Materials include: random rubble stonework with. The layered and intentionally complex massing of the design was designed reinforce the fictional history of a structure that evolved over the years with new homeowners.

Keramos celebrates the colors and designs of Grecian pottery in a large-scale geometric print. Skillfully applied gradation of color adds a layer of dimension and a nuance of light to the weave structure, mirroring the maze design of a labyrinth. The complexities of the color palette are enhanced by a gentle shimmer giving a luxe texture to this natural woven.

The new owner of this Centex complex townhomes was about to overhaul there entire first floor. Having a building industries background, he wanted to explore taking all interior walls out and create a much-desired open floor plan with a massive kitchen. The current home had a front living room followed by a small boxed out dining room. A structure wall separating the back of the house kitchen from the front living space. It was all to chopped up for their daily lives. The floor is concrete slab. the partition wall was bearing. The HVAC system is located on second floor and the supply and return ducts were all boxed in columns in living spaces. Challenges: • Eliminating bearing partition walls • Relocating all supply and return ducts from box columns • Run 1” gas line from exterior meter for new 48” stove • Cutting slab concrete to relocate all plumbing and electrical for new island The plan was to combine the entire first level and create an open space floor-plan, with locating the new large kitchen in front of this town house, implementing a large island in middle of the space which accommodate big group seating. The old kitchen converted to a casual family room seating space facing a wall coved with linear fireplace and sheep-lap barded wall and embedded Tv. The old glued down floor was removed and replaced with a more contemporary LVT flooring, The entire space covered with new LED lighting, floor to ceiling cabinetry on south wall with upgraded appliances and inside lighting cabinetry. A gorgeous quartz counter top coving the dark blue island with water falls on one end stand tall in middle this amazing kitchen. Three pendent lights over this massive Island brighten up this new space. This new living space reveals what an amazing total overhaul has been accomplished and how happy this family is spending all their time on this floor. The design team spent a lot of time with the couple for details such as color scheme, backsplash design, counter top slab and floor design to bring what they desired their new space to look like

Jordan Mizrahi The private residence in Los Angeles, CA commands attention for its polygonal structure and use of bright, warm colors. In addition to the other design elements, reSAWN TIMBER co.’s MURASAKI shou sugi ban charred cypress adds complexity and beauty with it’s pronounced wood grain. The neutral tones of the exterior siding allow the other architectural elements to stand out. Designed by hughesumbanhowar architects, the house is an ode to the firm’s philosophy to be “guided by curiosity and intelligence.”

As you can see from these positively stunning and cutting edge pictures taken by a drone, this outdoor living space includes a two level deck with contours and an integrated fire pit, a screened porch, an outdoor kitchen and paver patio. In addition, a set of stairs were added to the opposite side of the deck from the screened porch to access the backyard as well as the area where the homeowners are adding an in ground pool. This new outdoor living multi-complex will also enhance poolside enjoyment.

As you can see from these positively stunning and cutting edge pictures taken by a drone, this outdoor living space includes a two level deck with contours and an integrated fire pit, a screened porch, an outdoor kitchen and paver patio. In addition, a set of stairs were added to the opposite side of the deck from the screened porch to access the backyard as well as the area where the homeowners are adding an in ground pool. This new outdoor living multi-complex will also enhance poolside enjoyment.

The renovation of Maison Gray was an ambitious project, marked by technical challenges to transform this 1960s residence into a modern and bright living space. Due to urban planning constraints, it was impossible to completely demolish the house. Therefore, a progressive approach was adopted, methodically deconstructing and rebuilding each wall while keeping the roof in place with temporary supports. This required rigorous coordination between the demolition and construction teams, who worked in parallel to successfully complete the large-scale project. Major structural and framing work allowed for the roof slopes to be redefined and the creation of a double-height space, a central feature of the house's new architecture. Despite the complexity of the project, the work was completed in a relatively short period, an impressive achievement for such a large-scale transformation. Thanks to meticulous execution, the house was practically rebuilt from scratch, with a mezzanine and new spaces arranged in half-levels within a generous volume. The tall arch on the façade marks the vaulted entrance leading to an open living space in double height, naturally lit by a skylight and large windows opening to the garden. Achieving these elements and alignments required great precision, with every architectural detail, from curves to openings, carefully executed to create a fluid and harmonious flow. Sangaré Studio designed the interior with natural materials in soft tones, creating intimate and fluid spaces. Built with care, Maison Gray offers a welcoming and soothing environment, allowing the family to enjoy spaces designed for comfort and tranquility.

The Alaqua Deck Project transformed an aging deck into a custom covered outdoor living space complete with a fireplace, entertainment wall, dining area, and modern decking system — despite several contractors previously saying the project was too complex to complete. Through creative engineering and careful planning, our team solved major structural, masonry, and design challenges to deliver the functional outdoor space the homeowners had envisioned.

Completed in 2019, this is a home we completed for client who initially engaged us to remodeled their 100 year old classic craftsman bungalow on Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill. During our initial conversation, it became readily apparent that their program was much larger than a remodel could accomplish and the conversation quickly turned toward the design of a new structure that could accommodate a growing family, a live-in Nanny, a variety of entertainment options and an enclosed garage – all squeezed onto a compact urban corner lot. Project entitlement took almost a year as the house size dictated that we take advantage of several exceptions in Seattle’s complex zoning code. After several meetings with city planning officials, we finally prevailed in our arguments and ultimately designed a 4 story, 3800 sf house on a 2700 sf lot. The finished product is light and airy with a large, open plan and exposed beams on the main level, 5 bedrooms, 4 full bathrooms, 2 powder rooms, 2 fireplaces, 4 climate zones, a huge basement with a home theatre, guest suite, climbing gym, and an underground tavern/wine cellar/man cave. The kitchen has a large island, a walk-in pantry, a small breakfast area and access to a large deck. All of this program is capped by a rooftop deck with expansive views of Seattle’s urban landscape and Lake Union. Unfortunately for our clients, a job relocation to Southern California forced a sale of their dream home a little more than a year after they settled in after a year project. The good news is that in Seattle’s tight housing market, in less than a week they received several full price offers with escalator clauses which allowed them to turn a nice profit on the deal.

Builder's bulkheads... were a cheap simple way for home builders of years past (hopefully past) to cut costs and streamline projects, but cast away key elements such as functionality and aesthetics. Removing them...can be very complex...but extremely rewarding. Plumbing, structural, electrical and hvac components can lie hidden behind causing all manner of challenges. All worth it...wouldn't you agree?

This renovation began with a different plan. The original idea was to lift the existing home and build a new basement with added living space. Through early feasibility analysis and pre-construction planning, it became clear that the structural complexity and cost of that approach would be significant. With that clarity, the project shifted to a full house renovation that better aligned with the homeowners’ goals and investment. The scope included a full kitchen renovation, updates to the living areas, new flooring throughout, staircase upgrades, and fully renovated bathrooms. The project was recognized for its quality and execution as a Georgie Awards Finalist for Best Single Family Residential Renovation $450,000–$750,000, and a HAVAN Awards Finalist for Best Renovation $400,000–$700,000 and Best Kitchen Renovation $150,000–$175,000.

The new owner of this Centex complex townhomes was about to overhaul there entire first floor. Having a building industries background, he wanted to explore taking all interior walls out and create a much-desired open floor plan with a massive kitchen. The current home had a front living room followed by a small boxed out dining room. A structure wall separating the back of the house kitchen from the front living space. It was all to chopped up for their daily lives. The floor is concrete slab. the partition wall was bearing. The HVAC system is located on second floor and the supply and return ducts were all boxed in columns in living spaces. Challenges: • Eliminating bearing partition walls • Relocating all supply and return ducts from box columns • Run 1” gas line from exterior meter for new 48” stove • Cutting slab concrete to relocate all plumbing and electrical for new island The plan was to combine the entire first level and create an open space floor-plan, with locating the new large kitchen in front of this town house, implementing a large island in middle of the space which accommodate big group seating. The old kitchen converted to a casual family room seating space facing a wall coved with linear fireplace and sheep-lap barded wall and embedded Tv. The old glued down floor was removed and replaced with a more contemporary LVT flooring, The entire space covered with new LED lighting, floor to ceiling cabinetry on south wall with upgraded appliances and inside lighting cabinetry. A gorgeous quartz counter top coving the dark blue island with water falls on one end stand tall in middle this amazing kitchen. Three pendent lights over this massive Island brighten up this new space. This new living space reveals what an amazing total overhaul has been accomplished and how happy this family is spending all their time on this floor. The design team spent a lot of time with the couple for details such as color scheme, backsplash design, counter top slab and floor design to bring what they desired their new space to look like

Completed in 2019, this is a home we completed for client who initially engaged us to remodeled their 100 year old classic craftsman bungalow on Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill. During our initial conversation, it became readily apparent that their program was much larger than a remodel could accomplish and the conversation quickly turned toward the design of a new structure that could accommodate a growing family, a live-in Nanny, a variety of entertainment options and an enclosed garage – all squeezed onto a compact urban corner lot. Project entitlement took almost a year as the house size dictated that we take advantage of several exceptions in Seattle’s complex zoning code. After several meetings with city planning officials, we finally prevailed in our arguments and ultimately designed a 4 story, 3800 sf house on a 2700 sf lot. The finished product is light and airy with a large, open plan and exposed beams on the main level, 5 bedrooms, 4 full bathrooms, 2 powder rooms, 2 fireplaces, 4 climate zones, a huge basement with a home theatre, guest suite, climbing gym, and an underground tavern/wine cellar/man cave. The kitchen has a large island, a walk-in pantry, a small breakfast area and access to a large deck. All of this program is capped by a rooftop deck with expansive views of Seattle’s urban landscape and Lake Union. Unfortunately for our clients, a job relocation to Southern California forced a sale of their dream home a little more than a year after they settled in after a year project. The good news is that in Seattle’s tight housing market, in less than a week they received several full price offers with escalator clauses which allowed them to turn a nice profit on the deal.

design: W. Timothy Hess AIA, Design Principal Justin Mello, Nathan Sawyer all for DSA Architects photographs: Charles Mayer photography and Tim Hess photo-styling: Natalie Leighton stone sculpture: Todd Fulshaw paintings: Charles Mayer and Todd Fulshaw Guest quarters for a big house on the Concord River, this project enlarges former studio space over a four-bay garage into a new four-bedroom ‘outpost’. design challenges: Convert Studio Apartment to 4-Bedroom Home without enlarging footprint of building. Keep costs minimal. On the ground floor, both pre-existing eight- and twelve-foot tall halves of the former scheme remain in-place, as do the structural bones of two faceted ‘beaks’. The complex former roof was removed for its limited use of available floor area. A single long shed now unifies the high East side of the house and its small private individual spaces with the wide-open shared space of the lower West Side. Aligned with the stair-tower extruded from a former beak, a childrens’ loft-library and two-sided fireplace conduct the East-West interface.

Kitchen – Integrated Tall Cabinet Concealing Mechanical Ductwork | Toronto This kitchen detail highlights a thoughtful design-build solution where mechanical requirements and cabinetry design work seamlessly together. Behind the tall cabinet beside the refrigerator is a large air supply duct, required by the mechanical engineer to properly deliver conditioned air to the newly added second floor. Rather than leaving the duct exposed or boxing it in as an obvious bulkhead, we strategically designed a shallow tall cabinet to conceal the ductwork. This approach maintains clean sightlines, preserves the kitchen’s modern aesthetic, and adds valuable storage space—turning a technical constraint into a functional design advantage. This level of coordination between mechanical engineering, cabinetry layout, and construction execution is critical in full-home renovations and second floor additions, where systems must be upgraded without compromising design. The result is a kitchen that looks intentional, uncluttered, and highly functional—without revealing the complexity behind the walls. This detail is a clear example of Cedarstone Group Inc.’s design-build philosophy: solve technical challenges early, integrate them thoughtfully, and make the final space feel effortless.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The client requested a large (19 foot wide by 15 foot projection) two-span retractable waterproof patio cover system to provide heavy rain, hail, heat, sun, glare and UV protection. This would allow our client to sit outside and enjoy their garden throughout the year, extending their outdoor entertainment space. For functionality they requested that water drain from the rear of the system into the front beam and down inside the right end post, exiting at the bottom from a tiny hole and draining into the flower beds thus preventing rain water from simply dropping off the front of the unit. The entire system used one continuous piece of fabric and one motor. The uprights and guides meet together at a smooth L-shaped angle, flush at the top for a perfectly smooth profile. The system has a Beaufort wind load rating Scale 10 (up to 63 mph) with the fabric fully extended and in use. A grey hood was also used to prevent rain water, debris and snow from collecting in the folds of fabric when not in use. A running profile from end to end in the rear of the unit was used to attach the Somfy RTS motor which is installed inside a motor safety box. Circular concrete footers were installed in the grassy area in front of the unit for mounting the 3 posts. To allow for a flat vertical mounting surface, a ledger board using pressure-treated wood was mounted the full 19-foot wall width, as the client’s house was made of uneven, thick stone. PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT: The client’s intention was for installation of a retractable waterproof patio cover system to provide heavy rain, hail, heat, sun, glare and UV protection for their backyard patio area. What is unique or complex about the project? This project was difficult for two main reasons: 1. Very large installation fasteners needed to be used to install through the above referenced ledger board and deep in to the stone structure of the house. 2. The motor cable needed to be placed through deeply drilled holes as the stone wall house wall is 15” thick. Drilling through en-even stone was definitely a challenge. PROJECT RESULTS The client was delighted with the results. The retractable patio cover system now makes it possible for the client to use a very large area in the rear of their house 24/7, 365 with the exclusion of snow. Since the client was very happy, they will be covering the ends, front and sides with our motorized vertical drop zippered awnings. Gable ends will also be covered with fixed fabric panels. Enclosing the entire area will allow the customer to heat the space in the winter and air condition the space in the summer.

Completed in 2019, this is a home we completed for client who initially engaged us to remodeled their 100 year old classic craftsman bungalow on Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill. During our initial conversation, it became readily apparent that their program was much larger than a remodel could accomplish and the conversation quickly turned toward the design of a new structure that could accommodate a growing family, a live-in Nanny, a variety of entertainment options and an enclosed garage – all squeezed onto a compact urban corner lot. Project entitlement took almost a year as the house size dictated that we take advantage of several exceptions in Seattle’s complex zoning code. After several meetings with city planning officials, we finally prevailed in our arguments and ultimately designed a 4 story, 3800 sf house on a 2700 sf lot. The finished product is light and airy with a large, open plan and exposed beams on the main level, 5 bedrooms, 4 full bathrooms, 2 powder rooms, 2 fireplaces, 4 climate zones, a huge basement with a home theatre, guest suite, climbing gym, and an underground tavern/wine cellar/man cave. The kitchen has a large island, a walk-in pantry, a small breakfast area and access to a large deck. All of this program is capped by a rooftop deck with expansive views of Seattle’s urban landscape and Lake Union. Unfortunately for our clients, a job relocation to Southern California forced a sale of their dream home a little more than a year after they settled in after a year project. The good news is that in Seattle’s tight housing market, in less than a week they received several full price offers with escalator clauses which allowed them to turn a nice profit on the deal.

The owners requested a Private Resort that catered to their love for entertaining friends and family, a place where 2 people would feel just as comfortable as 42. Located on the western edge of a Wisconsin lake, the site provides a range of natural ecosystems from forest to prairie to water, allowing the building to have a more complex relationship with the lake - not merely creating large unencumbered views in that direction. The gently sloping site to the lake is atypical in many ways to most lakeside lots - as its main trajectory is not directly to the lake views - allowing for focus to be pushed in other directions such as a courtyard and into a nearby forest. The biggest challenge was accommodating the large scale gathering spaces, while not overwhelming the natural setting with a single massive structure. Our solution was found in breaking down the scale of the project into digestible pieces and organizing them in a Camp-like collection of elements: - Main Lodge: Providing the proper entry to the Camp and a Mess Hall - Bunk House: A communal sleeping area and social space. - Party Barn: An entertainment facility that opens directly on to a swimming pool & outdoor room. - Guest Cottages: A series of smaller guest quarters. - Private Quarters: The owners private space that directly links to the Main Lodge. These elements are joined by a series green roof connectors, that merge with the landscape and allow the out buildings to retain their own identity. This Camp feel was further magnified through the materiality - specifically the use of Doug Fir, creating a modern Northwoods setting that is warm and inviting. The use of local limestone and poured concrete walls ground the buildings to the sloping site and serve as a cradle for the wood volumes that rest gently on them. The connections between these materials provided an opportunity to add a delicate reading to the spaces and re-enforce the camp aesthetic. The oscillation between large communal spaces and private, intimate zones is explored on the interior and in the outdoor rooms. From the large courtyard to the private balcony - accommodating a variety of opportunities to engage the landscape was at the heart of the concept. Overview Chenequa, WI Size Total Finished Area: 9,543 sf Completion Date May 2013 Services Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Interior Design