Photo: Kip Dawkins
Bathroom - modern bathroom idea

This small infill lot in the Rosemont neighborhood of Alexandria, VA, created challenges during design and construction. A zoning variance was required to add space to the original small bungalow. Raising the height of the second floor was limited at the eaves, but by incorporating scissor trusses, the second floor feels larger and benefits from interesting intersecting ceiling lines. The first floor features an open layout ideal for entertaining and a distinctive pantry with reclaimed vintage stained glass sliding barn doors. The primary suite is spacious, with a large walk-in closet and a freestanding tub. Filled with craftsman details throughout, this custom home blends perfectly in the Rosemont neighborhood.

Outdoor kitchen zone featuring premium appliances, 20' long soapstone buffet area, built in outdoor storage and limestone pavers that stay cool, durable, and slip‑resistant.

Home expansion services including second-story additions, master suite expansions, guest bedroom additions, and multi-room projects. EDR Design Build handles structural analysis, foundation work, roofing integration, interior finishes, and seamless connection to existing home systems. Manages permits, zoning compliance, and ensures architectural consistency between original structure and new construction. Typical projects 500-2000 sq ft with 6-12 month timelines.

gglconstruction.com
Inspiration for a contemporary home design remodel in Miami

Custom built-in mudroom storage and bench seating create a practical drop zone, while playful dog-themed wallpaper adds personality and charm to the space.

This thoughtfully designed lower-level home gym combines functionality with a sleek, modern aesthetic. Glass walls create a seamless flow between the workout area and the adjacent entertainment space, allowing natural light to brighten the room while maintaining sound separation. The space is fully outfitted with rubber gym flooring, a wall-mounted mirror for form-checking, and essential fitness equipment including a TRUE elliptical, adjustable bench, free weights, TRX straps, and a yoga mat zone for stretching or core work. A large wall-mounted TV adds both entertainment and the option for guided virtual workouts. Just steps from the gym, a cozy lounge with a gas fireplace and plush sectional provides the perfect post-workout recovery zone. A stylish built-in bar with floating shelves and woodgrain cabinetry adds a touch of luxury and practicality, ideal for hydration or hosting guests. This project is a perfect example of how a basement can be transformed into a multi-functional wellness and entertainment hub that feels just as polished as the main living areas.

This thoughtfully designed lower-level home gym combines functionality with a sleek, modern aesthetic. Glass walls create a seamless flow between the workout area and the adjacent entertainment space, allowing natural light to brighten the room while maintaining sound separation. The space is fully outfitted with rubber gym flooring, a wall-mounted mirror for form-checking, and essential fitness equipment including a TRUE elliptical, adjustable bench, free weights, TRX straps, and a yoga mat zone for stretching or core work. A large wall-mounted TV adds both entertainment and the option for guided virtual workouts. Just steps from the gym, a cozy lounge with a gas fireplace and plush sectional provides the perfect post-workout recovery zone. A stylish built-in bar with floating shelves and woodgrain cabinetry adds a touch of luxury and practicality, ideal for hydration or hosting guests. This project is a perfect example of how a basement can be transformed into a multi-functional wellness and entertainment hub that feels just as polished as the main living areas.

Stultz Photography
Inspiration for a large craftsman three-story concrete fiberboard exterior home remodel in Nashville

An open floor plan kitchen renovation transforms your kitchen from a closed-off space into a sociable and airy heart of the home. The Walls Come Down: The biggest change is removing walls (or widening doorways) that separate the kitchen from the living room or dining room. This creates a continuous living area bathed in more natural light. Island Paradise: A kitchen island becomes the centerpiece. It can house your sink, cooktop, offer seating, and provide much-needed prep space. You can choose a large island for entertaining or a smaller one to define the space. Work Zones Take Shape: Imagine designated areas for specific tasks. A sink area with a dishwasher nearby, a prep zone with ample countertop, and a cooking zone with the oven and cooktop grouped together. This promotes efficiency and a smooth workflow in your kitchen. Light and Bright: Natural light is key. Large windows or skylights can be incorporated during the renovation to bathe the space in sunshine. Light, reflective surfaces like white cabinets or light-colored countertops also enhance the feeling of openness. Designing the Flow: Flooring plays a big role in tying the open concept space together. Opt for continuous flooring throughout the kitchen and living area to create a seamless flow. Area rugs can be used later to define separate zones within the open plan. Don't Forget the Details: Open concept kitchens need clever storage solutions to avoid clutter. Built-in cabinets, pantries, and even hidden storage drawers in the island can keep things organized. To distinguish the kitchen from the living area, consider using a different colored paint scheme on the island or backsplash.

An open floor plan kitchen renovation transforms your kitchen from a closed-off space into a sociable and airy heart of the home. The Walls Come Down: The biggest change is removing walls (or widening doorways) that separate the kitchen from the living room or dining room. This creates a continuous living area bathed in more natural light. Island Paradise: A kitchen island becomes the centerpiece. It can house your sink, cooktop, offer seating, and provide much-needed prep space. You can choose a large island for entertaining or a smaller one to define the space. Work Zones Take Shape: Imagine designated areas for specific tasks. A sink area with a dishwasher nearby, a prep zone with ample countertop, and a cooking zone with the oven and cooktop grouped together. This promotes efficiency and a smooth workflow in your kitchen. Light and Bright: Natural light is key. Large windows or skylights can be incorporated during the renovation to bathe the space in sunshine. Light, reflective surfaces like white cabinets or light-colored countertops also enhance the feeling of openness. Designing the Flow: Flooring plays a big role in tying the open concept space together. Opt for continuous flooring throughout the kitchen and living area to create a seamless flow. Area rugs can be used later to define separate zones within the open plan. Don't Forget the Details: Open concept kitchens need clever storage solutions to avoid clutter. Built-in cabinets, pantries, and even hidden storage drawers in the island can keep things organized. To distinguish the kitchen from the living area, consider using a different colored paint scheme on the island or backsplash.

An open floor plan kitchen renovation transforms your kitchen from a closed-off space into a sociable and airy heart of the home. The Walls Come Down: The biggest change is removing walls (or widening doorways) that separate the kitchen from the living room or dining room. This creates a continuous living area bathed in more natural light. Island Paradise: A kitchen island becomes the centerpiece. It can house your sink, cooktop, offer seating, and provide much-needed prep space. You can choose a large island for entertaining or a smaller one to define the space. Work Zones Take Shape: Imagine designated areas for specific tasks. A sink area with a dishwasher nearby, a prep zone with ample countertop, and a cooking zone with the oven and cooktop grouped together. This promotes efficiency and a smooth workflow in your kitchen. Light and Bright: Natural light is key. Large windows or skylights can be incorporated during the renovation to bathe the space in sunshine. Light, reflective surfaces like white cabinets or light-colored countertops also enhance the feeling of openness. Designing the Flow: Flooring plays a big role in tying the open concept space together. Opt for continuous flooring throughout the kitchen and living area to create a seamless flow. Area rugs can be used later to define separate zones within the open plan. Don't Forget the Details: Open concept kitchens need clever storage solutions to avoid clutter. Built-in cabinets, pantries, and even hidden storage drawers in the island can keep things organized. To distinguish the kitchen from the living area, consider using a different colored paint scheme on the island or backsplash.

An open floor plan kitchen renovation transforms your kitchen from a closed-off space into a sociable and airy heart of the home. The Walls Come Down: The biggest change is removing walls (or widening doorways) that separate the kitchen from the living room or dining room. This creates a continuous living area bathed in more natural light. Island Paradise: A kitchen island becomes the centerpiece. It can house your sink, cooktop, offer seating, and provide much-needed prep space. You can choose a large island for entertaining or a smaller one to define the space. Work Zones Take Shape: Imagine designated areas for specific tasks. A sink area with a dishwasher nearby, a prep zone with ample countertop, and a cooking zone with the oven and cooktop grouped together. This promotes efficiency and a smooth workflow in your kitchen. Light and Bright: Natural light is key. Large windows or skylights can be incorporated during the renovation to bathe the space in sunshine. Light, reflective surfaces like white cabinets or light-colored countertops also enhance the feeling of openness. Designing the Flow: Flooring plays a big role in tying the open concept space together. Opt for continuous flooring throughout the kitchen and living area to create a seamless flow. Area rugs can be used later to define separate zones within the open plan. Don't Forget the Details: Open concept kitchens need clever storage solutions to avoid clutter. Built-in cabinets, pantries, and even hidden storage drawers in the island can keep things organized. To distinguish the kitchen from the living area, consider using a different colored paint scheme on the island or backsplash.

The concept of this project was to bring life to this house and bring it back to its mid-century roots with a modern twist. Opening interior walls and connecting adjacent spaces was framework was open for the Interior Design. The Kitchen mixes warm wood tones and cool blue cabinets to enhance the richness of the space. Exposed Structural Glulam Beams were installed throughout to open the adjacent spaces and allow for the connections to flow between new/old.

Our clients' purchased what could be described, at best a beach shack. They charged us with remodeling it to their tastes as well as the addition of a second story and roof deck. Due to tricky zoning requirements and processes, we proposed retaining portions of the existing footprint and existing framing to expedite our approval process. So close to the ocean, we chose to use Marine Grade Teak Plywood, used in nautical construction, to clad the exterior and paired that with a smooth charcoal gray stucco finish which we installed metal reveals at a rhythmic pacing. https://www.makearch.com/residential-projects/california

Transitional kitchen photo in Orange County

Photo: Kip Dawkins

Looking through the oak pocket door portal leads right to the get ready vanity zone. The bedroom is to the left with a built in closet cabinet array and to the right is a bathroom with a walk in shower.

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.