This is the first home of a young professional couple. Their main goal was to remodel their kitchen to create a more open feel. At the time the kitchen included a built in bench and table that was dated and nonfunctional. We worked together to create a new layout on our design software program. It was very helpful for our clients to see their new kitchen in 3-D drawings. We removed a bearing wall between the dining room and kitchen and opened it up for a breakfast bar contained in the peninsula. During demolition we found that there was no foundation under the floor joists in the concealed crawl space below the kitchen and no footings under the bearing wall. After addressing these discovered structural compromises we completed the project with no more surprises for this happy couple. Photographer: Ilona Kalimov

Do you have a small apartment or studio and need space ­saving furniture ideas? Do you have a den or office that needs to double as a guestroom? A Murphy Bed system might be just what you’re looking for! This style looks like a glossy lacquered wall in your room and when closed takes up very little space. When you want to study or work on your computer, just open the cabinet and drop down a desk! There’s plenty of room for office work, study books or even craft projects to fit on this roomy desk. When you’re tired and want to get some sleep, just open it all the way and the desk drops down, instantly giving you a twin bed ready to crawl into! In the morning, it all closes up, giving you an uncluttered, open area for your studio or apartment. If you’re using it in a study, you can keep the desk open and just open the bed for guests when they sleep over. This Murphy Bed system is constructed from the highest quality materials and the mechanism is technologically new gas springs, that open and close with no effort. Having a Murphy Bed System is like having a room in a box.

A small existing crawl space was dug out and expanded to make room for this amazing entertainment area / office. The glass wall and double glass doors at the end of the room allows for the dramatic visual while providing a sealed space for the mechanical cooling to keep the wine at the optimum temperature. The combination of label forward aluminum racking with wood end caps and the clear-coated walnut cabinetry is a welcoming contrast. The cellar holds 373 bottles of unique wines. The Diamond bins, drawers, bottle display and picture opening provides for various bottle sizes. Up lighting from the floor and LED lighting within the racking supports the ever-changing ambiance of the room. Photos taken by Inviniti Cellar Design

Debbie Schwab photography
Mid-sized eclectic open concept dark wood floor living room photo in Seattle with a music area, gray walls, no fireplace and no tv

Egress window under front porch.
Example of a trendy bathroom design in DC Metro

A small existing crawl space was dug out and expanded to make room for this amazing entertainment area / office. The glass wall and double glass doors at the end of the room allows for the dramatic visual while providing a sealed space for the mechanical cooling to keep the wine at the optimum temperature. The combination of label forward aluminum racking with wood end caps and the clear-coated walnut cabinetry is a welcoming contrast. The cellar holds 373 bottles of unique wines. The Diamond bins, drawers, bottle display and picture opening provides for various bottle sizes. Up lighting from the floor and LED lighting within the racking supports the ever-changing ambiance of the room. Photos by Inviniti Cellar Design

A small existing crawl space was dug out and expanded to make room for this amazing entertainment area / office. The glass wall and double glass doors at the end of the room allows for the dramatic visual while providing a sealed space for the mechanical cooling to keep the wine at the optimum temperature. The combination of label forward aluminum racking with wood end caps and the clear-coated walnut cabinetry is a welcoming contrast. The cellar holds 373 bottles of unique wines. The Diamond bins, drawers, bottle display and picture opening provides for various bottle sizes. Up lighting from the floor and LED lighting within the racking supports the ever-changing ambiance of the room. Photos taken by Inviniti Cellar Design

Newell Cheatheam , Building Designer
Large country white one-story stone gable roof idea with a metal roof

A small existing crawl space was dug out and expanded to make room for this amazing entertainment area / office. The glass wall and double glass doors at the end of the room allows for the dramatic visual while providing a sealed space for the mechanical cooling to keep the wine at the optimum temperature. The combination of label forward aluminum racking with wood end caps and the clear-coated walnut cabinetry is a welcoming contrast. The cellar holds 373 bottles of unique wines. The Diamond bins, drawers, bottle display and picture opening provides for various bottle sizes. Up lighting from the floor and LED lighting within the racking supports the ever-changing ambiance of the room. Photos taken by Inviniti Cellar Design

This is a rare opportunity for a legal non-conforming duplex that offers two homes on one lot offering a multitude of options in Victoria's Oaklands neighbourhood. Two well-kept cheerful cottages sit side by side on an amazing private & sunny garden lot with the rear yards separated by a friendly wooden fence. Each cottage is a completely self-contained one-level home, newly decorated & freshly painted, with 2 bedrooms and den (or 3rd Bedroom), 4-piece bathroom, in house laundry, fireplace, separate hydro/water meters & sewer lines. The lot is high off the street with each home having its own steps and path through the original stone wall. Both have recent damp proofing in the crawl spaces & extra insulation in the attic. With almost identical floor plans, one unit is renting for $2200 plus hydro (market rent $2200-$2600) & the other is vacant. AWESOME Walk score close to downtown, all levels of schools, Jubilee hospital, parks, neighbouring VIBRANT Haultain & Fernwood Villages! | Karen Love* (250) 727-5868 | RE/MAX Island Properties & www.KarenLove.com |

Our Good Harbor Gambrel replaced an old summer cottage, drawing inspiration from the breathtaking coastal views. We oriented as many spaces as possible towards the marsh and beach, ensuring every room celebrates the serene beauty of the Cape Ann coast. The design is classic Shingle Style with intersecting gambrel roofs, a covered porch spanning the front elevation with eyebrow detail, and coastal touches such as port-style windows and patterned shingle siding. The first floor offers clear views of the marsh and beach beyond. The main open-plan living area includes spaces for dining and lounging, complete with a gas fireplace for chilly evenings. A sunroom and adjacent deck both face the marsh, providing perfect spots to enjoy the scenery. The primary suite is located on the first floor, allowing our clients to comfortably age in place. Due to the wetland location, the home is built on a floodproof crawl space, with all utilities housed in a first-floor mechanical room next to the mudroom entrance and a half-bath. A central stair with a tuning fork-style railing leads to the second level, which includes two generously sized ensuite bedrooms and a laundry space. Interior photos are forthcoming.

Well maintained rancher on a large peaceful 1.12 acre property in the Highlands. Bonus - detached 875 sq/ft triple sized garage! This quality built home has 1800 sq/ft on one level with 3 bdrms, 2 baths, sunken livingroom with electric F/P. Spacious & open kitchen with granite and stainless appliances & family room with cozy wood stove leading to a private deck. Master bdrm has large ensuite and walk-in closet. Lower level basement has 326 sq/ft full height part finished hobbyroom and 5' crawl space for lots of storage. The extra large private front patio is ideal for entertaining. Interior just painted. Recent updates include furnace, heat pump, roof, skylites, Woodstove, Heated floor in ensuite, water softener & well pump. Detached garage has been refurbished this year and is ready for your ideas. Land is level and gently sloping in most areas with 2 extra vehicle portable carports, storage shed, chicken coop, wood shed & 2 apple trees. 10 minutes to Costco & Langford amenities.

Resting on the lake’s edge, this 2,600 square-foot cottage was renovated to capture the beauty of its age and history. Having been in the family for decades, an abundance of memories filled the rafters and lead the design decision, transforming it into an elegant, lakeside cabin retreat. The original pier foundation was beginning to fail, which lead to the creation of a new foundation and crawl space. The original structure still needed to be preserved, so it was elevated off of the existing pier foundation. Once resting upon its new foundation, the exterior was re-clad in shingles to match the existing exterior siding and a new entry configuration was built. Spatial and programmatic issues were addressed is this renovation to provide an optimal guest and living experience. Old spaces were connected to new and updated ones to create a variety of gathering spaces. A new garage was constructed behind the existing guesthouse and shed, all of which received new siding treatments to match that of the main residence. A revitalized landscaping plan took shape between the four structures, bringing emphasis to the defined entryway and promoting group activities at the lakefront. Photographer: MTA

Do you have a small apartment or studio and need space ­saving furniture ideas? Do you have a den or office that needs to double as a guestroom? A Murphy Bed system might be just what you’re looking for! This style looks like a glossy lacquered wall in your room and when closed takes up very little space. When you want to study or work on your computer, just open the cabinet and drop down a desk! There’s plenty of room for office work, study books or even craft projects to fit on this roomy desk. When you’re tired and want to get some sleep, just open it all the way and the desk drops down, instantly giving you a twin bed ready to crawl into! In the morning, it all closes up, giving you an uncluttered, open area for your studio or apartment. If you’re using it in a study, you can keep the desk open and just open the bed for guests when they sleep over. This Murphy Bed system is constructed from the highest quality materials and the mechanism is technologically new gas springs, that open and close with no effort. Having a Murphy Bed System is like having a room in a box.

Before we redesigned the basement of this charming but compact 1950's North Vancouver home, this space was an unfinished utility room that housed nothing more than an outdated furnace and hot water tank. Since space was at a premium we recommended replacing the furnace with a high efficiency model and converting the hot water tank to an on-demand system, both of which could be housed in the adjacent crawl space. That left room for a generous laundry room conveniently located at the back entrance of the house where family members returning from a mountain bike ride can undress, drop muddy clothes into the washing machine and proceed to shower in the bathroom just across the hall. Interior Design by Lori Steeves of Simply Home Decorating. Photos by Tracey Ayton Photography.

This is the first home of a young professional couple. Their main goal was to remodel their kitchen to create a more open feel. At the time the kitchen included a built in bench and table that was dated and nonfunctional. We worked together to create a new layout on our design software program. It was very helpful for our clients to see their new kitchen in 3-D drawings. We removed a bearing wall between the dining room and kitchen and opened it up for a breakfast bar contained in the peninsula. During demolition we found that there was no foundation under the floor joists in the concealed crawl space below the kitchen and no footings under the bearing wall. After addressing these discovered structural compromises we completed the project with no more surprises for this happy couple. Photographer: Ilona Kalimov

Our Good Harbor Gambrel replaced an old summer cottage, drawing inspiration from the breathtaking coastal views. We oriented as many spaces as possible towards the marsh and beach, ensuring every room celebrates the serene beauty of the Cape Ann coast. The design is classic Shingle Style with intersecting gambrel roofs, a covered porch spanning the front elevation with eyebrow detail, and coastal touches such as port-style windows and patterned shingle siding. The first floor offers clear views of the marsh and beach beyond. The main open-plan living area includes spaces for dining and lounging, complete with a gas fireplace for chilly evenings. A sunroom and adjacent deck both face the marsh, providing perfect spots to enjoy the scenery. The primary suite is located on the first floor, allowing our clients to comfortably age in place. Due to the wetland location, the home is built on a floodproof crawl space, with all utilities housed in a first-floor mechanical room next to the mudroom entrance and a half-bath. A central stair with a tuning fork-style railing leads to the second level, which includes two generously sized ensuite bedrooms and a laundry space. Interior photos are forthcoming.

Our Good Harbor Gambrel replaced an old summer cottage, drawing inspiration from the breathtaking coastal views. We oriented as many spaces as possible towards the marsh and beach, ensuring every room celebrates the serene beauty of the Cape Ann coast. The design is classic Shingle Style with intersecting gambrel roofs, a covered porch spanning the front elevation with eyebrow detail, and coastal touches such as port-style windows and patterned shingle siding. The first floor offers clear views of the marsh and beach beyond. The main open-plan living area includes spaces for dining and lounging, complete with a gas fireplace for chilly evenings. A sunroom and adjacent deck both face the marsh, providing perfect spots to enjoy the scenery. The primary suite is located on the first floor, allowing our clients to comfortably age in place. Due to the wetland location, the home is built on a floodproof crawl space, with all utilities housed in a first-floor mechanical room next to the mudroom entrance and a half-bath. A central stair with a tuning fork-style railing leads to the second level, which includes two generously sized ensuite bedrooms and a laundry space. Interior photos are forthcoming.

This is a rare opportunity for a legal non-conforming duplex that offers two homes on one lot offering a multitude of options in Victoria's Oaklands neighbourhood. Two well-kept cheerful cottages sit side by side on an amazing private & sunny garden lot with the rear yards separated by a friendly wooden fence. Each cottage is a completely self-contained one-level home, newly decorated & freshly painted, with 2 bedrooms and den (or 3rd Bedroom), 4-piece bathroom, in house laundry, fireplace, separate hydro/water meters & sewer lines. The lot is high off the street with each home having its own steps and path through the original stone wall. Both have recent damp proofing in the crawl spaces & extra insulation in the attic. With almost identical floor plans, one unit is renting for $2200 plus hydro (market rent $2200-$2600) & the other is vacant. AWESOME Walk score close to downtown, all levels of schools, Jubilee hospital, parks, neighbouring VIBRANT Haultain & Fernwood Villages! | Karen Love* (250) 727-5868 | RE/MAX Island Properties & www.KarenLove.com |