Prior to the remodel, the kitchen was half the size you see here. A large interior bearing wall separated the kitchen and dining rooms, making the first floor feel very chopped up. We removed the wall and borrowed room from the existing dining room. Both rooms now flow together effortlessly and look absolutely beautiful! Photography Credit: Mike Irby

Modern, Transitional, energy efficient Project in La Jolla with Panoramic views from almost every rooms. Photos by Jim Brady A modern Mediterranean project, panoramic ocean view with Persian architecture and Frank Loyd wright inspiration. Designed based on passive solar design. lots of daylights, cross ventilation in all rooms, pyramid ceiling and pyramid skylights, stone flooring as thermal mass to moderate temperature. use of wind catcher to prevent mold and moisture issues on the basement. Water efficient landscaping was used through out. privacy and shade was provided.energy efficient and comfortable home. energy star appliance and HVAC. solar panel, solar water heater and instant water heater were used.

This 1968 single story bungalow had great bones but serious design and storage issues. The kitchen had a drop ceiling and a door that lead into the guest bedroom. The peninsula and cabinet overhang made the kitchen feel small and crowded. A few too many DIY projects made for a mess of style! The bathrooms had never been updated, the closets were in the wrong spots and all the lighting fixtures were dated. A face lift was in order!

This 1968 single story bungalow had great bones but serious design and storage issues. The kitchen had a drop ceiling and a door that lead into the guest bedroom. The peninsula and cabinet overhang made the kitchen feel small and crowded. A few too many DIY projects made for a mess of style! The bathrooms had never been updated, the closets were in the wrong spots and all the lighting fixtures were dated. A face lift was in order!

MAJOR REPAIRS AND EXTERIOR MAKEOVER This classic colonial was constructed in 1990 and purchased by our customer in 2014. We were retained to restore, repair, and update the exterior of this property, with all parties anticipating that we were likely to uncover a variety of hidden issues. During the course of this undertaking, we replaced 17 windows. In a number of cases, we rebuilt sills and frames to the floor. All window replacements required new drywall and/or patching with new trim and painting. Additional work was required to replace the sill across the front of the house and utilize jack studs to support the upper level while working. The original plan included stripping off the old siding and installing new vinyl siding. We discovered that most exterior walls had never been sheathed with plywood. We sheathed all exterior walls and wrapped them with Tyvek. As per the plan, we removed the door from the smaller upper deck above the primary deck, replaced rotted rim board and sill, and installed a new 48x48’ window to replace the doorway after resizing the former doorway. Insulating, patching of drywall, and the addition of new trim followed. Reframed the opening from the kitchen to deck to receive a new 8’ x 6.75’ door and finished the jambs and casing to match existing trim in the rest of the house. Removed and reconstructed front entry portico and replaced front entry door with sidelights and finished interior jambs and casing to match. Removed garage door and framed in the opening with plywood and installed new siding over to match. Removed soffit and facia and replaced with new white vented panels and white facia—added stone to front portico with custom columns. Removed old roof shingles and re-shingle all roofing on the garage and home with 30-year architectural shingles. Added ridge vent to allow the roof to breath better, replaced all flashing, and added lateral bracing to gable ends not previously tied in. Installed new seamless gutters @ 6 inches (with covers over top) and 5 INCH downspouts to address water drainage. Extended all gable ends to standard 12-inch overhang. The result is a beautifully restored and properly constructed 4 bedroom/4 bathroom home with an attached car garage.

This 1968 single story bungalow had great bones but serious design and storage issues. The kitchen had a drop ceiling and a door that lead into the guest bedroom. The peninsula and cabinet overhang made the kitchen feel small and crowded. A few too many DIY projects made for a mess of style! The bathrooms had never been updated, the closets were in the wrong spots and all the lighting fixtures were dated. A face lift was in order!

This model was featured in the August 2011 issue of “Country’s Best Cabins.” Six of the five doorways to the outside extend convenient access to the living spaces onto the porch, open deck and garage. http://www.coventryloghomes.com/ourDesigns/tradesmanSeries/SilverRanch/model.html Photo Credit: Roger Wade

A new Exterior Design for what used to be a 70's Ranch Style home. We removed the roof, raised the first floor ceiling, totally renovated everything and added 3 new Bedrooms & 3 new Baths on the new Second Floor. M Christopher Baldwin

This 1968 single story bungalow had great bones but serious design and storage issues. The kitchen had a drop ceiling and a door that lead into the guest bedroom. The peninsula and cabinet overhang made the kitchen feel small and crowded. A few too many DIY projects made for a mess of style! The bathrooms had never been updated, the closets were in the wrong spots and all the lighting fixtures were dated. A face lift was in order!

This 1968 single story bungalow had great bones but serious design and storage issues. The kitchen had a drop ceiling and a door that lead into the guest bedroom. The peninsula and cabinet overhang made the kitchen feel small and crowded. A few too many DIY projects made for a mess of style! The bathrooms had never been updated, the closets were in the wrong spots and all the lighting fixtures were dated. A face lift was in order!

This 1968 single story bungalow had great bones but serious design and storage issues. The kitchen had a drop ceiling and a door that lead into the guest bedroom. The peninsula and cabinet overhang made the kitchen feel small and crowded. A few too many DIY projects made for a mess of style! The bathrooms had never been updated, the closets were in the wrong spots and all the lighting fixtures were dated. A face lift was in order!

This 1968 single story bungalow had great bones but serious design and storage issues. The kitchen had a drop ceiling and a door that lead into the guest bedroom. The peninsula and cabinet overhang made the kitchen feel small and crowded. A few too many DIY projects made for a mess of style! The bathrooms had never been updated, the closets were in the wrong spots and all the lighting fixtures were dated. A face lift was in order!

This modern home, near Cedar Lake, built in 1900, was originally a corner store. A massive conversion transformed the home into a spacious, multi-level residence in the 1990’s. However, the home’s lot was unusually steep and overgrown with vegetation. In addition, there were concerns about soil erosion and water intrusion to the house. The homeowners wanted to resolve these issues and create a much more useable outdoor area for family and pets. Castle, in conjunction with Field Outdoor Spaces, designed and built a large deck area in the back yard of the home, which includes a detached screen porch and a bar & grill area under a cedar pergola. The previous, small deck was demolished and the sliding door replaced with a window. A new glass sliding door was inserted along a perpendicular wall to connect the home’s interior kitchen to the backyard oasis. The screen house doors are made from six custom screen panels, attached to a top mount, soft-close track. Inside the screen porch, a patio heater allows the family to enjoy this space much of the year. Concrete was the material chosen for the outdoor countertops, to ensure it lasts several years in Minnesota’s always-changing climate. Trex decking was used throughout, along with red cedar porch, pergola and privacy lattice detailing. The front entry of the home was also updated to include a large, open porch with access to the newly landscaped yard. Cable railings from Loftus Iron add to the contemporary style of the home, including a gate feature at the top of the front steps to contain the family pets when they’re let out into the yard. Tour this project in person, September 28 – 29, during the 2019 Castle Home Tour!

The term “forever home” is often used to describe a house that portends to meet all of one’s current and future needs. Attaining such a residence often entails moving from one’s current home, leaving behind years of memories. We had the satisfaction of collaborating with a client to make their existing home into their forever home with smart adaptations that will allow them to age in place…in the house and neighborhood they love. The site is challenging in that the front of the home is perched atop a steep incline, and the home is primarily entered via a more accessible alley in the back. Thus, the home has two “fronts.” The existing low-slung ranch/bungalow had suited this couple for many years. However, newly retired with more free time, the couple sought to create a more gracious home to enjoy entertaining indoors and out, hosting guests for extended stays, and exploring their artistic sides in a proper studio space. A successful project would be a home filled with natural light that allowed them to age in place. A “happy house.” Inspiration for the design was found in the owners’ love of 1920s Arts & Crafts bungalows and bright colors. The existing home provided design cues, such as a porch with stucco columns and shallow arches that had been concealed by a previous renovation. Building upon that, we proposed to reconfigure the roof into a cross-gable to maximize interior space on the second floor while increasing the home’s contextuality with neighboring ones. A new primary bedroom suite with bathroom, his and hers closets, and a dressing room for the lady of the house were created. To maximizing versatility, the dressing room can also be utilized as a guest room. The balance of the second floor includes a hall bathroom and large office, gallery walls to display artwork, storage areas, and even some private meditation spaces with doors hidden behind bookcases. A first-floor addition expanded the casual dining room into the rear garden and created a new art studio. To imbue the middle of the house with light, skylights were introduced over the existing stair; new screened stairwells, inspired by the work of Louis Sullivan, filter the natural light. Acknowledging practical issues of aging in place, all openings were designed to allow easy passage by a wheelchair, and bathroom accommodations include grab bars and roll-in showers. Additionally, a small first floor bathroom was expanded and, along with an adjacent bedroom, will allow for single floor living if necessary. Exterior detailing was again influenced by the Arts & Crafts tradition: deep overhangs, brackets, and tapered columns. New cedar shingles were installed, the original porch restored, and the low arch motif was re-introduced into the design. A new garden of native plantings with an outdoor room anchors the house in the landscape. While one never truly know what the future holds, creating their “forever home” gives the inhabitants peace of mind that they can live in this place that brings them joy and gives them comfort now and, in the days, to come.

This 1968 single story bungalow had great bones but serious design and storage issues. The kitchen had a drop ceiling and a door that lead into the guest bedroom. The peninsula and cabinet overhang made the kitchen feel small and crowded. A few too many DIY projects made for a mess of style! The bathrooms had never been updated, the closets were in the wrong spots and all the lighting fixtures were dated. A face lift was in order!

This 1968 single story bungalow had great bones but serious design and storage issues. The kitchen had a drop ceiling and a door that lead into the guest bedroom. The peninsula and cabinet overhang made the kitchen feel small and crowded. A few too many DIY projects made for a mess of style! The bathrooms had never been updated, the closets were in the wrong spots and all the lighting fixtures were dated. A face lift was in order!

This 1968 single story bungalow had great bones but serious design and storage issues. The kitchen had a drop ceiling and a door that lead into the guest bedroom. The peninsula and cabinet overhang made the kitchen feel small and crowded. A few too many DIY projects made for a mess of style! The bathrooms had never been updated, the closets were in the wrong spots and all the lighting fixtures were dated. A face lift was in order!

This 1968 single story bungalow had great bones but serious design and storage issues. The kitchen had a drop ceiling and a door that lead into the guest bedroom. The peninsula and cabinet overhang made the kitchen feel small and crowded. A few too many DIY projects made for a mess of style! The bathrooms had never been updated, the closets were in the wrong spots and all the lighting fixtures were dated. A face lift was in order!

Inspiration for a patio remodel in Phoenix