We build high end custom homes and perform large scale renovations in the Charleston area. Our client’s locations range south to Edisto, Kiawah, and Seabrook Island, north to Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island, and Dunes West. Deep porches with generously appointed finishes complement the substantial presence of our homes. Exterior finishes, enhanced by their surroundings, create a lasting appearance that will stand the test of time. We focus on custom architectural style homes that truly represent the owner’s desires and vision.

Betz was contacted by this owner’s landscape architect. The only thing in the backyard was the roof structure and concrete foundation for an elevated loggia across the back of the home. The initial plan called for the placement of a 16 x 38 vinyl pool and sports court several steps down at ground level.

Our client built a striking new home on the east slope of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. To complement the clean lines of the facade we designed a simple, elegant landscape that sets off the home rather than competing with the bold architecture. Soft grasses offer contrast to the natural stone veneer, perennials brighten the mood, and planters add a bit of whimsy to the arrival sequence. On either side of the main entry, roof runoff is dramatically routed down the face of the home in steel troughs to biofilter planters faced in stone. Around the back of the home, a small “leftover” space was transformed into a cozy patio terrace with bluestone slabs and crushed granite underfoot. A view down into, or across the back patio area provides a serene foreground to the beautiful views to Lake Washington beyond. Collaborating with Thielsen Architects provided the owners with a sold design team--working together with one voice to build their dream home. Photography by Miranda Estes

This 2-story home with first-floor owner’s suite includes a 2-car garage and welcoming front porch. A dramatic 2-story ceiling in the foyer makes a grand first impression while hardwood flooring flows to the dining room, kitchen, and breakfast area. To the right of the foyer is the study, and to the left is the dining room with elegant tray ceiling and craftsman style wainscoting. The kitchen features stainless steel appliances, granite countertops with tile backsplash, and attractive cabinetry with decorative crown molding. Off of the kitchen is the breakfast area with triple windows and access to the deck and backyard. Adjacent to the kitchen and breakfast area is the great room with 2-story ceiling and a gas fireplace with stone surround. The owner’s suite with tray ceiling detail includes a private bathroom with double bowl vanity, 5’ tile shower, and an expansive closet. The 2nd floor boasts 3 additional bedrooms and a full bathroom.

At the top of the winding mountains in Malibu is a meandering 700-foot driveway that leads up to a 4,500 square foot desert oasis. Its sheer exterior, owing to the talents of renowned architect Ron Goldman FAIA, lends itself to its natural surroundings of dramatic rock formations and layered mountain ranges. And if that’s not enough to entice you, then we’re sure the owner’s collection of impressive automobiles is bound to get your blood pumping. Photos by Lucas Cichon

The goal was to create a space that utilized the same open shower concept but that has a completely new and different feel from the previous design while adding additional storage which was a top priority. Since this is our client’s “forever home” something that would enable them to age in place was key. Designed by Karl Utzman Photography by: James Brady

Statuary Classique Quartz countertops are elegant, durable, and require no maintenance. This quartz that looks like marble is ideal for busy kitchens and baths in both homes and residential properties. The soothing white background and marble-like veins make this the perfect choice for kitchen countertops, waterfall islands, accent walls, floors, showers, and other features where the look of marble is desired.

Katya Grozovskaya Photography
Inspiration for a contemporary home office remodel in Los Angeles

Teton Heritage Builders was hired by the new home owners to remodel, complete unfinished spaces and add a guest master suite to the Gros Ventre Ranch. Strout Architects brought the continuity from the original owner’s design to the remodel and worked seamlessly with Snake River Interiors and the client’s team. The result was a one of a kind residence and a very happy client completed under Dan Clancy’s supervision, leadership and focus on a high level of quality. More photos: http://bit.ly/Yd3mQB Photo: David Swift

This remodel negotiates the owner’s desire for a modern home with the municipality’s desire to maintain the home’s ‘historic’ character.  To satisfy these potentially conflicting interests, our strategy restores the house’s shell while completely gutting the interior to achieve greater connections to the landscape beyond and between previously disconnected levels on the interior. A new Henrybuilt Kitchen.

At the top of the winding mountains in Malibu is a meandering 700-foot driveway that leads up to a 4,500 square foot desert oasis. Its sheer exterior, owing to the talents of renowned architect Ron Goldman FAIA, lends itself to its natural surroundings of dramatic rock formations and layered mountain ranges. And if that’s not enough to entice you, then we’re sure the owner’s collection of impressive automobiles is bound to get your blood pumping. Photos by Lucas Cichon

Architect Neal Huston designed this smaller floor plan which accommodates the owner’s lifestyle. A large living/kitchen/dining area with large windows and door opening to the private patio are perfect for entertaining. Two master suites at opposite ends of the house plus a “Casita” for extended-stay guests. The inviting detached Casita has a comfortable seating area, bathroom with a clawfoot tub/shower, and bedroom.

Architect Neal Huston designed this smaller floor plan which accommodates the owner’s lifestyle. A large living/kitchen/dining area with large windows and door opening to the private patio are perfect for entertaining. Two master suites at opposite ends of the house plus a “Casita” for extended-stay guests. The inviting detached Casita has a comfortable seating area, bathroom with a clawfoot tub/shower, and bedroom.

The owners of this 1950s colonial on Philadelphia’s Main Line wanted to preserve its traditional architecture and take advantage of the kitchen’s ample footprint. In addition to reworking the floorplan and improving the flow, the owner wanted a large island with several seating options, a desk area and a small table for dining. One of the design goals was to transform the spacious room into a functional kitchen that still felt intimate and comfortable for everyday use. Furniture style inset cabinetry kept the room in tune with the home’s original character and made it feel less utilitarian. Removing the wall that hindered the flow and views between the kitchen and the adjacent family room ensured that the main entertaining areas flowed together. Stylistically, we wanted to avoid the typical white kitchen, opting instead to pull in rich wood tones to create a warmer and more classic look.

The owners of this 1950s colonial on Philadelphia’s Main Line wanted to preserve its traditional architecture and take advantage of the kitchen’s ample footprint. In addition to reworking the floorplan and improving the flow, the owner wanted a large island with several seating options, a desk area and a small table for dining. One of the design goals was to transform the spacious room into a functional kitchen that still felt intimate and comfortable for everyday use. Furniture style inset cabinetry kept the room in tune with the home’s original character and made it feel less utilitarian. Removing the wall that hindered the flow and views between the kitchen and the adjacent family room ensured that the main entertaining areas flowed together. Stylistically, we wanted to avoid the typical white kitchen, opting instead to pull in rich wood tones to create a warmer and more classic look.

This Modern Farmhouse was the owner’s vision of his dream home both in design and functionality. The so called Tower House is nestled over a large acreage in Hamilton Pool. It has unique architectural design and use of recycled materials as well as green elements and functionalities. The home has a water harvesting system, a well, a composting system, a gray water recycling system, a pond, a pool and many custom design elements.

Embracing the notion of commissioning artists and hiring a General Contractor in a single stroke, the new owners of this Grove Park condo hired WSM Craft to create a space to showcase their collection of contemporary folk art. The entire home is trimmed in repurposed wood from the WNC Livestock Market, which continues to become headboards, custom cabinetry, mosaic wall installations, and the mantle for the massive stone fireplace. The sliding barn door is outfitted with hand forged ironwork, and faux finish painting adorns walls, doors, and cabinetry and furnishings, creating a seamless unity between the built space and the décor. Michael Oppenheim Photography

This 2-story home with first-floor owner’s suite includes a 2-car garage and welcoming front porch. A dramatic 2-story ceiling in the foyer makes a grand first impression while hardwood flooring flows to the dining room, kitchen, and breakfast area. To the right of the foyer is the study, and to the left is the dining room with elegant tray ceiling and craftsman style wainscoting. The kitchen features stainless steel appliances, granite countertops with tile backsplash, and attractive cabinetry with decorative crown molding. Off of the kitchen is the breakfast area with triple windows and access to the deck and backyard. Adjacent to the kitchen and breakfast area is the great room with 2-story ceiling and a gas fireplace with stone surround. The owner’s suite with tray ceiling detail includes a private bathroom with double bowl vanity, 5’ tile shower, and an expansive closet. The 2nd floor boasts 3 additional bedrooms and a full bathroom.

Hillside Modernism In Context. The owners of this modern hillside home sought to have a home in a nice Los Angeles neighborhood wherein they could raise their burgeoning family. The owners purchased a 1948 2000sf, single story, 2 bedroom English Cottage styled home (believed to have been originally owned by Yul Brynner) on a ½ acre hillside site in the exclusive Brentwood area of Los Angeles. The property slopes downward away from the street and overlooks a mini eucalyptus arroyo. The owners love their new location but are now faced-with having to raise their new and growing family on a hillside with extremely limited yard spaces for children to play and in a location where nature is very close – deer as well as coyotes wander the arroyo. In 2000 the owners commissioned architect Richard Best to add 2500sf to the cottage and transform it into a home more fitting to their growing family’s needs. Subsequently, in 2014/15, the owners again commissioned Richard to create a 2-story master suite addition. Living in or visiting the completed project - the original 1948 home remodeled + the 2000 addition + the 2014/15 addition, one goes through an unexpected and delightful experience as the spaces of the home “unfold” to reveal intimacy and environmental immersion. It was important to Richard and to the owners that their remodels and additions be appropriately designed to fit into the neighborhood and have the feel, scale, and soul of the original cottage. With this in-mind, Richard has interpreted the design intentions of the original cottage - “modernizing” the architectural vocabulary and creating open-plan, 2-story additions which promote site “engagement” at various floor levels and openness to the outdoors in a manner clearly inspired by the original cottage, yet modern. At the front door of the original (still remains as it was) 1948 structure, one is presented with a quaint a low-slung entry which establishes a very comfortable sense of scale. Inside, the remodeled spaces of the original cottage exude comfort and a cozy sensibility evoked by the reuse of the original home’s exposed timber framing structure, open-plan circulation, and an inventive two-sided steel fireplace which acts as a room divider between the living room and a home office. Accordion wood doors connect these rooms to a newly formed outdoor rear patio. At this point one also gets ones first hint that something very interesting is happening just beyond – a glimpse of the 2000 & 2014/15 additions. Moving from the original 1948 structure into the 2-story 2000 addition, one is greeted by a modern and open linear floor plan arrangement – a kitchen, casual dining and family room extend perpendicularly from the 1948 structure into the rear yard and down the hillside. The open framed cathedral ceiling and wood roof trusses establish a lofty feeling and a rhythm discretely separating the open rooms one from the other. Extensive use of windows and French doors connect the indoors to the outdoors and provide abundant natural lighting. This new appendage ends with a symmetrical family room which has no corners – it is a geometry composed of two overlapped squares - one rotated 45 degrees atop the other to create double opportunities for bay windows. The design not only connects the home to the desired exterior flat yards spaces, but it also takes full advantage of the sloping terrain by adding a floor below the original level so as to maintain a scale appropriate to the neighborhood. The exterior materials were chosen taking “hints” from the original 1948 structure – natural redwood siding, reused brick veneer and wood doors/windows all serving to aesthetically connect the addition back-to the spirit of the original structure. By 2014/15 the owners’ family has fully blossomed - the children are now teenagers and there is a need for additional space. However, the owners are very content with their remodeled cottage and Richard’s 2000 addition – unsure how to add to a home which they feel is quite perfect as it is … wanting whatever changes are to be made to be sympathetic to it. They are also concerned about potential additions blocking-out their views of the eucalyptus arroyo. The owners approached Richard with trepidation – we love our perfect house but we need it to be a bit bigger and we don’t want to block-out the arroyo views or create a hemmed-in feeling – how can we add but still see the arroyo. In response Richard created a private yet connected 2-story master suite, which by its positioning, dynamic geometries and extensive glazing create the fourth side of the former rear patio, making it into exterior courtyard with views around and through the new addition into the arroyo. A dynamic angularity in the new master addition (inspired by the 2000 addition) simultaneously reduces the apparent size/presence of the master suite addition on the edge of the eucalyptus arroyo while creating framed views into the arroyo from the newly formed courtyard. The new master suite - a master bathroom, master closet and a master sleeping loft each having exterior decks and/or patios, is connected back to the 2000 addition via a glazed hallway which provides a sense of connectedness and privacy. A modern rustic aesthetic of exposed board-formed concrete, natural finished Corten steel exterior cladding, frameless metal windows, and clear finished Douglas Fir planks serve to “extend” the soul of the original cottage into the master suite. The project is a highly sustainable design as well. Energy use is reduced by employing a high efficiency heat pump heating and cooling system, dual paned/gasketed metal window/door systems, natural lighting through a Kalwall skylight and generous exterior glazing with extensive eaves for shading, rigid roof insulation, and earthen backing – the lower floor is up-against the hillside which tends to even-out the day/night temperature differential. Credits: Architecture & Interior Design: Richard Best Architect Inc. Structural Engineering: Dan Echeto & David Choi Associates Interior Decor: Noelle Schoop Landscape: Connie Heitzman Photos: Carmel McFayden and Adriano Sarmento / James Porschen