Nicholas Gingold
Home design - mediterranean home design idea in Orange County

Country master black and white tile and ceramic tile porcelain tile claw-foot bathtub photo in San Francisco with furniture-like cabinets, light wood cabinets, an integrated sink and marble countertops

Tuscan bathroom photo in Portland Maine

Mexican Pavers in a semi Harrying bone pattern. 4 x 6 and 4 x 4.
Example of a tuscan patio design in San Diego

A unique pattern of Thassos and Mother of Pearl in a brilliant shade of icy blue!
Example of a minimalist kitchen design in New York with blue backsplash and mosaic tile backsplash

Recycled Granite Millennium Pavers, Mixed Blend - Lurie Garden walkway, Millennium Park, Downtown Chicago
Home design - large traditional home design idea in Chicago

By Brothers Cement Tile Corp.
Home design - contemporary home design idea in New York

Dining room - traditional dining room idea in Chicago

The homes in Heritage Hills in Chapel Hill, NC are representative of the popularity and explosive growth of American Home Ownership that occurred during the economic expansion that followed the end of WW II. They were designed and built to foster the benefits and sense of “community”, where families could come together and share theirs and their children’s lives. They are typically in very desirable locations within their larger communities, and remodeling them with modern amenities, increasing the performance and efficiency of them, and having them Green Certified (independent third-party verified) makes them extremely attractive to buyers, and helps to raise other property values within the neighborhood. Green Certified Remodeled Homes offer significant value and advantage in the marketplace over similar homes in their area, which is especially important as a new, younger era of home buyers enter the market. Current trends suggest that younger (as well as many “seasoned”) homeowners are interested in smaller, more efficient (and thus affordable) homes situated closer to shopping, their work, entertainment opportunities, and access to the economic and environmental benefits of mass transit. These older homes also offer an additional value that is continuing to gain visibility and appreciation in the market place. They were built from lumber from slower-growth trees (denser and harder wood), and as such offer superior structural support compared to the same home built using lumber from today’s faster-growing (softer and less-dense wood) trees. Robin and Kent had lived in their 2-story Gambrel Roof home in Heritage Hills since 1994. The house was structurally sound, due in large part to the old-growth (and denser) yellow pine that was used in its framing. They loved the quiet neighborhood, its sense of community and amenities, and their home. It suited their life-style and needs; and they had decided that they would remain in the home. It was showing its age, and was in need of general repairs and maintenance, and its energy, water, and indoor air quality performance was continuing to increase their ongoing cost of ownership. Robin loved the screen porch that looked out on their private and nicely landscaped back yard, but she wanted to be able to use it in the colder months of the year. She was unsatisfied with the kitchen and the mud room / laundry room, and the darkness of other living spaces. A previous water leak in the laundry room had resulted in a large patch of mold that had compromised flooring, wall board, and insulation and contributed to the homes reduced indoor air quality. The home lacked insulation in the crawl, and inadequate insulation in the attic. The single HVAC unit had been replaced a few years earlier with a more efficient unit, but with a single programmable thermostat control on the first floor and aging and un-insulated ducting, the second floor was often over-heated in the summer months. The original wood windows had begun to deteriorate and were drafty and inefficient, and the original wood-burning fireplace was an open conduit for escaping conditioned air as well as an inlet for wood-smoke smelling air being pulled into the home. The siding had been replaced a few years earlier with a cement-fiber product, but the exterior wood trim was compromised and beginning to look unsightly. Its original architecture had been altered over the years in ways that presented ongoing maintenance and durability issues, as well as disrupting the elegance of the original design. Kent has worked for over 30 years in the Environmental Sciences field, and is considered to be a national expert in understanding the sources of, and human exposure to pollutants in indoor environments. He had always been very conscious and cautious about the effects on indoor air quality that the construction, furnishings, and products used in home had on him and his family. Project Goals Increase the performance of their home by improving energy efficiency by at least 40% and lowering their natural gas and electric utility costs. Increase the performance of their home by reducing water usage by at least 40% and lowering the water utility costs. Increase the comfort of their home that was being compromised by an inadequate HVAC design, inadequate insulation, inefficient and compromised wood windows, and copious air intrusions and drafts. Improve the healthiness of the homes indoor air quality that was being compromised by an open wood-burning fireplace, and prior water intrusion that had allowed colonies of mold to thrive. Create a new Kitchen, Family Room, Home Office, Mudroom, and Laundry Room that featured some of the latest designs and trends and harmonized with the rest of the homes charm. Increase the usefulness and aesthetics of the screened porch by creating a warm and inviting semi-conditioned 3-Season Room that extended the times during the year that it was comfortable. Introduce day-lighting into areas of the home that were dark and uninviting. Brighten and harmonize all of the interior finishes. Protect and restore the exterior of the home with superior-performing products and finishes. Achieve Gold Level Green Home Certification in conformance with the ICC 700-2012 National Green Building Standards (NGBS).

We expanded an existing deck with new stairs, railing, decking, deck board design, lighting, complete with all post and beam wraps. All decking you see is Zuri decking with Timbertech Rail Systems. We installed riser lights up the stairs with post caps on top of all posts.

Example of a mid-sized transitional wooden curved metal railing staircase design in Austin with tile risers

Tuftex Casablanca pattern carpet

The photos on this page are of a Sandstone Kitchen floor at a house in the High Green suburb of Sheffield. The Sandstone tiles looked grubby and needed some love and attention. Our client was getting fed up trying to keep the stone clean, particularly around the kitchen area where cleaning didn’t seem to make much. You can see how dirty it had become on the before picture below, this is stark contrast to the middle of the of the kitchen where the portable kitchen island normally sits. I went to the property to get a better look at the problem floor and carried out a small test clean to see which products and methods would have the best impact. The patch came up really clean without much difficulty, so I was confident on being able to restore its appearance. It was clear to me the original protective sealer had worn off and dirt had become ingrained in the pores of the stone where it was proving difficult to remove. My client was very encouraged by the test clean initial result and agreed to go ahead with the quote. We arranged a suitable time to carry out the work on a day when the family would be out of the way. I started by taping up the area to make sure the skirting and woodwork were protected from splashing. Once done a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was sprayed onto Sandstone tile and grout. It was left to dwell for approximately ten minutes to help break down all the grime and dirt and was then worked into the stone using a rotary floor machine fitted with a stiff bristled brush. This method totally transformed the dull sandstone, the stunning sandstone colours started to leap out and I could see the stone was well on its way to being transformed. The floor was then rinsed several times with water and the now soiled cleaning solution carefully removed with an industrial wet vacuum. With the floor clean I inspected all the tiles and repeated the process until I was happy the floor was total clean. I should mention It’s not always this easy to clean a stone floor and quite often I find myself having to utilise all sorts of products and methods before I’m totally satisfied it’s as clean as it could possibly be. With the cleaning done I left the floor to dry out overnight aided with heaters and air blowers. I returned to seal the floor the next day checking first that the stone was dry with a damp meter. Leaving the blowers on overnight had helped and the readings I took from the floor confirmed it was now ready for sealing. Earlier I had discussed the different types of sealer available with my clients and they had chosen to have the floor sealed with Tile Doctor Seal & Go. This works really well on Sandstone, enhancing its appearance, improving colour and of course adding protection to the stone to prevent grime and dirt stuck in the pores of the stone. Several coats were applied until I could see if was fully sealed and the right level of finish had been achieved. Sealing a floor can take some time as you need to allow each coat to dry before applying the next. Once done the floor looked meticulously clean and the new sealer had added a lovely subtle sheen to the stone. My client was very please with the transformation and left the following feedback. ‘Very professional approach, friendly, and offered great advice throughout the job. Very pleased with the finish Cheers Matt we will see you again’ One of the problems we find with many homeowners is that for cleaning they use strong bleach-based cleaning product on their sealed tiles, and this actually strips off the sealer leaving the stone vulnerable to ingrained dirt. As a result, Tile Doctor has developed Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner, it is pH neutral and gentle enough for everyday use without affecting the sealer. Matthew Lovett South Yorkshire Tile Doctor

Jamie Sentz
Example of a transitional dining room design in Baltimore

Eclectic powder room photo in Charlotte

This is an example of a large contemporary drought-tolerant front yard walkway in San Francisco.

Photo of a mid-sized modern drought-tolerant and full sun front yard concrete paver garden path in San Luis Obispo.

Exterior forms are emphasized with glass and fiber-cement panels at the top level, soaring over and sheltering containers clad in tougher, leathery Corten Steel at the ground level. Exposed concrete walls and rock-filled gabion retaining was selected to anchor the partially day-lighted basement level and garages to the land. Materials were chosen to be low-maintenance, relatively inexpensive, and to contrast the volumes that express the interior spaces.