What is an ADU: Accessory Dwelling Units: An accessory dwelling unit, usually just called an ADU, is a secondary housing unit on a single-family residential lot. The term “accessory dwelling unit” is a institutional-sounding name, but it’s the most commonly-used term across the country to describe this type of housing. While the full name is a mouthful, the shorthand “ADU” is better. ADUs vary in their physical form quite a bit, as there are detached ADU, attached ADU, second story ADU (above garage or work shop), addition ADU, internal ADU. IMPORTANT: There’s simply too few permitted ADUs to make a real difference in the housing stock. But, even if they aren’t going to solve all a city’s problems, they may help homeowners solve some of their problems. The most common motivation for ADU development is rental income potential, followed by the prospect of flexible living space for multigenerational households. We at FIDELITY GENERAL CONTRACTORS, providing a single point of contact to homeowners interested in this product, from conceptual stage including plans, city legwork, project managing of the construction stage including assistance with material purchase and other coordination, all the way to completion. (this project showcases a detached ADU, 400 SQ.)

This Norwood property underwent a total renovation, from a blah space that had severe drainage problems to a perfectly constructed outdoor living space ready to entertain. The homeowners approached us looking for a few key items. A sleek pool to cool off in during the summer months, a grill island, an outdoor dining area and a wood-burning fire pit. All of this surrounded by large screening plants that create a private oasis blocking off the view into neighboring yards.

THE PROBLEM Our client had recently purchased a beautiful home on the Merrimack River with breathtaking views. Unfortunately the views did not extend to the primary bedroom which was on the front of the house. In addition, the second floor did not offer a secondary bathroom for guests or other family members. THE SOLUTION Relocating the primary bedroom with en suite bath to the front of the home introduced complex framing requirements, however we were able to devise a plan that met all the requirements that our client was seeking. In addition to a riverfront primary bedroom en suite bathroom, a walk-in closet, and a new full bathroom, a small deck was built off the primary bedroom offering expansive views through the full height windows and doors. Updates from custom stained hardwood floors, paint throughout, updated lighting and more completed every room of the floor.

The Kohler brushed nickel tub/shower trim compliments the white tile shower and deco band. For safety, the client had us install a grab bar at an angle to assist with getting up from a sitting position. Photo by Preview First

The Best Way to Build a Log Home. EverLog™ Systems family of concrete log home products offer the exact look and texture of natural wood cabin logs while eliminating the problems commonly associated with wood log home construction.

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Cottage basement photo in Philadelphia

Staircase - transitional staircase idea

Stephani Buchman Photography
Large transitional wooden l-shaped open and glass railing staircase photo in Toronto

I thought I would share this case history of a Yellow and Black Victorian Tiled floor that we worked on at a large house in Lancaster last year. It’s a great example of the typical problems we face with old Victorian floors, especially around door thresholds where the transition between the different foundation invariable cause problems. I didn’t know the full history of the floor, but it was now in quite a state and recent renovation work had left the floor unstable with loose and cracked tiles. The tiles needed to be removed and then the damaged subfloor carefully scraped out and replaced. Once that was done the floor would need relaying and then cleaned and sealed so everything would blend in. After visiting the property and providing a quotation we were given the go ahead and agreed a date to do the work. We returned on the agreed date and set about carefully removing the loose and cracked Victorian tiles and put them aside for later use. Some would need replacing however this would not present a problem and they are still widely available, and I have several contacts I can turn to for this. Once this was done and the subfloor exposed and cleaned up, I used self-levelling cement to bring the floor level up and in-line with the existing. This now needed to set hard, so the rest of the day was spent cleaning up the tiles we removed earlier with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up and Pro-clean. Our goal is to reuse as many of the original tiles as possible to preserve the heritage of the floor. The next day with the new subfloor set it was ready for tiling. This involves laying out the tiles first without adhesive carefully cutting and fitting new tiles as needed to maintain the overall pattern of the floor. Once I was happy the tiles were moved to a board and then fitted with fresh adhesive. I came back on day three with the aim of cleaning the floor so it could be sealed however whilst inspecting my new tiling I was disappointed to discover some were not as level as I had hoped. I had noticed the replacement tiles were not the same thickness as the originals the previous day but I had worked around this by using different levels of adhesive, clearly this plan was not as effective as I had hoped for. To counter this problem, I used a set of 50-Grit, 100-grit and then 200-grit diamond pads in sequence to mill the floor flat and remove the lippage between them. This is done with water to lubricate the process and a weighted floor buffer. The pads generate a lot of slurry and so you need to rinse this off with more water and extract all the soil after each pad. I followed this up with various Diamond burnishing pads of increasingly finer grits across the whole floor until we achieved a consistent finish and had the added benefit of getting the whole floor clean. More water is used to rinse the tiles after burnishing and the soil extracted with a wet vacuum as before. Once done and inspected the floor was left to dry off overnight. Tile Doctor Colour Grow was applied to enhance the appearance of the tiles and protect them going forward. This product copes well with damp which can always be a problem with old floors like this one with no damp proof membrane present. The floor looked amazing when finished and our attention to detail had really paid off, in fact you simply could not tell we had done any tiling work or replaced any tiles. For aftercare I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which is designed for the regular cleaning of sealed tiles. Russell Taylor Lancashire Tile Doctor

Here is a small powder room remodel we just completed in Medford. This was a very small space that had been added to the original house years ago. It was a very cold spot in the house and didn't fit the decor of the remaining home. We addressed the cold issue by provided open cell spray foam insulation all around including the floor which had been a problem area. Along with the cold it also had a few structural issues which were corrected during the construction. In the end the customer ended up with a nice cozy powder room that fits their decor and if I say so myself " A beautiful final product"!

Here is a small powder room remodel we just completed in Medford. This was a very small space that had been added to the original house years ago. It was a very cold spot in the house and didn't fit the decor of the remaining home. We addressed the cold issue by provided open cell spray foam insulation all around including the floor which had been a problem area. Along with the cold it also had a few structural issues which were corrected during the construction. In the end the customer ended up with a nice cozy powder room that fits their decor and if I say so myself " A beautiful final product"!

The resident of this 1904 classic Montford home has owned it for more than 30 years. Behind the walls and under the floors of the kitchen and bathroom were a myriad problem areas that needed attention. Hanging new cabinets on walls and from ceilings that may have been plumb a hundred years ago is par for the course. Our project manager even fabricated a special switch plate from wood that was required for an awkward spot in the bathroom. LED can lights and hand-blown glass pendants brighten the kitchen. Intricate tile work and massive glass sliding shower doors bring the bathroom up to date.

Living room - traditional living room idea in Chicago

Jacob Lilley Architects Location: Lexington, MA, USA A new garage, kids play room above and a mudroom met the need for more space. A renovated kitchen, bedroom and other living spaces created a refreshed sense of home. The strategic location of the mudroom as an intermediary connector solved problems with this 19th-century home siting seven feet above the ground with limited access to the rear yard. The connector between the garage and existing house is a stair that unifies the various levels and develops a strong connection to the yard. Photographed by: Eric Roth

After repairing the damage and cleaning the mold and floor... Property Manager installed new upper cabinets, we painted the lower cabinets to freshen up. All cabinets had a gift of new brushed nickle knobs. The refrigerator was re-positioned to provide access to the drawer unit and small cabinet beside. We installed two 12" Ikea shelves beside the fridge for extra storage and carry the look down from the new extended upper cabinets above the fridge providing balance and ensuring there was not a long enpty space beside the fridge. The backsplash was wallpapered in a modern textured Graham & Brown paper. This paper gives the illusion of tiles, provides texture, and is washable. The property manager also replaced the countertop and sink. While the countertop is a neutral color it has a black fleck that ties into the kitchen color scheme. Over the stove we had a problem with the fuse panel popping open. We used an Ikea utility bar to hold the panel in place, and the metal of the fuse panel as a magnetic board to hold a kitchen timer and picture. As the client has vision problems the second kitchen light was changed to a track light directed towards the counter work area. Jared Olmsted / www.jodesigns.ca

Nursery - mid-sized modern girl carpeted and purple floor nursery idea in Chicago with purple walls

Anything Wet Pools and Spas
This is an example of a mid-sized modern front yard stone water fountain landscape in Miami.

Mid-sized elegant 3/4 ceramic tile alcove shower photo in Philadelphia with white walls