Matt Powell
Example of a small mountain style brown three-story wood gable roof design in Charlotte

Left-front angle of this Tudor Revival stone home in Augusta, Wisconsin, highlighting the seamless K-style gutters and leaf protection installed by NorthStar Gutters. The system follows the home’s steep rooflines and complements the stone exterior while adding dependable drainage with a clean, traditional look.

Front cement walkway that leads to modern entry door of home, with white & grey painted exterior, and updated rain gutters.
Trendy entryway photo in Los Angeles

Joe Fletcher
Inspiration for a contemporary exterior home remodel in San Francisco

Carport - mid-sized craftsman detached two-car carport idea in Cedar Rapids

The simplicity of the exterior – the roof that meets the walls with only a slight overhang - is completely bereft of ornament or gutters. The Entry Courtyard wall is sheathed in a cypress rain screen.

In this front view, you get an overview of the K-Style aluminum gutter system on both the top and bottom levels of the house. Here, you can see how we positioned the downspout to carry and disperse water through the rockery. Stones absorb a lot of water, but this position also provides the shrubs with water at the same time.

Rain chain in winter, at night.
Inspiration for a contemporary exterior home remodel in New York

Andrea Rugg Photography
Design ideas for a contemporary front yard landscaping in Minneapolis.

detached garage connected by lit pergola
Inspiration for a small partial sun front yard stone water fountain landscape in Austin.

Ornamental grasses, winter berry, and other perennials are planted to create a beautiful garden on top of an area where the rain gutters drain into. The resulting rain garden can withstand excessive water from heavy rains while looking good when the weather is drier.

Cottage exterior home idea in Houston

A unique copper clad entry roof with internal gutter and copper rain chain, in lieu of a traditional downspout Alan Petersime
Inspiration for a modern home design remodel in Indianapolis

Ross NW Watergardens | Landscape Design Build
Design ideas for an asian landscaping in Portland.

The planning phase of this modern retreat was an intense collaboration that took place over the course of more than two years. While the initial design concept exceeded the clients' expectations, it also exceeded their budget beyond the point of comfort. The next several months were spent modifying the design, in attempts to lower the budget. Ultimately, the decision was made that they would hold off on the project until they could budget for the original design, rather than compromising the vision. About a year later, we repeated that same process, which resulted in the same outcome. After another year-long hiatus, we met once again. We revisited design thoughts, each of us bringing to the table new ideas and options. Each thought simply solidified the fact that the initial vision was absolutely what we all wanted to see come to fruition, and the decision was finally made to move forward. The main challenge of the site was elevation. The Southeast corner of the lot stands 5'6" above the threshold of the rear door, while the Northeast corner dropped a full 2' below the threshold of the door. The backyard was also long and narrow, sloping side-to-side and toward the house. The key to the design concept was to deftly place the project into the slope and utilize the elevation changes, without allowing them to dominate the yard, or overwhelm the senses. The unseen challenge on this project came in the form of hitting every underground issue possible. We had to relocate the sewer main, the gas line, and the electrical service; and since rock was sitting about 6" below the surface, all of these had to be chiseled through many feet of dense rock, adding to our projected timeline and budget. As you enter the space, your first stop is an outdoor living area. Smooth finished concrete, colored to match the 'Leuder' limestone coping, has a subtle saw-cut pattern aligned with the edges of the recessed fire pit. In small spaces, it is important to consider a multi-purpose approach. So, the recessed fire pit has been fitted with an aluminum cover that allows our client to set up tables and chairs for entertaining, right over the top of the fire pit. From here, it;s two steps up to the pool elevation, and the floating 'Leuder' limestone stepper pads that lead across the pool and hide the dam wall of the flush spa. The main retaining wall to the Southeast is a poured concrete wall with an integrated sheer descent waterfall into the spa. To bring in some depth and texture, a 'Brownstone' ledgestone was used to face both the dropped beam on the pool, and the raised beam of the water feature wall. The main water feature is comprised of five custom made stainless steel scuppers, supplied by a dedicated booster pump. Colored concrete stepper pads lead to the 'Ipe' wood deck at the far end of the pool. The placement of this wood deck allowed us to minimize our use of retaining walls on the Northeast end of the yard, since it drops off over three feet below the elevation of the pool beam. One of the most unique features on this project has to be the structure over the dining area. With a unique combination of steel and wood, the clean modern aesthetic of this structure creates a visual stamp in the space that standard structure could not accomplish. 4" steel posts, painted charcoal grey, are set on an angle, 4' into the bedrock, to anchor the structure. Steel I-beams painted in green-yellow color--aptly called "frolic"--act as the base to the hefty cedar rafters of the roof structure, which has a slight pitch toward the rear. A hidden gutter on the back of the roof sends water down a copper rain chain, and into the drainage system. The backdrop for both this dining area , as well as the living area, is the horizontal screen panel, created with alternating sizes of cedar planks, stained to a calm hue of dove grey.

A great look on Lynnwood Drive.
Example of a classic exterior home design in Salt Lake City

Saari & Forrai Photography Briarwood II Construction
Inspiration for a large contemporary beige three-story mixed siding gable roof remodel in Minneapolis with a shingle roof

By Design I WANT THAT Wednesday feature of the week . . .luxurious outdoor living areas are a "must have" on the list of many of our custom home clients. Why not have one that you can enjoy rain or shine? Equinox® Louvered Roof is a virtually maintenance free, solar powered, motorized louvered patio cover that can open or close at the touch of a button. The louvers can be positioned anywhere within their 160-degree range of motion. The Equinox® Louvered Roof system also has an integrated rain gutter system so you can sit under the cover in the rain and not get wet. Call Mark Tang at (210) 548-3015 or visit his website at www.EquinoxTexas.com See the next photo for "how it works"!