Design ideas for a rustic vegetable garden landscape in Santa Barbara.

Country white two-story gable roof idea in Dallas

Photo: Jason Snyder © 2013 Houzz
Cottage hallway photo with white walls

Whether it’s arthritis, joint or back pain, restless leg syndrome, muscle injuries or fibromyalgia, hot tubs are a proven form of chronic pain relief. The heat of the water increases blood flow and relaxes the body, while the massaging action of the jets and the water’s buoyancy loosen muscle tension and soothe sore joints. The New England Journal of Medicine (08-16-1999) found that, after just 10 days, patients with Type 2 Diabetes who used hot tubs 30 minutes a day/6 days per week required reduced doses of insulin, lost weight, slept better and showed distinct decreases in plasma glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin. Hot tubs can be a great fix for those suffering from insomnia, helping your body to wind down before bed and get the natural sleep you need. Even if you don’t suffer from chronic sleep problems, the Better Sleep Council recommends establishing a relaxing bedtime routine, such as soaking in hot water to help maintain a healthy sleep cycle. According to the Council’s findings, warm water releases muscle tension and increases blood flow, both of which contribute to a relaxed and deeper, more comfortable sleep. Whether it’s a new exercise routine or an unusually active day on your feet, most of us know the “day after” feeling of sore, overworked muscles that make it hurt to move, period. The water pressure from hot tub jets relieves muscle tightness and soreness by removing lactic acid, opening up the blood vessels and promoting the flow of endorphins. LPGA Sports Medicine Director Caroline Nichols and former President of the American Orthopedic Society of Sports Medicine Dr. James Andrews recommend hydrotherapeutic activity for athletes at every level. Nichols says that hot tubs especially help with recovery since jets focus on overused muscle and joint regions, while Andrews supports hydrotherapy as a good tool for improved circulation, sensory impulses and stiff joints. Whether you’re looking to alleviate stress, feel healthier or simply spend more time with your loved ones, you’d be amazed at how as little as 10 minutes in a hot tub can help you relax and put everything in perspective. There are hot tubs for every type of user, regardless of whether it’s just you or it’s the entire gang piling in, looking for some much-needed relief after a long day.

SHELBY WOOD DESIGN / MEGHAN BOB PHOTOGRAPHY
Contemporary two-story wood flat roof idea in Los Angeles

This photo depicts a traditional clay paver entry to this home. The pavers are laid in two different patterns (herringbone with a soldier course). Joints are filled with a polymer sand to reduce maintenance and mimic the appearance of a mortar joint.

https://bit.ly/2IJ9uiH The next benefit of using cork flooring is that this type of flooring offers a higher level of comfort. The structure of cork is such that it is made up of hundreds of millions of tiny cells packed closely together. These cells are air pockets can absorb shockwaves or pressure, so walking on this flooring not only relieves stress on your joints but also helps to reduce the weariness that is brought on when you walk a lot over a hard surface. If you suffer from knee pain or any joint pain, you will find that walking over a cork floor is so much easier than walking over, say a ceramic tile floor.

Photo: Lucy Call © 2014 Houzz Design: Imbue Design
Inspiration for a contemporary open concept concrete floor living room remodel in Salt Lake City with blue walls, no fireplace and no tv

Steve Chenn
Kitchen - rustic kitchen idea in Houston

This modern green home offers both a vacation destination on Cape Cod near local family members and an opportunity for rental income. FAMILY ROOTS. A West Coast couple living in the San Francisco Bay Area sought a permanent East Coast vacation home near family members living on Cape Cod. As academic professionals focused on sustainability, they sought a green, energy efficient home that was well-aligned with their values. With no green homes available for sale on Cape Cod, they decided to purchase land near their family and build their own. SLOPED SITE. Comprised of a 3/4 acre lot nestled in the pines, the steeply sloping terrain called for a plan that embraced and took advantage of the slope. Of equal priority was optimizing solar exposure, preserving privacy from abutters, and creating outdoor living space. The design accomplished these goals with a simple, rectilinear form, offering living space on the both entry and lower/basement levels. The stepped foundation allows for a walk-out basement level with light-filled living space on the down-hill side of the home. The traditional basement on the eastern, up-hill side houses mechanical equipment and a home gym. The house welcomes natural light throughout, captures views of the forest, and delivers entertainment space that connects indoor living space to outdoor deck and dining patio. MODERN VISION. The clean building form and uncomplicated finishes pay homage to the modern architectural legacy on the outer Cape. Durable and economical fiber cement panels, fixed with aluminum channels, clad the primary form. Cedar clapboards provide a visual accent at the south-facing living room, which extends a single roof plane to cover the entry porch. SMART USE OF SPACE. On the entry level, the “L”-shaped living, dining, and kitchen space connects to the exterior living, dining, and grilling spaces to effectively double the home’s summertime entertainment area. Placed at the western end of the entry level (where it can retain privacy but still claim expansive downhill views) is the master suite with a built-in study. The lower level has two guest bedrooms, a second full bathroom, and laundry. The flexibility of the space—crucial in a house with a modest footprint—emerges in one of the guest bedrooms, which doubles as home office by opening the barn-style double doors to connect it to the bright, airy open stair leading up to the entry level. Thoughtful design, generous ceiling heights and large windows transform the modest 1,100 sf* footprint into a well-lit, spacious home. *(total finished space is 1800 sf) RENTAL INCOME. The property works for its owners by netting rental income when the owners are home in San Francisco. The house especially caters to vacationers bound for nearby Mayo Beach and includes an outdoor shower adjacent to the lower level entry door. In contrast to the bare bones cottages that are typically available on the Cape, this home offers prospective tenants a modern aesthetic, paired with luxurious and green features. Durable finishes inside and out will ensure longevity with the heavier use that comes with a rental property. COMFORT YEAR-ROUND. The home is super-insulated and air-tight, with mechanical ventilation to provide continuous fresh air from the outside. High performance triple-paned windows complement the building enclosure and maximize passive solar gain while ensuring a warm, draft-free winter, even when sitting close to the glass. A properly sized air source heat pump offers efficient heating & cooling, and includes a carefully designed the duct distribution system to provide even comfort throughout the house. The super-insulated envelope allows us to significantly reduce the equipment capacity, duct size, and airflow quantities, while maintaining unparalleled thermal comfort. ENERGY EFFICIENT. The building’s shell and mechanical systems play instrumental roles in the home’s exceptional performance. The building enclosure reduces the most significant energy glutton: heating. Continuous super-insulation, thorough air sealing, triple-pane windows, and passive solar gain work together to yield a miniscule heating load. All active energy consumers are extremely efficient: an air source heat pump for heating and cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and high efficiency appliances. The result is a home that uses 70% less energy than a similar new home built to code requirements. OVERALL. The home embodies the owners’ goals and values while comprehensively enabling thermal comfort, energy efficiency, a vacation respite, and supplementary income. PROJECT TEAM ZeroEnergy Design - Architect & Mechanical Designer A.F. Hultin & Co. - Contractor Pamet Valley Landscape Design - Landscape & Masonry Lisa Finch - Original Artwork European Architectural Supply - Windows Eric Roth Photography - Photography

A Cut Above Landscaping
Example of a large transitional backyard concrete paver patio design in Providence with a fire pit and no cover

Pro-Tile & Marble, Inc. Large Format Tile Big-slab tile delivers the rich look of marble with much less maintenance and much lower cost than a thick stone slab. Business owner Chris Harrington explains the basics of porcelain-slab tile, Big format tiles on floors and walls reduce to the minimum joints and discontinuities in the surfaces. The result is a clean and smooth surface, which is perfect for interiors with a contemporary and minimalist style. Moreover, these surfaces are easier to clean, due to the absence of joints. Call for a free in home estimate 904-731-6471

Pro-Tile & Marble, Inc. Large Format Tile Big-slab tile delivers the rich look of marble with much less maintenance and much lower cost than a thick stone slab. Business owner Chris Harrington explains the basics of porcelain-slab tile, Big format tiles on floors and walls reduce to the minimum joints and discontinuities in the surfaces. The result is a clean and smooth surface, which is perfect for interiors with a contemporary and minimalist style. Moreover, these surfaces are easier to clean, due to the absence of joints. Call for a free in home estimate 904-731-6471

Brick Paver Driveway After Restoration Cleaning, Joint Re Sanding & Sealing With Paver Gloss Sealer. The process will help reduce any future accumulation of moss & weeds.

Pro-Tile & Marble, Inc. Large Format Tile Big-slab tile delivers the rich look of marble with much less maintenance and much lower cost than a thick stone slab. Business owner Chris Harrington explains the basics of porcelain-slab tile, Big format tiles on floors and walls reduce to the minimum joints and discontinuities in the surfaces. The result is a clean and smooth surface, which is perfect for interiors with a contemporary and minimalist style. Moreover, these surfaces are easier to clean, due to the absence of joints. Call for a free in home estimate 904-731-6471

Pro-Tile & Marble, Inc. Large Format Tile Big-slab tile delivers the rich look of marble with much less maintenance and much lower cost than a thick stone slab. Business owner Chris Harrington explains the basics of porcelain-slab tile, Big format tiles on floors and walls reduce to the minimum joints and discontinuities in the surfaces. The result is a clean and smooth surface, which is perfect for interiors with a contemporary and minimalist style. Moreover, these surfaces are easier to clean, due to the absence of joints. Call for a free in home estimate 904-731-6471

Our designer has achieved a stylish look by combining dark cabinets and light-colored marbles.

Deck built for minimal maintenance and privacy. Deck construction is all plastic / galvanized / powder coated materials to eliminate maintenance other than occasional cleaning. Unique cantilevered design to reduce framing member size and load on house. TimberTech deck boards installed with CONCEALoc hidden fastener system and not butt joints. Columns are decorative concrete masonry units. Overhead poles are for retractable canopy (fabric removed for the season).

The client wanted to reduce the amount of sod in their front yard. We removed the grass and some soil to put DG with stabilizer down compacted the DG then installed the flagstone over the DG. We used the same DG for the joints. The client wanted a 1/2 heart planter next to the driveway so soften the flagstone.