The renovations to this 50-storey half-level home in Mont-Royal include several interventions affecting the appearance of the building. While being part of a conceptual approach respectful of the material qualities, the original proportions of the building and its openings, our intervention rationalizes the distribution of the materials on the facades. The installation of a continuous stone wall above the windows of the ground floor all around the building separates the facades of the DRC with stone or brick from the new coating of anthracite gray fiber cement panels used on all upstairs. The modulation of the panels and the position of the joints aligning with the mullions of the new windows give a coherent and dynamic rhythm to these wall surfaces. The large eaves are highlighted by the replacement of the aluminum soffits with wooden boards dyed in the color of the new mahogany double entry door. A new steel entrance canopy with integrated lighting and a wooden ceiling such as the new soffits complete the sensitive and respectful modernization of the original characteristics of the house.

Madrona Passive House, a new Seattle home designed by SHED Architecture & Design and built by Hammer & Hand, combines contemporary design with high performance building to create an environmentally responsive and resource-efficient house. The home’s airtight, super-insulated building envelope and passive design minimize energy consumption while providing superior thermal comfort to occupants. A heat recovery ventilator supplies constant fresh air to the home’s interior while recovering 90% of thermal energy from exhaust air for reuse inside. A rooftop solar photovoltaic array will provide enough energy to offset most, perhaps all, of the home’s energy consumption on a net annual basis. To manage stormwater the project employs permeable pavers for site hardscape and two cisterns to capture and control rainwater from the home’s roof and the green roof on the garage. By investing in sustainable site development strategies, efficient building systems and an advanced envelope, the project aims to respect the home’s environmentally critical site and achieve one of the world’s most demanding building energy standards: Passive House. Photos by Mark Woods Photography.

When full-time Massachusetts residents contemplate building a second home in Telluride, Colorado the question immediately arises; does it make most sense to hire a regionally based Rocky Mountain architect or a sea level architect conveniently located for all of the rigorous collaboration required for successful bespoke home design. Determined to prove the latter true, Siemasko + Verbridge accompanied the potential client as they scoured the undulating Telluride landscape in search of the perfect house site. The selected site’s harmonious balance of untouched meadow rising up to meet the edge of an aspen grove and the opposing 180 degree view of Wilson’s Range spoke to everyone. A plateau just beyond a fork in the meadow provided a natural flatland, requiring little excavation and yet the right amount of upland slope to capture the views. The intrinsic character of the site was only enriched by an elk trail and snake-rail fence. Establishing the expanse of Wilson’s range would be best served by rejecting the notion of selected views, the central sweeping curve of the roof inverts a small saddle in the range with which it is perfectly aligned. The soaring wave of custom windows and the open floor plan make the relatively modest house feel sizable despite its footprint of just under 2,000 square feet. Officially a two bedroom home, the bunk room and loft allow the home to comfortably sleep ten, encouraging large gatherings of family and friends. The home is completely off the grid in response to the unique and fragile qualities of the landscape. Great care was taken to respect the regions vernacular through the use of mostly native materials and a palette derived from the terrain found at 9,820 feet above sea level. Photographer: Gibeon Photography

As a Premier Home Builder. Sharkey Custom Homes Inc. has spent the last 18 years building beautiful and original homes to Lubbock TX and surrounding areas. We are committed to building homes of the highest quality while simultaneously making sure our customers needs are met or exceeded. When you choose to build the home of your dreams with us, you can rest assured that you will be treated with the respect and integrity that you and your future home deserves. Sharkey will be there at each step to make certain that your experience is a wonderful one. We also offer Remodeling, Architects, Interior Design, and Landscape Design. Home Building, Remodeling, Design, Architects, Interior Design, landscape design, Land, Lots, Pools, Painting, Patios, Floor Covering, Granite, Wallpaper, Fireplaces, Lighting, Appliances, Roofing, Chimneys, Iron Doors, Railing, Staircase, cabinets, trim carpentry, Audio, Video, theaters, fountains, windows, bathroom fixtures, mirrors, hardware, crown molding, tubs, sinks, faucets, ceiling fans, garage doors, heating, air conditioning, shutters, texture, faux finish, vent hood, tile, porcelain, clay, stucco, stone,travertine, concrete, fencing, waterfalls,

The Historic Home lies at the heart of Michael Carter’s passion for interior design. Well versed in the academics of period architecture and antiques, Carter continues to be called on to bring fresh and inspiring ideas to historic properties that are undergoing restoration or redecoration. It is never the goal to have these homes feel like museums. Instead, Carter & Company strives to blend the function of contemporary life with design ideas that are appropriate – they respect the past in a way that is stylish, timeless and elegant.

Inspiration for a transitional dining room remodel in Raleigh

Dining room - cottage dining room idea in San Francisco

Falcon House is located on Falcon Ridge Road, which winds along a steeply inclined ridge in a stretch of foothills within Carmel Valley in Monterey County. An old lichen covered barn and split rail, cedar fences characterize this area known as Markham Ranch, and contrast sharply with the preponderance of sprawling, large estate-style homes, many more at-home in the Italian countryside than any landscape of California. Designed for a young family, Falcon House responds to the family’s desire to live a more modest lifestyle, eschewing overt displays of extravagance for an intimate and deferential relation to nature. The 3,200-square-foot residence occupies a difficult portion of the northern slope of a hillside, overlooking a verdant valley and oriented toward Castle Rock in the distance. The steep terrain necessitated a compartmentalized plan capable of negotiating the gentle hillock at the center of the site. A corridor bridge spans two pieces of the house, uniting living and sleeping spaces and allowing an existing watercourse to flow essentially through the house unobstructed. Large panels of glass open the living spaces to the landscape, beneath the deep overhang of a butterfly roof. Operable clerestories placed high on the window-wall allow prevailing breezes to cool the interior spaces. The bedroom wing of the house hugs the hillside as it turns to the west, ensuring privacy from the main living spaces. The sense of seclusion and protection of this wing is reinforced by its lower roofline and its embedment into the hill. Initial resistance by neighboring homeowners has given way to appreciation, having seen the results of careful siting and a material and color palate sympathetic to the surrounding hillsides. The dwelling embodies an attitude of respect for the landscape, and through that perspective Falcon House has become as natural a part of its environment as the hawks flying overhead. 2008 AIA Orange County Chapter Merit Award

Inspiration for a timeless wooden straight wood railing staircase remodel in Boston with painted risers

Photo: Jessica Cain © 2018 Houzz
Example of a mid-sized eclectic 3/4 beige tile bathroom design in Kansas City with raised-panel cabinets, red cabinets, multicolored walls and an integrated sink

Inspiration for a country bathroom remodel in Sacramento

Silicon Valley ADU: modern Japanese bath: integrated trough sink with a removable panel to hide the drain, matte black fixtures, white Krion® countertop and tub deck, matte gray floor tiles. Cedar panelling extends from wall to ceiling (vaulted) evokes the spirit of traditional Japanese bath houses. Large skylight hovers above the family size tub; bifold glass doors opening completely to the outdoors give a sense of bathing in nature. building Lab is a design build firm specialized in modern architecture.

Our clients – a family of four – had moved into a terraced home that needed updating. Our brief was an interiors scheme for the whole house. The living room needed character adding back to it, so we chose pieces that complimented the original features of the beautiful house. The neutral bathroom was designed to feel light and airy. In the kitchen, deep hues compliment neutral wood, for a modern update. For the study area – an extension of the living room – we chose a muted blue to contrast against the light oak, for a calming space to work, featuring bespoke joinery (seen here).

This gem of a house was built in the 1950s, when its neighborhood undoubtedly felt remote. The university footprint has expanded in the 70 years since, however, and today this home sits on prime real estate—easy biking and reasonable walking distance to campus. When it went up for sale in 2017, it was largely unaltered. Our clients purchased it to renovate and resell, and while we all knew we'd need to add square footage to make it profitable, we also wanted to respect the neighborhood and the house’s own history. Swedes have a word that means “just the right amount”: lagom. It is a guiding philosophy for us at SYH, and especially applied in this renovation. Part of the soul of this house was about living in just the right amount of space. Super sizing wasn’t a thing in 1950s America. So, the solution emerged: keep the original rectangle, but add an L off the back. With no owner to design with and for, SYH created a layout to appeal to the masses. All public spaces are the back of the home--the new addition that extends into the property’s expansive backyard. A den and four smallish bedrooms are atypically located in the front of the house, in the original 1500 square feet. Lagom is behind that choice: conserve space in the rooms where you spend most of your time with your eyes shut. Put money and square footage toward the spaces in which you mostly have your eyes open. In the studio, we started calling this project the Mullet Ranch—business up front, party in the back. The front has a sleek but quiet effect, mimicking its original low-profile architecture street-side. It’s very Hoosier of us to keep appearances modest, we think. But get around to the back, and surprise! lofted ceilings and walls of windows. Gorgeous.

Our introduction to the Tahoe site was in late winter, on a clear sunny day with filtered light and long shadows through snow-laden fir and pine bows. It made a strong impression, stored for future consideration but the impetus for the design came soon after the spring snow melt. A powerful sense of horizontal layering of vegetation and various stages of decomposing downed timber on the two-acre site, juxtaposed with pine and fir trees and the dense canopy of the surrounding forest. The site is located near the historic 1960 Olympic Nordic track, situated on the edge of wetlands and seasonal streams. The homeowners were previous clients and dreamt of having a retreat in the Sierras away from their home base in Berkeley, CA. Among skiers, bike riders, hikers, and boaters, they found the ideal central location for their home base near Lake Tahoe. The home is organized as a series of linked spaces, each providing a unique sensory experience and connection to different parts of the site, both vertically and horizontally. The design includes extensive use of glass to create a true indoor/outdoor connection and maximize natural light. At the center of the site are two large fir trees, which the building respectfully wraps around in an L shape to create a focal point in the landscaped courtyard. A refined, context-driven palette of natural materials including cedar, oak, fir, and steel is used to harmoniously blend in among the surroundings. The construction includes advanced details such as thermally broken steel beams supporting layered roof planes engineered to hold snow rather than shed it. Designed to resist significant load, we exposed the steel structure as a recurring element in the interior spaces. The resulting columns and support beams contribute to the familiar design aspects of each room and provide a better understanding of how the building was constructed. The second floor features cantilevered volumes that reach out into the nearby evergreen limbs, likening the experience to being in a tree house. The house incorporates features such as radiant heating, solar panels, and operable windows for passive cooling. Fire safety measures include the use of naturally fire-resistant materials, a Class A roof construction, sprinklers, and drought-tolerant landscaping beyond the defensible space.

Example of a transitional kitchen design in San Francisco

We are a full service, residential design/build company specializing in large remodels and whole house renovations. Our way of doing business is dynamic, interactive and fully transparent. It's your house, and it's your money. Recognition of this fact is seen in every facet of our business because we respect our clients enough to be honest about the numbers. In exchange, they trust us to do the right thing. Pretty simple when you think about it.

This historic 1840’s Gothic Revival home perched on the harbor, presented an array of challenges: they included a narrow-restricted lot cozy to the neighboring properties, a sensitive coastal location, and a structure desperately in need of major renovations. The renovation concept respected the historic notion of individual rooms and connecting hallways, yet wanted to take better advantage of water views. The solution was an expansion of windows on the water siding of the house, and a small addition that incorporates an open kitchen/family room concept, the street face of the home was historically preserved. The interior of the home has been completely refreshed, bringing in a combined reflection of art and family history with modern fanciful choices. Adds testament to the successful renovation, the master bathroom has been described as “full of rainbows” in the morning.

As a Premier Home Builder. Sharkey Custom Homes Inc. has spent the last 18 years building beautiful and original homes to Lubbock TX and surrounding areas. We are committed to building homes of the highest quality while simultaneously making sure our customers needs are met or exceeded. When you choose to build the home of your dreams with us, you can rest assured that you will be treated with the respect and integrity that you and your future home deserves. Sharkey will be there at each step to make certain that your experience is a wonderful one. We also offer Remodeling, Architects, Interior Design, and Landscape Design. Home Building, Remodeling, Design, Architects, Interior Design, landscape design, Land, Lots, Pools, Painting, Patios, Floor Covering, Granite, Wallpaper, Fireplaces, Lighting, Appliances, Roofing, Chimneys, Iron Doors, Railing, Staircase, cabinets, trim carpentry, Audio, Video, theaters, fountains, windows, bathroom fixtures, mirrors, hardware, crown molding, tubs, sinks, faucets, ceiling fans, garage doors, heating, air conditioning, shutters, texture, faux finish, vent hood, tile, porcelain, clay, stucco, stone,travertine, concrete, fencing, waterfalls,