This light and airy kitchen is the definition of elegance. It has white shaker cabinets with satin gold pulls topped with white quartz counters. The matching white quartz backsplash provides a clean look. The center piece of the room is the large island! With seating for four, the deep blue island is loaded with storage and has a drawer microwave. For a special touch on the white quartz counter, we used an extra thick quartz slab. The striking gold pendants are from Ferguson Lighting. Sleek and contemporary, this beautiful home is located in Villanova, PA. Blue, white and gold are the palette of this transitional design. With custom touches and an emphasis on flow and an open floor plan, the renovation included the kitchen, family room, butler’s pantry, mudroom, two powder rooms and floors. Rudloff Custom Builders has won Best of Houzz for Customer Service in 2014, 2015 2016, 2017 and 2019. We also were voted Best of Design in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 which only 2% of professionals receive. Rudloff Custom Builders has been featured on Houzz in their Kitchen of the Week, What to Know About Using Reclaimed Wood in the Kitchen as well as included in their Bathroom WorkBook article. We are a full service, certified remodeling company that covers all of the Philadelphia suburban area. This business, like most others, developed from a friendship of young entrepreneurs who wanted to make a difference in their clients’ lives, one household at a time. This relationship between partners is much more than a friendship. Edward and Stephen Rudloff are brothers who have renovated and built custom homes together paying close attention to detail. They are carpenters by trade and understand concept and execution. Rudloff Custom Builders will provide services for you with the highest level of professionalism, quality, detail, punctuality and craftsmanship, every step of the way along our journey together. Specializing in residential construction allows us to connect with our clients early in the design phase to ensure that every detail is captured as you imagined. One stop shopping is essentially what you will receive with Rudloff Custom Builders from design of your project to the construction of your dreams, executed by on-site project managers and skilled craftsmen. Our concept: envision our client’s ideas and make them a reality. Our mission: CREATING LIFETIME RELATIONSHIPS BUILT ON TRUST AND INTEGRITY. Photo Credit: Linda McManus Images

photography by Rob Karosis
Hallway - mid-sized traditional medium tone wood floor hallway idea in Portland Maine with white walls

Reminiscent of a 1910 Shingle Style, this new stone and cedar shake home welcomes guests through a classic doorway framing a view of the Long Island Sound beyond. Paired Tuscan columns add formality to the graceful front porch.

Builder: Denali Custom Homes - Architectural Designer: Alexander Design Group - Interior Designer: Studio M Interiors - Photo: Spacecrafting Photography

The outdoor kitchen includes a wood burning pizza oven from Italy, two gas grills, a smoker, drink/condiment cooler and stainless steel doors and cabinets for storage. The upper area is mortared bluestone on a footed screed and steps down to the full-range bluestone patio. A sailor course of Belden 760 pavers links to the same bricks in the fire place and home. The overhead cedar pergola was painted white to architecturally match the home features 18 dimmable down lights.

Rather than becoming an eyesore, a shed or studio that is well designed can blend beautifully with the backyard environment and actually become a catalyst for amazing outdoor space.

This minimalistic landscape design of grasses and concrete allow the dominate form of the residence shine. Photography Credit: Wade Griffith
Inspiration for a mid-sized rustic brown wood gable roof remodel in Dallas

Enclosed kitchen - small eclectic galley porcelain tile enclosed kitchen idea in Chicago with a farmhouse sink, raised-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, granite countertops, white backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, paneled appliances and no island

Located along a country road, a half mile from the clear waters of Lake Michigan, we were hired to re-conceptualize an existing weekend cabin to allow long views of the adjacent farm field and create a separate area for the owners to escape their high school age children and many visitors! The site had tight building setbacks which limited expansion options, and to further our challenge, a 200 year old pin oak tree stood in the available building location. We designed a bedroom wing addition to the side of the cabin which freed up the existing cabin to become a great room with a wall of glass which looks out to the farm field and accesses a newly designed pea-gravel outdoor dining room. The addition steps around the existing tree, sitting on a specialized foundation we designed to minimize impact to the tree. The master suite is kept separate with ‘the pass’- a low ceiling link back to the main house. Painted board and batten siding, ribbons of windows, a low one-story metal roof with vaulted ceiling and no-nonsense detailing fits this modern cabin to the Michigan country-side. A great place to vacation. The perfect place to retire someday.

Builder: Hendel Homes www.hendelhomes.com Architect: Eskuche Associates Photographer: Jon Huelskamp
Traditional exterior home idea in Minneapolis

"Miami" sliding shower system is a kit which includes 2 rails which may be trimmed to the appropriate length onsite and the wheels and stoppers which easily mount to the active glass panel and rails respectively. the rails are mounted to the wall and stationary panel with supplied stainless steel mounting hardware. This shower solution is the most user friendly and modifiable onsite! Bartels shower enclosures are custom manufactured to fit any configuration and size.

Minimalist patio photo in Los Angeles

This eco-friendly deck is made from Fiberon composite decking. The step-up design helps define different areas of the space. The planting beds at the perimeter of the deck also frame the space and add extra color. The home owner found a creative use for the deck boards... matching built-in bench seats! The product used is Fiberon's ProTect Advantage, in the 'Western Cedar' color.

Located along a country road, a half mile from the clear waters of Lake Michigan, we were hired to re-conceptualize an existing weekend cabin to allow long views of the adjacent farm field and create a separate area for the owners to escape their high school age children and many visitors! The site had tight building setbacks which limited expansion options, and to further our challenge, a 200 year old pin oak tree stood in the available building location. We designed a bedroom wing addition to the side of the cabin which freed up the existing cabin to become a great room with a wall of glass which looks out to the farm field and accesses a newly designed pea-gravel outdoor dining room. The addition steps around the existing tree, sitting on a specialized foundation we designed to minimize impact to the tree. The master suite is kept separate with ‘the pass’- a low ceiling link back to the main house. Painted board and batten siding, ribbons of windows, a low one-story metal roof with vaulted ceiling and no-nonsense detailing fits this modern cabin to the Michigan country-side. A great place to vacation. The perfect place to retire someday.

MIchael K. Wilkinson
Transitional patio photo in DC Metro

Landscape/exterior design - Molly Wood Garden Design Photo - Lane Dittoe
Beach style patio photo in Orange County

Photo: Margot Hartford © 2015 Houzz
Inspiration for a traditional landscaping in San Francisco.

The landscape design for this property in an established New York City suburb marries stately elegance with relaxed outdoor living. The greatest challenge of the site was a considerable grade change over a small area (a third of an acre). We replaced overgrown shrubs and crumbling stonework with a clean hardscape design that clearly defines the flow around the property. A long play lawn in front is linked to a sideyard patio space and natural-gas campfire with broad bluestone block steps. A cozy dining terrace behind the house is hugged by a retaining wall that showcases friendly flowering plants and edibles. Set into the terrace wall is a custom water feature that brings sound and movement to the seating area. Exposed ledge in the backyard provides a fun playspace for adventurous kids, with a rope bridge leading to a playhouse.

2010 NATIONAL NARI REGIONAL AWARD WINNER Project Scope The owners of this 7,000 square foot colonial in Oakton, Virginia, were seeking a multi-level Mediterranean-style indoor/outdoor living space off the back of their home. They turned to Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes for a design solution that would include a stone patio, a second-story deck, a screened-in porch and linking staircases. While the structure was designed primarily for family dining and entertaining, it also had to accommodate periodic social gatherings of one hundred guests or more. To meet these needs, the project would include a fully-equipped outdoor kitchen, several serving counters with permanent refrigeration, and well-delineated socializing and dining zones. The existing home’s setting offered several impressive assets the new outdoor living area was designed to exploit. The sprawling acreage features old stand trees, wooded paths and a private lake. Beautifully landscaped, it unfolds as an idyllic panorama that naturally draws people to the outdoors. Challenges Since the rear elevation was situated on a slope that drops away from the house, the Michael Nash team had to raise the grade two feet within in a 2,000 square foot area extending out from the back of the house. Infrastructure plans also called for a sophisticated drainage system that had to accommodate a whole series of water “runoff” considerations to be integrated into the decking itself. Excavation included constructing retaining walls to bolster the elevated grade—which also had to support a concrete slab, the primary foundation for the entire complex. Solutions The ground level decking consists of a 2,000 square foot flagstone patio level with the home’s lower level doors. There is a decorative water fountain mid-patio—an ornate collectible acquired in Florida. Food preparation is concentrated within a specially designed semi-circular wall that creates an “outdoor kitchen” equipped with a 60” Viking barbecue grill, a prep sink, a warming drawer, refrigerator and appropriate storage. There is a granite surfaced dining counter with seating for eight. Wrought iron railing and approximately 20 decorative columns (some encasing steel vertical supports) are incorporated into the design scheme. Many of the columns house accent lights. The top level—supported by horizontal steel beams– is a 2,500 square foot deck constructed entirely of Trex decking. The open air decking is, again, directly accessible from rooms on the second level of the house including the kitchen, sunroom and family room. The platform’s most prominent feature is a U-shaped “kitchenette” with cedar shake shingle roofing. Like its counterpart one level below, the facility is equipped with grill, refrigerator and stainless steel cabinetry. One portion of the deck has been allocated for a 16’ x 16’ octagonal screened-in porch crowned by a pair of 2’ x 4’ skylights. The porch can be accessed from the home’s conservatory via a set of French doors. With its mosaic tile flooring, stained cedar panel ceiling and honed granite counters, the interior is elegant and calming. Hand-painted stenciling and a wall-mounted water feature provide distinctive detailing. Finally, the design introduced elements to highlight and reinforce an awareness of the lovely bucolic setting. Fountains and water features combined with textured surfaces and mosaic tiling and backsplashes to present a villa-like ambiance well-suited to the Virginia countryside.