The original 1920’s cottage was charming, but suffered from a series of additions that marred the exterior and created an awkward floor plan. To renovate this home, the exterior of the original cottage was left largely intact, the previous additions were removed, a garage/bedroom wing was added to the rear, and a glazed breakfast room was added where old and new construction meet. Within the original cottage, several partitions were removed and openings between rooms were widened. The resulting home maintains the intimate feel of the original cottage, while creating the light and airy interior desired by the owner.

Faithful reproduction of concrete blocks that have suffered the bad weather of time. This product is so easy to install and heat resistant. The look of this product is just magnificent. Those around you will undoubtedly remember it.

Home design - traditional home design idea in Philadelphia

This Victorian tiled hallway was one of the most beautiful Victorian floors I have ever had the pleasure to work on. With the wide range of patterns and colours they are available in, it seems no two Victorian tiled floors are exactly the same, and this uniqueness is part of what makes them so appealing to property owners. Unfortunately, this floor had been poorly maintained over the years, even suffering from a few loose and missing tiles. There was a thick coating of dust and dirt soiling its appearance, and the property owner was understandably keen to remedy the situation. Having realised that everyday household cleaners are not likely to achieve great results, she asked me to carry out a full professional restoration, including making some repairs where necessary. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this property was situated in the town of Wyken, which is a few miles outside of Coventry city centre and in fact just down the road from where I live myself! Before making a start on the cleaning process, it was first necessary to re-fix the small number of loose tiles and replace a single missing tile by the radiator. Fortunately, I’ve been working on these types of floors for some time and have built up a good collection of replacement Victorian tiles so I was able to find one that matched in nicely with the rest of the floor without too much problem. To clean the tiles, I began by applying a layer of Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel directly into the floor with a small brush. This product is very similar to the popular Tile Doctor Pro Clean: both are strong alkaline cleaners, strippers and degreasers, with the main difference being that Oxy-Clean comes in a gel form, making it easier to control and therefore ideal for precise cleaning, or for application to vertical surfaces. Like Pro Clean and being an alkaline base it is suitable for use on all types of natural stone and tile. The Oxy-Gel was left to soak into the tiles for around ten minutes before being scrubbed in and then rinsed off carefully with water, I then used a wet vacuum to extract the now soiled cleaning solution off the floor. The next step was to acid wash the floor using Tile Doctor Acid Gel; this served to break down alkaline mineral deposits inherent in the grout along with some excess grout that had been left on the untidily left on tile from installation. It is recommended not to use this product on acid-sensitive soon such as Marble and Limestone as it can cause irreparable etching but its fine on Victorian tiles as long as you don’t leave it on too long. Finally, the floor was given a rinse with clean water to remove any trace of chemicals from the cleaning and to neutralise the area in preparation for sealing. I left the floor for 48 hours to dry before returning to the property to seal the tiles. This allowed plenty of time for the floor to dry completely, which is important as any excess moisture can damage the ability of the sealer to protect against dirt and stains. My choice of sealer for this floor was Tile Doctor High Shine; three coats in total were applied, providing – as the product name suggests – the high shine finish that the customer had requested. The sealer will provide durable surface protection going forward preventing dirt from becoming ingrained into the pores of the tile and ensuring it remains easy to clean and keeping its appearance for some time to come. As a big fan of Victorian tiles, it was a great pleasure to restore this floor, and my customer was certainly pleased too. It’s amazing how far a little professional maintenance can go to improving the appearance of these fantastic types of floor. Mick Gayton Warwickshire Tile Doctor

Kitchen — Project Description (Bolton, CT) (Full Renovation • Reconfiguration • Architectural Corrections) The original kitchen suffered from spatial imbalance and limited functionality: the right side was visually and physically heavy with cabinetry and appliances, the 135-degree angled walls lacked symmetry due to a missing window on the driveway side, and the small island could only seat two. Circulation was obstructed by a desk positioned in the main traffic flow, and the low French door felt disproportionate in scale compared to the large windows and adjacent two-story Great Room. Major Structural & Functional Improvements Repositioned window on the front elevation to the right, creating a long-desired view to the driveway while freeing space for a centered cooktop and statement hood — visually aligning with the Great Room’s redesigned fireplace focal wall. Installed a new custom sliding door, significantly taller and wider than the original French door. This upgrade enhances natural light, visually opens the kitchen to the deck, and provides unobstructed traffic flow thanks to its sliding operation. New Kitchen Layout & Enhanced Functionality Designed an entirely new layout centered around a 10' double-slab island, providing expansive workspace and a natural gathering zone. Added conversational seating for the whole family, allowing comfortable interaction on all sides of the island. Introduced purpose-designed storage solutions, including pullouts, rollouts, spice towers, tray organizers, and deep drawers to maximize usability. Reallocated the desk area to a dedicated window spot overlooking the backyard, removing it from traffic paths and improving both functionality and comfort. Cabinetry & Architectural Detailing Custom two-tone cabinetry in soft white and a serene blue-green tone reflects the visual language of the adjacent Great Room, creating whole-home cohesion. Installed lit upper glass cabinets along the entire perimeter, balancing vertical proportions and creating an elegant display band throughout the kitchen. A custom range hood was designed and painted to match the base cabinetry, becoming a focal point framed by symmetrical windows. Surfaces, Lighting & Finishes The island features a double-thickness quartz slab with a soft ogee radius for a timeless, furniture-like feel. A full-height, handcrafted aqua subway tile backsplash introduces depth, texture, and a gentle reflective quality. New layered lighting concept, including recessed lights, pendants, task lighting, and integrated cabinet lighting, ensures a warm and functional workspace at any time of day.

Nothing says "home" like a lush, green, manicured lawn. A professionally designed and installed landscape can increase your enjoyment of your home while also increase the resale value of your property. Often times, though, keeping your lawn maintained takes too much time, is too much of a hassle and requires more tools than many homeowners have at their disposal. To keep your lawn healthy and save yourself from the hassle, enlist help from the lawn maintenance professionals at Rick Roberts Lawn Service. Our team has over 20 years of experience providing lawn care services to homeowners throughout Southwest Florida, and we take pride in offering quality results. At Rick Roberts Lawn Service, our residential lawn maintenance contractors provide exceptional quality residential lawn maintenance services at fair pricing. In the event of a hurricane, you can rest assured that our lawn maintenance company can take care of any storm related damages your yard suffers because we have the experience and necessary equipment to provide quick storm recovery lawn maintenance services.

Modest home on the water! Horizontal, Board and Batten (River Rock) and 7" Shakes (Wrought Iron) Celect Cellular Composite Siding gives the look of wood without the maintenance! Celect is made from recyclable, state-of-the-art cellular materials. Which means it won't rot, split, crack, warp, twist, blister, flake, peel, delaminate or suffer loss of structural properties due to termites, microbiological growth or other decay!! The Celect trims also adds so much character!

Photo by Richard Ruthsatz. These mosaic tile balls were designed and created by Darlene Graeser from Unconscious on Canvas. It took about one week to tile each ball and it took about 50 lbs. of grout to complete each large ball. For More Information: Contact Artist (805) 419-5568 ... Darlene Graeser is a clinical psychologist by day, prolific painter by night. The hyperactive Darlene has little need or use for sleep. Darlene spent her nights wandering around the house and pondering her day, until she discovered that she could ponder just as well with paint and canvas. After one of her early paintings was featured on the cover of The American Psychologist, a one-woman show mounted in Santa Barbara sold out on the first night and the large colorful canvases she favors were stacked three deep in her studio, Darlene finally accepted the inevitable hyphen and is now Darlene Graeser, Psychologist-Artist or Artist-Psychologist, depending on the time of day. For over 32 years she has born witness as people shared their stories in an effort to understand how to put meaning to their suffering. Her flamboyance, humor, empathy, and wisdom have guided many towards transformation. Certainly, her art is a reflection of the lessons that she has learned from these courageous people. Over and over again wings appear in her art - her way of expressing the eternal mystery of life and death. Her newest work is a culmination of many years of working in the field of Death and Dying. Her wonderment is reflected in massive and unusual angels who are privy to a distant view of earth. Loss, Disappointment, Love, Joy, Shock, Longing, and brazen sexuality are all part of these images from the "other side". "View life from a distance with honor and a sense of wonderment." Check out our Artist Showcase Website: www.darlenegraeser.com where you can see pictures of the artist's studio and her home.

The house suffered from years of deferred maintenance and neglect when David Moulton AIA began an interior redesign and whole-house overhaul. Saved were the glorious, soaring clear redwood ceilings, the proportions, and most of the interior walls. Two large windows replaced an entertainment unit and fireplace that stood in the way of the view, thus creating the large, expansive stretch of windows that now take full advantage of the ocean and forest views. Added window seats provide cozy places to watch the scene unfold. A television lifts out of the central cabinet for optimal television viewing with no detraction of the views beyond. New Brazilian cherry floors throughout replaced dated vinyl, parquet and carpet. Removing channel walls on the stairway allowed space to lengthen the lower stair treads into a delightful waterfall of Brazilian hardwood, thereby creating visual interest and greater connection between the natural landscape and upper and lower floors.

This charming house was built in 1924 with all the aspiration of the California transplants of that era - mimicking a traditional, English cottage built into the hillside of scenic Los Feliz. When our clients moved in, nearly 100 years later, the house was suffering from a poorly-built, 2006 addition which was a jumble of walls and bathrooms that also turned out to be a breeding ground for black mold. After careful remediation, the clients decided to make the most of the fact that their primary suite had been taken down to the studs by reconceiving the layout of the 300 sf wing to accommodate a generous new primary bathroom, walk-in closet and convertible home office / guest bedroom.

This family of 5 was quickly out-growing their 1,220sf ranch home on a beautiful corner lot. Rather than adding a 2nd floor, the decision was made to extend the existing ranch plan into the back yard, adding a new 2-car garage below the new space - for a new total of 2,520sf. With a previous addition of a 1-car garage and a small kitchen removed, a large addition was added for Master Bedroom Suite, a 4th bedroom, hall bath, and a completely remodeled living, dining and new Kitchen, open to large new Family Room. The new lower level includes the new Garage and Mudroom. The existing fireplace and chimney remain - with beautifully exposed brick. The homeowners love contemporary design, and finished the home with a gorgeous mix of color, pattern and materials. The project was completed in 2011. Unfortunately, 2 years later, they suffered a massive house fire. The house was then rebuilt again, using the same plans and finishes as the original build, adding only a secondary laundry closet on the main level.

Coletta freestanding stone bathtub was designed with easy access as the principle advantage. The low profile walls of only 19.75” in height make it easier for older and physically challenged bathers such as those suffering from arthritis, to get in and out of the bathtub easily. Combining the low height feature and our firm yet smooth Aquatex material, the Coletta is a unique low step-in bathtub which puts it far ahead of the flimsy and obsolete looking competitor models found on the market.

This garden suffered severe damage from Hurricane Sandy. The owners wanted a complete makeover. Working with the grading of the land, we cut raised beds into the landscape. Two of these cedar raised beds are 18' long giving this homeowner a huge canvas for growing veggies. We now grow berry bushes, fruit trees within this space along side tomatoes, beans, peppers and more. Truly a mini farm for this family. Photo credit- Joseph Leonard

What does a roof deck look like when every part of the roof, even areas deemed uninhabitable and structurally weak, is utilized and optimized? This large midcentury home on the edge of Presidio National Park in San Francisco had an incredible location and views. But the original roof deck suffered from poor design detailing that had rendered it a leaking, deteriorating mess. Even worse, the previous owner had covered three roof areas surrounding the deck with river stones, structurally overloading the building and endangering its occupants. We removed the river stones and everything else down to the framing. An expertly detailed drainage and waterproofing system underlies everything above. The deck and access stairs are surfaced with durable and refined porcelain pavers. The guardrail is made from custom stainless steel supports with clear, low-iron, laminated glass spanning between for an unobstructed view. Heated seats make watching the chilly fog roll in through the gate comfy. Planting and greenery surround the deck. The type varies depending on structural conditions- a deep planter sits on top of a structural wall, sedums in shallow soil occupy the strong edges of the surrounding rooftops, and faux grass turf fills out the middle in areas that can’t support the weight of wet soil.

Alison suffers from terrible migraines and wanted a room in her home that was dark enough to help her recover naturally. She found that our Ultimate Blackout Cellular Shades and Movable Arch Blackout Shades were the perfect fit for her unique shaped windows. These shades have vinyl channels that block all light coming in from the sides of the shades for a complete blackout. To learn more about Alison of How She Does, check out here blog post, here: http://www.howdoesshe.com/migraines-blinds-com/

This roof in Hanover PA 17331 suffered damage from hail storms and high wind, so we got it approved for a full replacement by the homeowner's insurance company. We installed a brand new LIFETIME warrantied asphalt shingle roofing system by GAF in their Timberline HD roofing product. This includes new flashing, weatherproofing, waterproofing, drip cap, drip edge, underlayment, etc.

This lower-level family room in Seattle, which has been converted into an art studio/office, with a view of Puget Sound gets direct southern exposure and suffers from excessive heat and glare, making it uncomfortable to use. To address these issues, we chose Hunter Douglas Duette® Architella® honeycomb shades with Powerview® Automation. Their innovative cell-within-a-cell construction provides exceptional insulation, reducing both heat and glare. These light-filtering shades gently diffuse sunlight and are ideal for large windows. The motorized convenience of PowerView® Automation allows for effortless operation, especially beneficial for this hard-to-reach window.

This charming house was built in 1924 with all the aspiration of the California transplants of that era - mimicking a traditional, English cottage built into the hillside of scenic Los Feliz. When our clients moved in, nearly 100 years later, the house was suffering from a poorly-built, 2006 addition which was a jumble of walls and bathrooms that also turned out to be a breeding ground for black mold. After careful remediation, the clients decided to make the most of the fact that their primary suite had been taken down to the studs by reconceiving the layout of the 300 sf wing to accommodate a generous new primary bathroom, walk-in closet and convertible home office / guest bedroom.

Renovation of a front porch that was suffering from wood rood due to improper decking installation.
This is an example of a mid-sized wood railing front porch design in Other.