This luxury Hamptons pool house features a flat screen television and scenic bay views. View more Hamptons pools and cabanas on our website at: http://hamptonshabitat.com/featured-rooms-areas/hamptons-pools-and-cabanas/ Photo by Ron Papageorge

Built on telephone poles and once nicknamed "7 sticks house," a client with an existing house at Smith Lake (outside Birmingham) wanted to add on to maximize the view and their site. The site was comprised of a gaggle of scrappy pines and I wanted to honor their displacement with seven telephone poles. Using only one solid wall for the kitchen, all other sides are glass for a tree-house effect. The design won an AIA Award in 2007.

The 1,500 sq. ft. GO Home offers two story living with a combined kitchen/living/dining space on the main level and three bedrooms with full bath on the upper level. Amenities include covered entry porch, kitchen pantry, powder room, mud room and laundry closet. LEED Platinum certification; 1st Passive House–certified home in Maine, 12th certified in U.S.; USGBC Residential Project of the Year Award 2011; EcoHome Magazine Design Merit Award, 2011; TreeHugger, Best Passive House of the Year Award 2012 photo by Trent Bell

Example of a huge farmhouse master carpeted bedroom design in Gloucestershire with gray walls

The restoration of this 200 year old home was inspired by a Greek revival style, characteristic of early American architecture. A local housewright and historian worked together with Daniel Contelmo during the restoration in order to preserve the home's antiquity. Most of the foundation remains the original fieldstone, and the exposed hand-hewn beams were carefully removed, restored, and replaced. Traditional Pine Plains windows and a wrap-around porch display the pastoral 10 acre site, complete with lake and Catskill mountain views. Although the interior of the house was completely renovated, a New-Old house technique was used by distressing 20 inch-wide floorboards, installing two Rumford fireplaces, and using milk paint on cabinetry. Prior to renovating the home a magnificent timberframe barn was erected in the location where an original 1800s barn had burned down 100 years previously.

A book loving family of four, Dan, Julia and their two daughters were looking to add on to and rearrange their three bedroom, one bathroom home to suit their unique needs for places to study, rest, play, and hide and go seek. A generous lot allowed for a addition to the north of the house connecting to the middle bedroom/den, and the design process, while initially motivated by the need for a more spacious and private master bedroom and bathroom, evolved to focus around Dan & Julia distinct desires for home offices. Dan, a Minnesotan Medievalist, craved a cozy, wood paneled room with a nook for his reading chair and ample space for books, and, Julia, an American Studies professor with a focus on history of progressive children's literature, imagined a bright and airy space with plenty of shelf and desk space where she could peacefully focus on her latest project. What resulted was an addition with two offices, one upstairs, one downstairs, that were animated very differently by the presence of the connecting stair--Dan's reading nook nestled under the stair and Julia's office defined by a custom bookshelf stair rail that gave her plenty of storage down low and a sense of spaciousness above. A generous corridor with large windows on both sides serves as the transitional space between the addition and the original house as well as impromptu yoga room. The master suite extends from the end of the corridor towards the street creating a sense of separation from the original house which was remodeled to create a variety of family rooms and utility spaces including a small "office" for the girls, an entry hall with storage for shoes and jackets, a mud room, a new linen closet, an improved great room that reused an original window that had to be removed to connect to the addition. A palette of local and reclaimed wood provide prominent accents throughout the house including pecan flooring in the addition, barn doors faced with reclaimed pine flooring, reused solid wood doors from the original house, and shiplap paneling that was reclaimed during remodel. Photography by: Michael Hsu

This complete remodel of a 1980's red brick ranch house transform the home from boring to amazing. All existing ceilings were raised to create a more spacious interior. Also included in the project was a 3 -car garage addition with guest quarters above. Photos by Robert Clark and Joel Van Dyke

"My Plaster finishes took me all the way to Dubai!! I'm back and ready to rock for you!! This finish is "Tuscany" from Texston Co. you'll never find a better plaster company!!!!!

Charles Hilton Architects & Renee Byers LAPC From grand estates, to exquisite country homes, to whole house renovations, the quality and attention to detail of a "Significant Homes" custom home is immediately apparent. Full time on-site supervision, a dedicated office staff and hand picked professional craftsmen are the team that take you from groundbreaking to occupancy. Every "Significant Homes" project represents 45 years of luxury homebuilding experience, and a commitment to quality widely recognized by architects, the press and, most of all....thoroughly satisfied homeowners. Our projects have been published in Architectural Digest 6 times along with many other publications and books. Though the lion share of our work has been in Fairfield and Westchester counties, we have built homes in Palm Beach, Aspen, Maine, Nantucket and Long Island.

The house was a traditional Foursquare. The heavy Mission-style roof parapet, oppressive dark porch and interior trim along with an unfortunate addition did not foster a cheerful lifestyle. Upon entry, the immediate focus of the Entry Hall was an enclosed staircase which arrested the flow and energy of the home. As you circulated through the rooms of the house it was apparent that there were numerous dead ends. The previous addition did not compliment the house, in function, scale or massing. AIA Gold Medal Winner for Interior Architectural Element. For the whole story visit www.clawsonarchitects.com

Jacob Lilley Architects Location: Concord, MA, USA The renovation to this classic Victorian House included and an expansion of the current kitchen, family room and breakfast area. These changes allowed us to improve the existing rear elevation and create a new backyard patio. A new, detached two-car carriage house was designed to compliment the main house and provide some much needed storage.

Located upon a 200-acre farm of rolling terrain in western Wisconsin, this new, single-family sustainable residence implements today’s advanced technology within a historic farm setting. The arrangement of volumes, detailing of forms and selection of materials provide a weekend retreat that reflects the agrarian styles of the surrounding area. Open floor plans and expansive views allow a free-flowing living experience connected to the natural environment.

The local fieldstone blend covering the facade, the roof pitch, roofing materials, and architectural details of the new pool structure matches that of the main house. The rough hewn trusses in the hearth room mimic the structural components of the family room in the main house. Sliding barn doors at the front & back of the poorhouse allow the structure to be fully opened or closed. To provide access for cords of firewood to be delivered directly to the pool house, a cart path was cut through the woods from the driveway around the back of the house.

Island house in southern Florida, custom-designed and pre-cut by Habitat Post & Beam, Inc. This house was ferried to the job site where it was assembled by a local builder. Photos by Michael Penney, architectural photographer IMPORTANT NOTE: We are not involved in the finish or decoration of these homes, so it is unlikely that we can answer any questions about elements that were not part of our kit package, i.e., specific elements of the spaces such as appliances, colors, lighting, furniture, landscaping, etc. ADDITIONAL NOTE: This photo was used in a nice Houzz article about vacation house swapping options. The use of the photo in that article was not preapproved by Habitat, and we want to clarify that this house is not available for vacation home swapping.

Who lives there: Asha Mevlana and her Havanese dog named Bali Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas Size: Main house (400 sq ft), Trailer (160 sq ft.), 1 loft bedroom, 1 bath What sets your home apart: The home was designed specifically for my lifestyle. My inspiration: After reading the book, "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying," I got inspired to just live with things that bring me joy which meant scaling down on everything and getting rid of most of my possessions and all of the things that I had accumulated over the years. I also travel quite a bit and wanted to live with just what I needed. About the house: The L-shaped house consists of two separate structures joined by a deck. The main house (400 sq ft), which rests on a solid foundation, features the kitchen, living room, bathroom and loft bedroom. To make the small area feel more spacious, it was designed with high ceilings, windows and two custom garage doors to let in more light. The L-shape of the deck mirrors the house and allows for the two separate structures to blend seamlessly together. The smaller "amplified" structure (160 sq ft) is built on wheels to allow for touring and transportation. This studio is soundproof using recycled denim, and acts as a recording studio/guest bedroom/practice area. But it doesn't just look like an amp, it actually is one -- just plug in your instrument and sound comes through the front marine speakers onto the expansive deck designed for concerts. My favorite part of the home is the large kitchen and the expansive deck that makes the home feel even bigger. The deck also acts as a way to bring the community together where local musicians perform. I love having a the amp trailer as a separate space to practice music. But I especially love all the light with windows and garage doors throughout. Design team: Brian Crabb (designer), Zack Giffin (builder, custom furniture) Vickery Construction (builder) 3 Volve Construction (builder) Design dilemmas: Because the city wasn’t used to having tiny houses there were certain rules that didn’t quite make sense for a tiny house. I wasn’t allowed to have stairs leading up to the loft, only ladders were allowed. Since it was built, the city is beginning to revisit some of the old rules and hopefully things will be changing. Photo cred: Don Shreve

Picture Perfect House
Inspiration for a large farmhouse white two-story wood house exterior remodel in Chicago with a shingle roof

While cleaning out the attic of this recently purchased Arlington farmhouse, an amazing view was discovered: the Washington Monument was visible on the horizon. The architect and owner agreed that this was a serendipitous opportunity. A badly needed renovation and addition of this residence was organized around a grand gesture reinforcing this view shed. A glassy “look out room” caps a new tower element added to the left side of the house and reveals distant views east over the Rosslyn business district and beyond to the National Mall. A two-story addition, containing a new kitchen and master suite, was placed in the rear yard, where a crumbling former porch and oddly shaped closet addition was removed. The new work defers to the original structure, stepping back to maintain a reading of the historic house. The dwelling was completely restored and repaired, maintaining existing room proportions as much as possible, while opening up views and adding larger windows. A small mudroom appendage engages the landscape and helps to create an outdoor room at the rear of the property. It also provides a secondary entrance to the house from the detached garage. Internally, there is a seamless transition between old and new. Photos: Hoachlander Davis Photography

Richard Leo Johnson
Inspiration for a small cottage gray one-story exterior home remodel in Atlanta

A traditional house that meanders around courtyards built as though it where built in stages over time. Well proportioned and timeless. Presenting its modest humble face this large home is filled with surprises as it demands that you take your time to experience it.