Posts Tagged ‘home design’
Design to Stay at Home for a Lifetime
I have an article featured in the April 2016 Issue of Beacon DC called, “Adapt Your Home to be Livable for Years”. Here are some tips to help you stay at home for a lifetime. Plan ahead for one floor living. Eliminate tripping hazards Make sure doorways are wide enough, and that hallways and rooms…
Read MoreWood Flooring in Older Homes
Renovating an old house can have its challenges, but it can be very rewarding. In many cases, the usual rules about the way to do things is not always the best solution. One thing I have learned is that when it comes to old houses is there really are no set “rules”. A reader sent…
Read MoreYour House Design Style Needs to Be Consistent
This Farmhouse Style House Design Fails Due to Inconsistent Elements and Details Some house designs start out in the right direction but manage to veer off the road and end up in a ditch. I noticed a house that once appeared on the HGTV Facebook page recently. The architect (or house designer) who designed this…
Read MoreHouse Dormers – Delightful or Hideous
A large dormer can allow you to add a significant amount of second floor space without having to lift the roof and add a good deal of construction cost. And properly proportioned dormers will add character and style to your house. But a badly designed dormer can be like a wart on the Mona Lisa.…
Read MoreHome Remodeling Turn Your Old Home into Your Dream Home
Sometimes, a home remodeling project can make more sense than building a new home. It can be a better investment and it can also be a better lifestyle choice. Instead of selling what you have and building your dream home, why not turn your house into that very dream house. If you’ve out-grown your current…
Read MoreHow to Design a Kitchen That Is Efficient and Beautiful
People who know how to design a kitchen are keenly aware that the first goal is to make the kitchen functional and efficient. Naturally, you want your kitchen to be attractive. After all, we spend a lot of time in our kitchens. But first and foremost, your kitchen needs to fulfill its purpose of being…
Read MoreSmall Kitchen Design is a Puzzle Waiting to Be Solved
A small kitchen design is a tough challenge. The kitchen is the most complicated room in any house. Small kitchens should still follow the planning principles of any good kitchen design. They must hold many different items, such as appliances, sinks, work surfaces, eating areas, and storage cabinets. They need to be workable and facilitate…
Read MoreWindow Grids Are Important to the Style of Your House
Window grids, more properly called muntins, are the slender bars that divide a large window into smaller panes, or lites. In the UK these grids are called glazing bars and they’re called astragals in Scotland. The small strips of metal that join glass in leaded glass windows are known as the caming. By whatever name…
Read MorePlan Your House to Meet Your Budget
Often when you look at a new home, or talk to a builder about the rough cost of building a house, you will hear the phrase “Square Footage” and they will talk in terms of “Cost per Square Foot.” This is the standard way of describing the size and cost of a house. But how…
Read MoreI Know What My House Should Look Like
Do you know what your house should look like even though you don’t have a floor plan? If so, you might have the same question one of our readers asked me recently. Luci wrote: I know the correct answer for this, but I’d like to find out that it CAN be done differently – My husband…
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