Remodeling Pays You Back Financially and Emotionally

Remodel Kitchen

Home remodeling is not just about increasing your house’s value in the marketplace. It is about the happiness the remodeling provides to you and your family. In a recent edition of The Wall Street Journal Sunday, columnist Jonathan Clements wrote an article entitled, How to Throw Away a Lot of Money. He listed seven ways we unwittingly waste…

Read More

News Flash! A 2×4 Is Not 2 inches by 4 inches!

Two By Fours

Just How Big Is a 2×4? Apparently a California Superior Court judge did not know the answer to this basic construction question. And you may not know. That’s okay. However, anyone who has even the slightest contact with construction knows that a 2×4 is actually 1 ½ inches by 3 ½ inches. When Judge Paul M.…

Read More

Wood Flooring in Older Homes

Old Wood Floor

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 More

Door Dilemma

Door Dilemma

I recently received a question about how to decide the correct height for an interior door.  The home has 9′ ceilings in most rooms, but the corridor connecting them are 8′.  They were advised by the door supply company to consider a 7’2′ door to make the rooms appear higher. My response:  In rooms/or corridors…

Read More

Don’t Let Your Hardwood Floors Turn Yellow

Hardwood Floors Yellow

I have had many people ask about the yellow look of oak floors. The good news is that the oak is not actually yellowing. It is actually the polyurethane finish that has yellowed. If you want your floors to remain oak colored and work well with your other stained items, I would suggest using a…

Read More

Your House Design Style Needs to Be Consistent

Consistent Home Design

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 More

Home Remodeling Turn Your Old Home into Your Dream Home

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 More

Window Grids Are Important to the Style of Your House

Mutin Windows

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 More

Reinventing Your House with a First Floor Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

These days, with lower real estate values and the economic uncertainties, reinventing your house may make more financial sense than building a new one. I hate to admit that. Being an architect, I love building new houses. But I understand that selling a house these days can be tough. Real estate commissions, fixing up your old house…

Read More