10 Elements of a Dream Master Bath

A heavenly bathroom could be just a few features away. Would any of these be must-haves for your renovation?

Dreaming of revamping your master bath? From dual showers and soaking tubs to saunas, live-edge wood and built-in storage, more options abound than ever before. Wolford Built Homes, Louisville, Ky can help you achieve your ultimate master bath.

A dual shower. Would you forgo a bathtub altogether in favor of a shower? What if it were a really nice shower? This gorgeous shower has dual showerheads, black slate and built-in storage for towels and soap. Many Wolford Built Homes customers are more focused on a luxurious shower than a tub.

A Japanese soaking tub. If you do go for a tub, consider a Japanese-style soaking tub rather than a full-size version. A soaking tub is ideal for smaller spaces or when you want to devote more real estate to the shower; although it has a smaller footprint, it’s deep enough for bathers to fully submerge.

Slightly larger than a traditional Japanese soaking tub, this one is deep enough for someone to have a good, relaxing soak and wide enough for two. The clean lines of the cube-shaped tub pair well with the narrow horizontal wood slats for an organic modern look.

Wood. Wood in bathrooms has been trending for several years now and shows no signs of slowing — and why not? With marine-grade supplies and specialty finishes, it’s possible to enjoy the warm look and feel of wood in the bathroom. Say goodbye to cold tile!

The bath in the bedroom. Would you bathe in the bedroom? Combining bath and bed tends to ignite controversy — superluxurious, say some, while others prefer a distinct separation. Where do you stand?

A sauna. Live somewhere cold or just love a good sweat? Embrace the wintertime traditions of Nordic countries with your very own sauna at home. Saunas don’t need to eat up too much space, and having one installed may cost less than you think.

Sneaky storage. If you are redoing the whole bathroom, you may as well give some thought to your storage options — things have evolved since the days when your only choices were pedestal sink or double vanity.

Sneak in pullout shelves, wall cubbies, recessed niches and more to get exactly the right storage for your stuff.

What would have been a wasted section of wall space here was transformed into hidden shelving that’s perfect for storing spare toiletries.

Black and white. You really can’t go wrong with black and white — it’s chic, versatile and always in. Whether you bring the scheme to life with hand-painted floor tiles and horizontal black wall tiles, as in this hip space, or go for the classic subway and hex-tile combo, it’s bound to look good even five or 10 years out.

Live-edge wood. Well suited for both rustic and modern interiors, a live-edge wood slab makes a great bathroom feature.

A view. Sadly, this won’t work for all of us (at least not those of us with close neighbors), but if you are lucky enough to have a home with some privacy, I say make use of it!

A wall-to-wall window like this one will give you the feeling of soaking right out in nature — and making the bottom of the window level with the top of the tub will keep you from feeling overexposed. You can also always add window shades for privacy and light filtering.

Open air. If privacy isn’t an issue, consider opening up an entire wall to the outdoors. On cool days you can still enjoy the view, and on warm days you can slide open the glass and let the sun shine in!

The Wolford Built Homes Team can make your Mater Bath dreams a luxurious reality!

Tips for Choosing & Working With a Builder

Make your construction experience a happy one by following these steps

You may have heard horror stories about problems with builders, budgets spiraling out of control and sites left half-finished. But the reality is that the vast majority of builders are both professional and capable, and you can do a great deal to avoid bad experiences simply through the way you choose, manage and communicate with them. Here’s why it’s worth laying the foundations for a good relationship with your builder — and how to do it well.

Don’t approach a builder too soon

It may seem logical if you’re thinking of having construction work done to start by approaching a builder, but don’t be too hasty.

Builders are generally good at pricing once they know exactly what’s wanted, but asking for a price before you have any drawings or detailed information about the project is as good as inviting them to tell you simply what they think you want to hear.

My advice is to approach builders once you have a set of drawings and a list of what will (and will not) be included. Otherwise, you may base the project on a figure that could be miles off the eventual cost.

Consider the scope of the project

Find the right kind of building company for your project. The kind of contractor suitable for a luxury retail project has to be highly organized, usually with multiple managers, a well-organized back office, and teams that can operate around the clock and produce exceptionally high-quality work at speed. Such contractors tend to be expensive and for most people would be too much for a kitchen addition or an attic conversion.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are plenty of small owner-manager builders who do a lot of the work themselves on-site and organize everything from a mobile phone on their hip. With such low overheads, a builder like this should be much cheaper, but the level of service, organization and speed may not compare.

You’re looking for the most appropriate balance of low price, high quality and good organization. You never get the best of all three, but here it’s key to decide what will be the best fit for you.

Establish whether you need a specialist or just a general builder

A really good general builder is suitable unless the work in question is unusual.

For example, a good general builder is perfectly capable of converting an attic or building out a basement. You can, of course, go to a loft or basement company, and they, too, may do a great job. The most important thing is to find someone who will do good work for the right price.

Similarly, you can use a staircase company to make a staircase or a door company to sell you doors — or just use a good woodworker to make such things. With a clear design, a good builder will be able to coordinate the right people (cabinetmakers, electricians and so on) to build exactly what you want.

Aim for one point of responsibility

Rather than using one general contractor, it may seem wise to try to save money by directly engaging separate tradespeople, such as plasterers, electricians and carpenters.

While it’s true that a general contractor will take a small slice of cost from the subcontractors, I would argue that this money is well-earned. Managing and coordinating the separate trades on-site takes a great deal of mettle and experience.

I’ve seen lots of people who try to do this themselves get into a horrible mess and end up with a botched job that goes over time and over budget — not to mention the stress they’ve suffered.

While it can work to pull out certain specific and well-defined parts of the work (for example, laying the carpet), I strongly recommend using one building contractor who will take responsibility for the project overall.

Let the builder manage the project

Views about what project management actually involves can vary, but in my opinion, the most important manager of a project is the main building contractor.

It’s the builder’s responsibility to make sure that the right people in the right numbers are on-site at the right times and that they have the necessary materials to do their work.

While an independent architect or project manager can play an important role acting as an expert to look after your interests, keeping an eye on progress and quality, it’s important that the builder is allowed to run the project on a day-to-day basis. If not, there can be blurred responsibility if things go wrong. So choose a builder who’s professional and let that person do his or her job.

Be specific

I’ve mentioned it already, but I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to be specific.

A set of drawings is a good start, but what about the structural detail — are you asking the builder to work this out? If so, make that clear or, alternatively (and, in my opinion, preferably), have the structural calculations done by an engineer before you ask for a price.

But beyond the drawings, you need to make clear exactly what the builder is being asked to include in the price. If the work involves fitting a bathroom, for example, who’s supplying the hardware, faucets and tiles? If the builder is to supply them, exactly which ones? If you want to supply the tiles yourself, who’s supplying the adhesive and grout? Unless all such things are clear, there’s potential for misunderstandings and arguments over money once the work has started.

Embrace bidding

Competitive bidding is the process of getting alternative prices from different builders for the same work. Clearly, it’s crucial that the information against which they are pricing is absolutely clear and specific. (Otherwise how can two prices compare?)

I would generally send a project out to four or five builders for pricing. This involves the builder in a great deal of work, and it’s just not fair, in my opinion, to go to more than five. However, when the prices come back, it’s not at all unusual for them to vary between the highest and lowest by 100 percent or more, so it’s well worth going to at least three or four.

Understand the importance of a building contract

A building contract is simply an agreement between a builder, who agrees to undertake a specific set of works, and a client, who agrees to pay a set amount of money.

There are many forms of contract, but the one that I most regularly use for residential projects has the drawings and schedules attached to the contract, so it’s clear what’s included and what’s not. The payment terms and so on are agreed upon upfront.

The important thing the contract does is set out the “what ifs” —such as, what if the work is changed along the way? What if it takes longer than agreed?

Ideally and, I’m glad to say, usually, once signed and filed, the contract isn’t needed again because everything has gone smoothly. But that’s often because everyone knows it’s there in the background.

Consider who will do the rough-in and finish work

With a kitchen or bathroom, for example, the rough-in involves bringing the waste, plumbing and electrical services to the right places. So pipes and cables are installed in walls and under floors, and are left poking out. Typically, walls are then lined and plastered, and floors laid, before the finish work.

The finish work is where the cabinets, appliances, faucets, light fixtures, tiling and so on are done, connecting up to the pipes and cables that were set in place before.

It may be that you ask your builder to do both, but it’s not unusual for the finish work to be done by the person who supplied the kitchen or bathroom. This can work perfectly well as long as all parties understand in advance exactly what is (and is not) expected of them.

Make one comprehensive inspection list

More arguments happen at the final stage than at any other time in a project, so it’s important to be ready for the common pitfalls.

When the main work is going full tilt, everyone tends to be happy, but toward the end of a project, there are typically a thousand small items to attend to, requiring an array of tradespeople, and this can be both difficult and expensive for the builder to organize.

Combine this with the fact that the client can see the finish line and usually desperately wants the home back after a long wait, and frustration often boils over.

Again, my best advice is to be really organized. Communicate clearly on expected timetables, then give the builder the space to do what’s needed. When it comes to inspection at the end — checking for works not completed, or not completed as requested, which the builder will rectify — go around with your builder and agree on one comprehensive list. Of course, additional things may come to light, but it’s also not really fair to keep coming up with ever more items over time.

Special Thanks to Hugo Tugman Houzz Contributor

Current Events for Traditional Kitchens

Breaking with tradition is a good thing for kitchens stuck in yesteryear. These 10 contemporary updates will help you leave the past behind.

Kitchens with a little country or old-school quirkiness can have loads of charm; however, their traditional aesthetic may at some point feel like it’s losing its relevance. If you’re wondering how to contemporize the style of your kitchen without damaging its traditional integrity, read on for 10 ideas.

Go for stainless steel.

If your budget allows, update your appliances to stainless steel options; they will provide just the right modern touch to a more traditional space. If you’re working on saving toward these big purchases, start small by upgrading your kitchen’s hardware to sleek, contemporary designs.

Swap out your light fixtures.

A chandelier, for example, will add a bit of glam to your traditional kitchen, providing a relevant edge.

Add pendant lights.

If your country-style kitchen isn’t properly lit, now is the time to fix it; pendant lights will make it appear that much more modern. Install them over work areas, such as countertops or the island, to improve your space aesthetically and functionally.

Pull the lighting throughout the space. Be sure you’ve added lighting beneath the cabinetry as well as near the ceiling. This will eliminate shadows and give your space a fresh, balanced feel.

Update your countertops. This is a fairly pricey option, but updating your countertops is well worth the investment. Any rustic cottage-style or traditional space paired with granite countertops becomes eclectic and interesting instead of outdated. Plus, marble is classic, making it a sound investment.

Look up and down. How are your floors and ceiling looking? If you feel like they’re really dragging down the aesthetic, it could be time for a change. This floor design puts a contemporary spin on the traditional checkerboard by incorporating natural wood, while a wallpapered ceiling provides an unexpected touch. If you’re working on a tight budget, consider modern rugs for the floor or a fresh coat of paint for the ceiling.

Get out the paint. A country-style kitchen can feel instantly modern with new color. Paint the walls, cabinetry, ceiling beams — whatever you feel could use a little modern punch.

Add drama with a bold color. Accent your space with a bold, contemporary color, like on these cabinets. The contrast against a largely white space is uniquely modern.

Choose contemporary furnishings. What you choose to fill your kitchen has a huge impact on its overall aesthetic. Instead of going with traditional table and chairs, look for something with a modern appeal. It may seem counterintuitive, but your space will become enlivened.

 Do away with cabinetry.Open shelving is all the rage right now. Swap cabinetry for shelving for an instant style upgrade and an airy, relaxed aesthetic, especially when juxtaposed with a natural wood island.

 

Special Thanks to Shawn Gauthier Houzz Contributor

A Decorating Book Celebrates Expert Style Mixing

Old-world classic, traditional and modern elements harmonize in Stephen Sills’ gift-worthy new decorating book

This collection of 16 projects by Stephen Sills will give your coffee table chic touch and teach you countless lessons on how to mix styles with careful editing. Sills is one of America’s premier interior decorators, and the book features his projects from Aspen to the Hamptons, as well as his personal labor of love and design laboratory: his own home in Bedford, New York.

While the book features homes where the sky seems to be the limit in terms of budget, there are many lessons to be learned from them. Plus, the gorgeous photographs, by François Halard, make the book a joy to pick up when you feel like doing some daydreaming.

Raised in Oklahoma, Sills moved to New York City in the 1980s and honed his unique ability to balance classical and modern elements. He’s also a very keen shopper, collecting antiques and artwork from all over the world.

Calming yet energetic, traditional yet avant-garde, his style has been given the ultimate compliment: Karl Lagerfeld claims if he ever bought a home in America, Sills would be his choice as the interior decorator. (He has also done work for very discerning style divas like Anna Wintour, Vera Wang and Tina Turner.) Here are some key design lessons from the book that can be applied to any home.

Make an impact in the entry. Yes, I know, the entry in this Gilded Age–inspired home is larger than a lot of our entire dwellings, but the mix of elements is a lesson in editing. The house was decorated with the owners’ extensive modern art collection in mind, with classical decoration providing a background to enhance the pieces. Museum-quality antiques complement the museum-worthy paintings.

Sills designed the unique stone and wood floor after a middle-of-the-night revelation that the keys needed to go in different directions. Architectural details like the molding, French doors and arched elements add classical refinement.

In the kitchen, think about function first, then balance styles. This kitchen has modern function, complete with a large island, two sinks, two dishwashers and a table. To create a rustic, comfortable European-inspired farmhouse style, the following elements mix in harmony. A neutral palette featuring biscuit-white paint, and warm wood floors, tie them all together.

European style: Rustic wood beams, a large vent hood, antique plates hung on the wall and a simple square tile backsplash.

Farmhouse style: Bin pulls, an apron-front porcelain sink and Shaker cabinets.

Modern elements: Stainless steel appliances, a pot filler over the stove, tulip-style dining chairs and a faceted pendant light.

Play with scale until you get it right. This Fifth Avenue apartment has beautiful classical proportions that needed furniture to match.

High ceilings and large windows with transoms that stretch almost all the way to the ceiling emphasize dramatic height in this bedroom. This meant the bed needed to emphasize these proportions as well; its warm metal finish and striking shape make it a focal point, while its height stands up to the high ceilings. Swing-arm reading sconces keep the area around it uncluttered. In addition, simple window treatments brought right up to the crown moldings emphasize the window.

“Modern living can be achieved in classical backgrounds,” writes Sills. This 1908 Renaissance revival landmark building in New York City, The Apthorp, had been chopped up and renovated; Sills was tasked with bringing it back to its original glory while adapting it for modern lifestyles. Excavating through renovations that had happened over the past century to get down the original bones, Sills prioritized restoring the building’s original classical proportions and architectural details.

To update the look, he bleached some of the dark paneling and added modern light fixtures to “lift the whole thing up,” he says. In this case a custom gilded cage adds texture around a midcentury modern globe light. Carefully placed antiques and a lot of space result in a pleasing balance. Items like the French wooden screen add depth, color and texture to the light-colored room.

Create versatile spaces, especially if you entertain a lot. In this dining room, Sills used four square black lacquer small tables that can be pushed together into one large dining table or broken apart for more intimate seating arrangements.

This is in the same building as the previous photo. The sculptural modern light fixture was crafted by artist Christopher Trujillo from paper plates.

Look to Europe for garden inspiration. Back in the day, architects, designers and landscape architects used to travel to Europe for “The Grand Tour,” gleaning inspiration from the great gardens of England, Italy and France. Today we can take a virtual Grand Tour for free, thanks to the Internet and the public library.

On Sills’ own property in Bedford, New York, boxwood hedges, pathways, walls and patios create distinct garden rooms and vantage points. Antique objects like the obelisks at the end help define the different spaces, draw the eye and create forced perspective.

At the end of the pool, American columns topped with French urns create a boundary between the pool area and the forest.

Relaxed country style doesn’t have to mean classic Americana. Sills approached this classic 18th-century saltbox house with his clients’ desire for a lighter and more austere take on the era. American colonial architecture, European antiques and midcentury modern furnishings play nicely together.

Bleached oak plank floors and a Swedish painted tea table add Scandinavian country simplicity. An antique French screen and modern stools add unique character. Oversize green glass bottles with large leaves play with scale, and extensive windows bring the pastoral views into the room.

A mirror is one of the easiest ways to make a big design impact. Sills seeks large and unique mirrors for his design projects. While the rest of this transitional room is tailored, this intricate Roman mirror is a standout among all the clean-lined geometric pieces, including the bronze fireplace surround below.

Sills often puts a mirror over a fireplace, so that the entire tableau becomes a focal point rather than two strong elements dueling for attention.

Let a favorite work of art determine the color palette and tone of a room. This home in Aspen, Colorado, is full of iroko wood and warm neutrals, but a painting by Joan Mitchell amps up the color palette. With his careful editor’s eye, Sills played off the reds and blues with a few other colorful pieces dotted around the room.blues with a few other colorful pieces dotted around the room.

7 Major Decorating Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Let the Wolford Built Homes Art of Design Team help you get solutions to the challenges that cause many homeowners to put off interior design projects

A huge reason many people don’t get around to tackling a decorating project is because they’re afraid to make a costly mistake. To give you the confidence to start your own dream design, and to help you get it right the first time, I’ve put together a list of seven major design mistakes that can affect your entire project. Now you’ll know what to look for and how to get back on course to decorating success.

Choosing paint first. While paint is in many ways one of the biggest parts of your design (particularly in terms of pure square footage), that doesn’t mean it should necessarily be the first thing you pick.

Solution: Once you’ve settled on some of your essential fabric furnishings (rugs, pillows, draperies, upholstery, etc.), it’s relatively easy to pick a coordinating color from a fan deck or set of paint chips. Finding fabrics you truly love after already committing to a paint scheme is much tougher.

 Buying furniture without measuring. It’s hard to judge the scale of furniture when it’s sitting on a vast showroom floor. That’s why homeowners are sometimes shocked to find that the beautiful sectional or coffee table they saw in a showroom looks as though it eats up the entire room when it’s sitting in their living room.

Solution: If you know what measurements you’re shopping for, you can let the cold hard numbers guide you when your eyes might be playing tricks. Measure (or even mark with tape) the area available for each major piece so that you can figure out an acceptable size range.

Bring these measurements with you when furniture shopping and stick to them. If you fall in love with something out of your size range, ask if it comes in different sizes, or have it measured and bring the measurements home to tape off in your space to make sure it’s a size you are happy with.

 Shopping in just one store. One-stop shopping is all the rage these days, but furnishing your entire home (or even just one room) from the same store tends to result in a much less interesting visual story than taking some time to shop around.

Solution: Try boutiques that carry different design lines, or online stores that draw from different manufacturers and brands. This way, even if you have one preferred style or period, your home still won’t look cookie-cutter.

Buying the whole set. Speaking of one-stop shopping, another designer no-no (although some would disagree) is to settle for purchasing furniture in a matching “set,” such as a bedroom suite or matching sofa and love seat. While this may be a shortcut to achieving a coordinated style without much thought, the results tend to have less appeal than a little mixing can provide.

Solution: Settle on one major piece and look to a different manufacturer for an item that coordinates without perfectly matching, such as these mix-matched side tables. The end design will carry more personal flavor, one that can’t be found in a catalog.

Details you can pick up between different pieces include color, material (such as the general type of upholstery or a metal finish), tufting or pleats, leg styles, straight versus rounded lines, and design period. Using a few of these connections will help pieces relate, so you can be confident that they coordinate (like these gray, tufted seats).

Never making a bold choice. While nobody wants to spend an extra weekend painting over last weekend’s mistake, being fearful of ever making an adventurous decision can result in a space that feels bland or unsatisfying.

Solution: Take a risk every now and then! Rest assured that if you do choose a dramatic wall treatment, you can always layer over it with light and breezy pieces (such as white wall art or neutral-colored furniture) to tame the look until it feels livable. And if you ultimately grow tired of it, you can change it someday.

Making everything bold. The opposite of the previous mistake is to expect every piece you invest in to be the dazzling showstopper. Even in very dramatic spaces, some elements must be the simple staples that take a back seat to the focal points. Think of it like cooking: A great recipe may have tantalizing spices, but it will also need the humble salt to help that flavor sing.

Solution: If you have a bold art piece, beautiful curtains or some vibrant fabrics, let other pieces (like your sofa upholstery or a large rug) be beautifully simple.

When choosing a new item or material to integrate, be sure to consider how it will fit into the entire palette, rather than just taking it at face value on its own. A solid-color pillow or demure gray blanket may not pop out at you when you’re shopping, but it might be just what a space needs.

 Never letting go of the past. It can be hard to get rid of clutter from days gone by, but it can be even harder to shake bad design memories. However, the fact that you’ve lived through an awful trend shouldn’t put you off a beautiful idea forever. For example, if you’re turned off by the shiny golden fixtures from decades past, you may want to keep your mind open to the matte brass fixtures that are trendy today.

Solution: The fact that you’ve lived though a nasty wallpaper tear-down or a bad shade of orange paint shouldn’t mean you leave a powerful decor tool behind forever. With today’s technology, the options are only getting better, and you’ve got many great resources available to help you avoid making a mistake in the future. So go ahead, give that tempting design trend another try: After all, you live only once, but in design, everything old becomes new again. And if you stay receptive, you may find a bold style you’ll love forever.

Special Thanks to Yanic Simard

Houzz Contributor.

Organized From the Start: 8 Smart Systems for Your New House

When it comes to clutter and organizing, so often we start looking for solutions only once things have gotten completely out of hand. But if you’re moving into a new place, why not take this as an opportunity to do things right from the get-go? By putting these eight organizing systems in place at the beginning, it’ll be easier to keep things organized for the long term.

Gilmans Kitchens and Baths

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1. Labels. The truth is, much of the labeling you see in beautifully styled home photos isn’t really necessary. However, there are times when it can be a real game changer. For instance, if you store your spices in a drawer, having labels on the lids means that you can find what you need at a glance instead of hunting through the jars. A simple roll of masking tape and a Sharpie can make quick labels in a pinch, and they’re ideal for labeling leftovers in the fridge or freezer with the name and date.

Organize Don’t Agonize

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2. Small stuff sorters. Medications, first aid supplies, craft items, spare lightbulbs — every household has its share of little stuff. These kinds of items, which tend to come in all sorts of odd shapes and sizes, can quickly cause chaos in closets and drawers. Prevent toppling piles by stowing little things inside labeled boxes, which can be stacked on shelves.

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Drawers are another place where small items tend to cause problems. Start things off on the right note by putting simple drawer organizers in place wherever small items are stored: Kitchen drawers, junk drawers, desk drawers and entryway drawers can benefit from organizers. If you’re purchasing organizers, be sure to measure your drawers carefully before shopping to be sure you get the right fit.

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3. Entryway landing zone. A neat spot to stash your belongings when you arrive home is essential. Without it, those coats, shoes, bags and papers will spread throughout the house in a heartbeat. A bench, shelving, wall hooks and shoe storage will keep everything contained and out of the way.

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The most important thing when it comes to setting up your entryway is to decide on a specific spot to store each item you typically come home with — mail in a tray, keys in a basket, shoes on a shelf and so forth. If you’re extra vigilant about putting items where they belong right from the start, soon it will become a habit, and you won’t have to think about it at all.

Andrea McLean Design Office

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4. Giveaway collection basket. A sturdy basket, bin or tote bag is useful for collecting stuff bound for the charity shop. So often, we hold on to clutter simply because there’s no clear route to getting it out of the house. Having a dedicated spot to gather items we no longer want or need makes the clutter-clearing process more straightforward. When it’s full, just grab it and go.

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5. Simple filing system. With the option to get paperless bills and statements, the amount of paperwork you have to file at home may not be much, but don’t let this lull you into thinking that you don’t need a filing system. Folders labeled in broad categories that make sense to you (car, home repairs, taxes) will help ensure that you have what you need at your fingertips. If you feel that you don’t have enough paper storage to justify purchasing a traditional filing cabinet, file boxes are just as functional, and you can use more or fewer as needed. Whatever filing system you choose, be sure to keep it in an easily accessible spot. If it’s too hard to use it, you probably won’t.

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6. Laundry system. Simple is usually best when it comes to laundry, but there are a few small additions to your laundry area that can really help: a small basket to temporarily hold socks without mates, a dish to collect items emptied out of pockets, and a few extra baskets or bags to separate delicate and dry-clean-only items. If you have a lot of hand-wash items, you may also want to invest in a collapsible drying rack that can slide away when not in use.

CLOSET ENVY INC.

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7. Wall-mounted tool storage. In any storage area — whether it’s a garage, broom closet or basement — storing items off the floor is key for two reasons: It keeps things neat, and it protects your belongings from dampness. Long-handled tools can snap into wall-mounted holders, while other items rest on shelves.

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8. Home maintenance schedule. If you’re a new homeowner, take the time early on to find the pros you want to work with and put regular home maintenance tasks (clean gutters in spring and late fall, check heating and cooling systems) on your calendar. Being organized about home maintenance will help the systems of your house run more smoothly and can prevent major problems down the road.

So You Want to Build a New Home…..

Whether building new or renovating an existing structure, creating a new home is a journey of discovering who you are, what you want, how you want to live and where you want to be. It’s a chance for you to define your relationship to the world, to your family and to yourself. Creating a home is more than building “3 bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms.” It is so much more than the sum of a few parts.

As with any journey, you’ll want to do some research and plan your trip. You’ll want to have a sense of what the end result should be and how much it’ll cost. And while you’ll no doubt be able to go it alone, having a seasoned and experienced guide show you the way will likely mean a more enjoyable, more enriching and overall better journey.

Let’s look at the steps, in chronological order, involved in creating a home.

Keep in mind what architect Charles Moore once said: “If you care enough you just do it. You bind the goods and trappings of your life together with your dreams to make a place that is uniquely your own. The crucial ingredient is concern, care for the way that a house is built and the shape it gives to your life.”

Set goals. Creating a new home for yourself is all about setting goals and taking the steps to achieve those goals.You’ll want to establish the answers to a whole host of questions so that you can set these goals.

Goal setting requires satisfying both left- and right-brain activities. So your list of goals will include two sides: a practical, meat-and-potatoes side and an emotional, ice-cream-and-pie side. Each is important, and each needs to be recognized so that the end result will reflect a totality.

Questions to ask:
• What do you want to achieve?
• Where do you want to be?
• What will this cost?
• Can it really be achieved?
• Does plan A make sense?
• What’s plan B?

By the way, a goals statement is what architects refer to as a program. So when your architect says “program,” just think “goals.”

Establish a budget. While a budget should be in any goal statement, it’s such an important piece that it’s included here as a separate task. When making your budget, of course you’ll begin with what you can afford, and how the cost of your house fits in with your overall plans for the future. When you’re ready to get down to details, include everything that will go into the project: the cost of the land, local fees and taxes, design and engineering fees, construction of not just the home but the landscape, plus furniture and decorating.

And don’t forget a healthy contingency. As with any complex project, things will happen, and the road from point A to point B will have a detour or two. Make sure that these little side trips won’t send you over the edge.

A spreadsheet program such as Excel is a good tool to use for developing a budget, as you can continuously update and modify it as you work your way through the project.

Find some land — or a neglected older house. Where do you want to be? How do you want to live? What are you looking for? Maybe you want that house in the mountains or with the ocean view, but it’s not in the cards right now, for economic or other reasons. No matter; you’ll likely be able to reinvent yourself later. For now, it’s the burbs with the good schools or some other place. The point is, find a spot on the globe that you can claim as your own and build what will be a home.

And maybe that land isn’t a few acres that’s never been trampled on. Maybe it’s an existing house that’s just old and tired and has suffered some neglect. The house whispers to you that it really does want to shed those avocado-colored appliances, that shag carpeting and those single-pane windows, and you know you’re the person to do that.

So take heart if you decide to transform that sow’s ear into a silk purse. You’ll be amazed at the transformation that can take place.

Assemble a team. While you might think you can go it alone, assembling a team of tried and true professionals is the better approach. After all, you wouldn’t represent yourself in court. So why wouldn’t you entrust your single largest investment to an experienced team that won’t be learning on your dime?

An architect and a builder (if not one and the same) are going to be your most important team members. These people will act as guide, therapist, advocate and counselor throughout the journey that creating your home is. And, as with all good professionals, the right guide can ensure that the journey is all the more enjoyable.

As you embark on this journey, you will likely want to add team members. A kitchen and bath designer, perhaps; maybe an interior designer, too. Certainly a landscape architect, who shouldn’t be the last person hired when all the money is gone; you want to create a beautiful yard that will complement the house.

Plan, plan and plan some more. Every large project I’ve ever worked on has had this one thing in common. The owner, whether a private developer, government agency or corporate entity, knew the importance of planning the project in detail before starting to build.

These owners knew that moving walls on paper is a whole lot cheaper than moving walls after they’re built. So embark on a robust planning and design phase.

• Play the “what if?” game. Sometimes the first answer is the right answer, sometimes it’s the 31st. Just remember not to settle until you’ve explored all the possibilities; you don’t want to say after the project has been built, “We should have done …”
• Go big or go home. And I don’t mean big as in size (that’s a whole separate discussion), but big as in big ideas. Building a home, be it from scratch or a renovation, is an exercise in making something that’s yours. So dream big and have grand plans. There will be time enough to deal with the realities of budget, zoning and codes. Don’t sweat the small stuff for now.
• Sweat the small stuff. Decisions, decisions, decisions. You’ll be asked to make many — more than you can imagine. Just remember that God is in the details, so make sure that the details are there so that your home will be uniquely your own and speak to who you are.

Accept the inevitable. You’ve made the plans, gotten the permits and secured the money; now the only thing left to do is build your house. You’ve accounted for everything, so it should all come together as smooth as silk. Easy, right?

Oddly enough, stuff happens. That’s a given. How you and your team react to these hiccups will be important. My advice is to stay calm, keep your sense of humor and work with your team to address the issue. This is where having the right team in place can pay dividends. An architect, a builder and others who can work together and share ideas without criticizing one another will go a long way to helping you keep your sanity.

Some tips for staying sane during construction:

• Don’t change your mind. Early on make all of the decisions you have to, select all of your finishes and don’t change your mind. Yes, you’ll be enticed by that new thing that comes along. Just remember that once construction starts, it’ll cost you time, money and perhaps a trip or two to a therapist if you change your mind.
• Turn a deaf ear to the goings-on. Every construction site is filled with workers complaining. After all, who doesn’t complain about his or her job? Who hasn’t wanted to vent about the boss? The best thing you can do is ignore it. Don’t worry; if it really is an issue, you’ll be told about it.

Enjoy your new home. You’ve worked hard and spent more than a few dollars to create your new home, so enjoy it to the max. Revel in the way the light falls across a room and how it changes with the seasons. Find unexpected places to talk with family members. Discover how this place gives shape to your life and allows you to become the person you want to be.

In the end you’ll be amazed that your new house is so much more than the sum of just its three bedrooms, living room and so on. It’s the place you get to call home and make uniquely yours.

Special thanks to Bud Dietrich, AIA Houzz Contributor

Try A Broken Plan

This modern spin on open-plan living offers greater privacy while retaining a sense of flow

Open-plan living has been one of the biggest trends in our homes in recent decades. Indeed, knocking down walls can create a sense of space, light, sociability and fluidity that many of us love. But open-plan layouts can reduce privacy and quiet spots, as well as useful walls against which to place furniture. You may also struggle to ignore that pile of dishes you see out of the corner of your eye during TV binges on the sofa (at least with a wall between you and the kitchen, you can pretend it isn’t there). Welcome, then, to a slow, steady move toward a compromise: broken-plan living. But what exactly is it?

Broken-plan means keeping the things you love about open-plan, but also letting your rooms retain an element of privacy and specific use.

By dividing your overall space more subtly — using half walls, smart shelving, split levels, internal windows and other clever tricks — and creating breakout zones for privacy and relaxing, it’s perfectly possible to hold on to an appealing sense of light and space, but also to escape distraction from the loved ones you live with (and the undone cleaning) when the mood takes you.

 

One constant conundrum with non-open-plan living is how to preserve that lovely sense of flowing light. If you’re not careful, once you introduce walls and closed doors, you can be left with a series of dark, too-small rooms.

Broken-plan living offers a compromise. In this space, an open shelving unit allows light to filter through and helps to retain a sense of connectivity and flow between the adjacent rooms. An extra-wide door opening similarly adds to the broken-plan design.

Another way to boost light is to install internal windows. This is especially appropriate for a home office, such as the one in this modern home, since it provides quietness without cutting you off entirely from what’s going on in the rest of the living area.

If going radically open-plan means getting rid of narrow doorways and walls altogether, in a broken-plan scheme, a wide opening can be an effective compromise.

This impressive space makes use of different floor levels and different ceiling heights, which psychologically helps to increase the distance between separate zones designed for different functions.

The chic kitchen is physically kept separate from the cozy TV den thanks to the dividing wall, but both areas naturally flow (but don’t bleed) into the large dining and lounging area. The result is a space where a large family can easily be “alone together.”

A large, all-in-one downstairs room, encompassing cooking, dining and living zones, has become a popular layout in many homes. But while the result can look spacious, it may mean the living spaces never feel truly relaxing, because they’re so connected to the bustle of the kitchen.

However, small tricks, such as having two or three steps between areas, can be all it takes to provide that crucial mental and physical divide. In this open-plan space, retaining a slab of wall on one side of the wide bookcase also subtly helps the living area to feel more self-contained.

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This is another chic example of a split level helping to divide a dining room and living area. Here, an unusual balustrade also helps to keep things separate, along with different types of flooring and shades of wallcovering.

If you have the room height, and an architect or a builder to help you plan properly, inserting a loft can be a smart way to fit another living area into what could otherwise be dead space.

In this abode, the lower-level lounging area is elegant and more formal, while the narrow upper-level seating area is reserved for watching TV and storing books and DVDs. The glass balustrade helps to create a flow between the two distinct areas and keeps the upper level as light as possible.

This home study is separated from the main living area by three short steps and a half-height glass wall. These create a clear boundary that stops spillover between one function and another. Having different textures — the exposed brick wall, in this case — and different flooring (wood versus tiles) further adds to the demarcation.

Before planning your broken-plan space, think about what you miss in your current home and what works where; not everyone wants a study downstairs, for example.

 

Many of us hanker after more space in our homes but, ironically, one problem with larger open-plan living spaces is that they can end up feeling too big — and consequently not always cozy.

Dividing a large room into smaller lounging zones could be an option if this is your issue. Here, a well-placed TV and fireplace wall does the trick.

If you’re lucky enough to have a spacious bedroom, a broken-plan design can help you retain a separate area for lounging, studying or even crafting or doing other hobbies. It’s also a good potential trick for compact studio flats, where the sleeping and living spaces are one.

Here, a storage wall complete with integrated fireplace shields the living area, but the light from the large windows and the lovely view can still be appreciated.

It might seem a bit old-school, but a half wall between a dining area and a kitchen creates a visual block from the chaos of cooking when you’re enjoying a meal with family or guests.

It also means you can keep the conversation going, rather than feeling as if you’re marooned in another room while you cook and they relax (or vice versa).

Sliding doors give the residents of this house control over the room’s openness. The tall chimney effectively interrupts the long living space and helps each room retain a sense of privacy, while simultaneously allowing a sneaky view through either side.

Special Thanks to Cheryl Freedman Houzz Contributor

Work That Square Footage

The Hardworking Home: From Juliet balconies to movable walls, here’s how to make a home of any size feel more open, flexible and fun

 New homes are getting bigger. The size of the average American home built in 2013 was 2,600 square feet, which is bigger than ever, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. While it can be nice to have such a spacious dwelling, many of us live in much older homes, built early in the previous century, with smaller floor plans that reflect the routines of a different era. Many people are continuing to flock to urban environments, too, where living spaces are generally smaller. So how do you make a smaller home feel bigger? If you have limited space, consider these design solutions to improve the livability of your home.

Fake a foyer. Does your front door open right into the living room? Tired of seeing the explosion of coats, shoes and backpacks from your spot on the couch? You can still create the feel of a foyer by introducing some space-defining elements. The partial-height wall, oversize post and bench pictured here keep the entryway from spilling into the dining area beyond. The lowered ceiling and decorative light further define the space within the larger room.

Create movable walls. Full-height sliding doors can be a great way to create separate, flexible spaces for sleeping and living. This strategy can be particularly useful for small alcoves off larger rooms. In this house an open playroom for the kids can be quickly converted to a guest bedroom, thanks to a sliding barn-style door and a pull-down bed.

Large sliding doors can be very easy to move, but they can also be very heavy! The doors typically hang from a track that needs to be securely attached to a wall or ceiling. You’ll need to provide a concealed guide at the floor to prevent the door from swinging out at the base.

Consider a Juliet balcony. In urban environments few things are valued more than outdoor space — no matter how small it is. However, proximity to the property line or a budget limitation might restrict your ability to build an outdoor balcony or deck. A large sliding door or in-swing patio door with a small railing on the face of the building can create a micro outdoor space, providing a breath of fresh air and a connection to the outdoors.

This can be particularly effective on an upper story, where the addition of an actual deck may be a complicated and expensive structural endeavor. The railing for a Juliet balcony needs to be attached to the wall to meet building code requirements and let you safely enjoy the view from up close. And as with any new door or window opening, you will want to consider proper weather sealing to keep the outdoors where it belongs.

Just one bathroom? Add another door. Only one bathroom is a common challenge in older houses. Can you still have a master bathroom if it’s the only bathroom in the house? Or maybe the bathroom can be reached only through your bedroom.

In this project adding a door between the bedroom and the reconfigured bathroom created the functionality of a master suite while allowing access from the hall.

When laying out multiple doors in a small bathroom, their locations need to be planned carefully so the doors don’t bang into each other. Pocket doors may be useful if space is tight. Before making new openings in existing walls, consult a building professional to help you evaluate whether the wall is load bearing and if structural improvements will be needed.

Use skylights to improve headroom. A stairway with limited headroom can be very uncomfortable to use and might discourage you from making the most of the rooms on an upper level. Sometimes this low clearance is an issue only for a small area at the top landing. Raising the roofline or adding a dormer can be very expensive solutions for such a small area.

But a well-placed skylight can be used to raise the ceiling height where it’s needed most. It also brightens the room and provides the opportunity for ventilation. An architect or engineer can help you evaluate how to add an opening in the roof structure. You will want to consult your local building code for the minimum headroom required at the stair as well.

Go easy on the uppers. Wall-hung cabinets above the counter are one of the most common features in kitchen design. But having too many upper cabinets in a small kitchen can make the space feel confined. Consider replacing those blank boxes with something more unexpected, such as open shelving or a bank of windows.

This change can transform a dark kitchen into your favorite room in the house.

 

Eliminating upper cabinets doesn’t have to mean cutting back on storage, however. Open shelving can be used to conveniently store those items that are used most, while also giving the room more visual depth. In this example the tile backsplash continues behind the shelves, up to the ceiling. This simple move provides a dramatic focal point and makes the room feel taller too.

Special Thanks to Marty Buckenmeyer

Houzz Contributor

Character and Charm

On a walk through any town in Britain and many in the U.S. and elsewhere, you could encounter homes from the Georgian, Tudor and Edwardian eras, to name just three. It can often be difficult to distinguish one period from another. Victorian architecture makes up a large proportion of those buildings. Here’s how to distinguish Victorian homes from the rest, and the design elements that make up their distinctive style today.

Architecture at a Glance
What: Victorian architecture — buildings constructed during the reign of Queen Victoria
When: 1837 to 1901
Main type: Terraced housing, generally built to accommodate workers moving to cities to work in factoriesThe Victorian era is the period in which Queen Victoria ruled Britain, from 1837 to 1901. Following the industrial revolution, which began around 1760 and lasted until about 1840, production methods and manufacturing processes had changed greatly. The beginning of the railways meant that building materials that would previously only have been available to those in the local area were now available countrywide.People flocked to the towns looking for work. “The explosion of the property market happened in the Victorian era, so they were forced to mass produce homes to accommodate all of the workers,” says Hugo Tugman of Architect Your Home.

Victorian Home Characteristics

A small, hidden kitchen. Kitchens were considered to be the territory of servants for the wealthy, and would certainly not have been on display to the public in smaller homes. Beyond the main house traditionally was a rear projection, or outrigger, which housed the kitchen, the pantry and, historically, an outside toilet.“The only rooms to be presented to the public were the formal reception rooms. That’s probably one of the biggest differences between an original Victorian property built in the 19th century and one now: things like cooking were certainly not something on show to friends and guests,” says Martyn Clarke of Martyn Clarke Architecture. The rear projections were often more than 20 feet long, and can be extended sideways today to create around 430 square feet of space.

No garage. Cars were invented toward the end of the Victorian era, so Victorian homes do not have garages, hence the multitude of properties today with only street parking. People traveled by foot, steam train, horse, horse-drawn bus and, in the case of the wealthy, horse and cart.

Fireplaces in every room. Most rooms in a Victorian house contain a fireplace, as open fires were once the only form of heating. The lack of heating also affected room sizes. “It meant big, open spaces were unrealistic,” says Tugman. “Heavy curtains would also have been common to block drafts, as windows were single-glazed.”

Sash and bay windows. Plate glass — allowing for larger panes than were previously possible — arrived in 1832. Typical Victorian windows are made up of four or six panes fixed to wooden runners that slide vertically, called sash windows.

Often the homes have bay windows, either circular or rectangular. “Bay windows are very characteristic of the Victorian era and can even go up to three stories high,” Clarke says. “The Victorians embraced ornament in the detail and in the form of their buildings,” Tugman adds. “They would have had bays to create more interest in the modeling.”

Floor tiles. Victorian homes often have floor tiles in the porch area and hallway. Terra-cotta is a common color, as are black and white. Geometric patterns, such as this one, are typical.

Porches. Victorian buildings typically have a front porch marking the main entrance. Their features vary depending on the grandness of the property. Small terraced houses typically have a small sheltered area, while grander properties have steps, gables and carvings around the porch.

Molding. The quality of woodwork and molding traditionally was directly related to the status of the house. Molding gives form and shape to a room and is an important element in Victorian interior design. Grander homes have much more elaborate molding with decorative details, including ornate coving and ceiling medallions, designed to catch the smoke rising from gaslights.

“You can have different grades of fireplace, different levels of cornicing — different levels of embellishment across the board,” says Clarke.

Types of Victorian Homes

The Victorian terrace. The terrace houses designed for working families are often very small and in close proximity to one another.

A typical house of this kind is a two-up, two-down (two rooms upstairs and two downstairs). Sometimes a whole street would share just a few toilets. Some families may have had as many as 12 children — a source of income at the time, because they could be sent to work — so space is often extremely tight.
Despite their compact footprint, Victorian homes are characteristically well proportioned, making them comfortable living spaces. “They have the best-proportioned spaces, with high ceilings and great depth,” Clarke says.

The Victorian semidetached.Members of the emerging middle class lived in larger terraced and semidetached houses, just streets away from the more crowded homes of the working class. These homes are more likely to have flushing toilets and servants’ quarters in the loft or basement, depending on the status of the original owners. Their internal finishes are more elaborate, particularly in the public rooms.

The Victorian mansion. For the wealthy, Victorian mansions traditionally were places of refuge and comfort. These homes are very grand and followed all of the latest fashions when they were built, including heavy curtains, flowery wallpaper and extravagant furniture. Rich, dark colors were à la mode back then, as were button-backed armchairs, ottomans and chaise longues.

“Often they had riotous colors, and they embraced color much more than we readily give them credit for,” says Tugman. Servants once lived downstairs and were responsible for cooking and cleaning, lighting the fires, heating water for washing and helping members of the family to dress.

Victorian homes today. Victorian architecture shapes much of our architectural landscape today. Many of the larger homes have been subdivided into apartments, and extensions have often been added to both large and small homes to make the most of the space.

There are numerous ways to update Victorian homes: “You can add a contemporary extension, lay underfloor heating and renew sash windows,” for instance, says Clarke.

But while many Victorian homes have been brought into the 21st century, many aspects of their history and character endure.

Special Thanks To Catherine Macaulay Houzz Contributor