Remodel blogs by architects

Want to hear about—and see—remodels by architects? Here’s a list of my current favorite architect blogs and sites with links to renovation photos:

Fienning Residence is an historic house, circa 1855, now updated. The old looks better than new again! Comfortable setting, cosy but spare, with eclectic and minimal furnishings. Original wood floors look beautiful!

Golf Cottage Remodel by Anderson Studio. This charming update makes the best of a dated 80s building. Be sure to look at the additional photos ‘hidden’ beneath the little gray rectangles!

Laurel Heights Remodel: I love the yellow door, the recycled garage door (now interior barn style slider), and the original stair railing. “Looks like bones. In a cool way.” says architect and blogger, Tom McElroy. Blog is named To the Studs.

Asimos Renovation  Originally from the 1790s, now renovated, in Charleston, South Carolina. Look at this old brick! A kitchen surrounded by windows on what looks like an old screened porch—who wouldn’t want to cook here?

 

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Save trees when you remodel.

It takes years to grow a replacement tree when you remove mature specimens. If you are in doubt about the value of trees and how you might integrate an existing specimen into your new plan, talk to an arborist. It may be that careful pruning is all that is needed to return that scraggly specimen to a pleasing shape.

Here’s a story about a concerned neighbor who worked (successfully) to save a valuable tree from the bulldozer. http://armn.org/2012/03/23/save-my-neighbors-virginia-pine/

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Turnkey remodel: show me the door!

Is it just me, or is there always one thing on the remodel list we never seem to get around to?

For me at the Carlsbad house, it was the garage doors. I had every reason to replace the doors before doing anything else. After all, they faced the street and were the most prominent feature in front. And the old ones looked, well, old.

Do these doors scream, "I'm old and tired"? Don't answer.

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Quickie weekend remodel…ok, I stained the chairs

How is it that I can have some chairs for ten years, look at them one day and all of a sudden they appear shabby? And I’m not talking about Shabby Chic!

BEFORE - the old chair, looking very dry and worn

Here’s one of the old Adirondack chairs, looking a little past its prime. I’d always appreciated the driftwood-like appearance of the old cedar chair. Well, time to do some maintenance… I decided a stain would be just the thing—no pesky paint to peel away over the next few years of gentle neglect. The local paint store, Sherwin Williams, has a line called WoodScapes, water soluble exterior house stain. It even has a 5 year warranty! (not meaning to sound like an ad here, but this is a good thing)

Stain goes on the wood, evening out the color

The stain looks blue-gray against the old wood

The stain went on easily and soaked right into the wood. One quart was the smallest quantity I could buy and it turned out to be exactly the right amount for one coat. The stain is semi-transparent and is named: 3532 Hill Country. Using an old paint brush, the total cost of the project was about $16.00. Yeah!

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Turnkey remodel: are you jealous of my trellis?

The problem
The Carlsbad house was very private except for one small area. The space at the end of the patio had a gap through which anyone next door could look into the kitchen window or, more likely, onto the patio.

The thing was, I didn’t want to block my own kitchen view of the hills. So I stood in the kitchen and identified the lines of sight. To an outside observer, I must have appeared Chaplinesque as I hustled from inside to outside and in again, sizing up and marking the possible boundaries.

Fortunately, blocking out 8′ would be perfect.

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The best worst kitchens… can you say “remodel”?

You think your kitchen is bad? I don’t know if this is the worst kitchen (below) in Anchorage or in the U.S., but it has to be in the running. These kitchens will probably make you feel better about your kitchen, or if not, inspire you to take action. Here is my short list of bad kitchens with lots of photos. One kitchen even has a nickname! (People are so creative.)

Plywood floor, flowered walls, no counters

Will this win the worst kitchen contest?

AlaskaBuild.com Worst Kitchen Contest Here is a Facebook page for the Worst Kitchen Contest in Anchorage. You’ll find the kitchen in the photo above and many other deserving submissions in the photo gallery.
See 2010 contest runners up here.

AK Home Renovations This blog post with photos of questionable kitchens made me laugh. Is there such a thing as too much floral? Well, I say no! That is lovely wallpaper. But, judge for yourself:
http://blog.akatlanta.com/2011/06/worst-kitchens-worst-kitchen-designs.html

We Bought Location This is a charming blog from first time homeowners attempting their first remodel. Here is a photo of their kitchen affectionately nicknamed, Disco Inferno. There has to be a story in here somewhere… Christie also writes about her ugly chandelier—and guess what?—I had the same one!

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Turnkey remodel: small touches 3

As I mentioned earlier, the previous owners went gaga for yellow. Well, let’s be more accurate—the wife did. Her penchant for the dreaded shade extended beyond the walls and window coverings.

Now, the builder had upgraded the former model home’s pantry with a glass door, which seems a little odd because who wants to see the Quaker Oats man staring back? So the wife had extended the horrid yellow theme to a curtain-like swatch mounted on the inside of the glass panel in order to preserve the privacy of the dry goods.

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Houzz, for remodel inspiration that won’t quit

How could I have missed this site? So many ideas and photos. You’re sure to find something you’d like to bookmark.

Houzz.com page featuring architecture firm, Synthesis

Synthesis designed a modern house on a steep wooded hill

Houzz.com features thousands of gorgeous photos, uploaded daily and tagged so you can browse by type of room or style. Wow! Select a metropolitan area to see a particular locale—from Atlanta to Vancouver. Signup and you can create your own idea book, adding your favorite photos.

Photos are uploaded by architects, designers and even regular humans. Browsing through modern exteriors I found Synthesis, an architecture firm in Vancouver (above).

If you’re a gardener, there’s something here for you too. Check out the landscape, patio or pool categories.

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