Define space in open floor plan
Sick of Open Floor Plans? Try These 5 Tricks to Separate Your Space I find the trend toward an open floor plan is changing a bit these days,” says William J. Hirsch Jr., an architect and author of ” Designing Your Perfect House.” “People...
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...Sun Charts Helps Determine a House’s Orientation
Latvia Is Almost the Land of the Midnight Sun. These sun path diagrams and sun graphs show that. One of the first things I do when designing a house is a site analysis. This is a study of the local conditions, including the slope of the land, site features, views, the...
Eye Brow Dormer: Word of the Week
A raised eye brow can mean many things. As you may or may not know, a dormer is the structural element you see protruding out from the plane of a sloping roof. The dormer is often a solution to creating more usable space. In a remodel, or new construction, the dormer...
Choosing the Right House Style
Recently I was asked by a reporter about house styles and the benefits of each house style. The question was fairly general, so at first, I didn’t know how best to answer it. But I collected my thoughts and answered it this way. I can say that house style...
Our Word of the Week: Wainscot
Wainscot – This is the architectural word that is possibly the most often mispronounced. It is not pronounced as it is spelled. The proper way to say this word is “wainscoat.” A Wainscot is not the jacket belonging to a guy named Wayne, even though that’s...
Newel – Our Word of the Week
Newel, or Newel Post – a newel, or newel post is the post at the bottom of a flight of stairs, or at turning points in the stair. A newel supports the handrail. It’s usually larger and more detailed than the other posts (balusters) that make up the handrail support...
Our Word of the Week – Ogee
Ogee – Ogee, pronounced like saying the letters O.G., refers to a shape seen often in architecture and woodworking. An ogee shape is a curved shape that resembles an “s” shape (on its side). It has two opposing curves that make up its length. The shape you see on...Big Cottage, Little Cottage
I received this email recently asking about what size house qualifies as a “cottage.” Bill: In my recent perusings on “Houzz”, I’ve read that the the term “cottage” properly refers to a single family structure up to to about...
Baluster – Our Word of the Week
Baluster – You and nearly everyone has seen a baluster before, even if you might not have known what it was called. But rest assured, you’ve seen plenty of them. In fact they usually come in groups – they don’t travel alone. A baluster is one in a series of...
Design the Perfect Home Theater TV Room
Sometimes the Home Theater becomes the center of family life in your home. Pay attention to the details to home theater room that reflects your wants and needs.