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Modernist architecture can’t be ignored
Read More: Modernist architecture can’t be ignoredBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer We need to spend one more week on house styles because we cannot ignore the modernist movement. The very concept of “modern” houses gives some people indigestion. Some feel that this design approach results in cold, impersonal boxes, and they certainly don’t want them in their neighborhood. The clean…
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Eclectic movement focuses on being true to earlier architectural styles
Read More: Eclectic movement focuses on being true to earlier architectural stylesBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer In our continuing discussion of residential architectural styles, today we will look at the Eclectic movement. Spanning from the late 19th century through about 1940, this was the phase that followed the Victorian period. While the Victorians took inspiration from former classical architectural styles, they did so with great…
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Victorian homes are a charming challenge
Read More: Victorian homes are a charming challengeBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Queen Victoria reigned over England from 1837 to 1901, influencing more than just politics. Her reign also influenced literature, clothing, furniture and, yes, architecture. Even today, more than 100 years later, you still see homes new and old that are most definitely Victorian. This small Victorian-style home rediscovered its…
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Welcome spring with porch remodeling
Read More: Welcome spring with porch remodelingBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer It’s spring and our thoughts turn to outdoor living. We long for the days soon to come when we can sit on our back porch and relax outside, and our mouths are already watering for the first barbecue of the season. With the spring weather come opportunities to focus…
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You can renovate colonial home without losing charm
Read More: You can renovate colonial home without losing charmBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer For the Past two weeks we have spotlighted several home types: the craftsman bungalow, the Tudor, the Cape Cod and the California ranch. Of course there are more than just four house styles, so we thought we would spend some time featuring a few more, beginning with the colonial…
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When renovating, capitalize on home’s particular style
Read More: When renovating, capitalize on home’s particular styleBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Understanding the history, style and architecture of your home — and the other homes in your neighborhood — is crucial in designing an addition or renovation. Ignore this principle and you’ll end up spending a lot of money to decrease the value of your home, not to mention those…
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Know home style before renovating
Read More: Know home style before renovatingBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Several predominant home styles have evolved over the past century in the United States. You’ve seen them as you’ve driven the streets of Salt Lake City’s classic neighborhoods: the fairy-tale Tudor revival, classic craftsman bungalow, charming Cape Cod and California ranch. This bungalow is a great example of several…
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Well-landscaped yard boosts value
Read More: Well-landscaped yard boosts valueBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Everyone can recognize a well-landscaped yard. It is beautiful, comfortable, functions well, and has a strong connection to the home it surrounds. A well-landscaped front yard adds curb appeal, which translates into increased real-estate values. A functional backyard can offer a place to relax, entertain friends, or plant a…
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Duplex remodel maintains historical charm
Read More: Duplex remodel maintains historical charmBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer The beautiful, brick Georgian house is in Salt Lake City Avenues historical district, and it was important to Jane Beatty to maintain her home’s historic luster. “The bones of the house itself are still strong,” she says. “Instead of tearing things down, I wanted to incorporate some of the…
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Design guidelines have pluses and minuses
Read More: Design guidelines have pluses and minusesBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Last week, we summarized the main governmental and private approaches to preserving and legislating our built environment. Covenants, conditions and restrictions; zoning codes; building departments; the National Historic Register; the Utah State Historical Society and historical districts regulate some of what we can and cannot do in our neighborhoods.…
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Governments offer various controls on remodeling
Read More: Governments offer various controls on remodelingBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer One of the most unsettling experiences you can encounter is looking out your front window to see a huge Dumpster being delivered in your neighbor’s driveway. This home in the Gilmer Park area of Salt Lake City was built in 1925 for LDS Church President Joseph Fielding Smith Jr.…
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Remodeling Tips: Remodeling Contractor, Architect saves money on remodeling
Read More: Remodeling Tips: Remodeling Contractor, Architect saves money on remodelingBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer For many of our clients, when they finally sit down with us, it isn’t their first remodeling endeavor. Often times, their first go-round was years ago when they tried to tackle the project by themselves — without an architect and sometimes without a contractor. More often than not, these…
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Open design: Kitchen design reignites owner’s love of cooking
Read More: Open design: Kitchen design reignites owner’s love of cookingBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Any man can understand how difficult and frustrating it is to try to complete a project without the right tools or the proper work space. The same principle applies to the kitchen. Martine Smith was sick of cooking in her small, dark kitchen. “Our old kitchen had one outlet…
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Living Room Design: Opening up living space helps entertain guests
Read More: Living Room Design: Opening up living space helps entertain guestsBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer After 30 years of marriage, Perry and Linda Cunningham had finally made it to their dream neighborhood. The problem was the 1920s craftsman-style house they bought was not meeting their needs. With just the two of them, they no longer needed multiple small bedrooms, and they needed a gathering…
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Garage Renovations: Remodel garage and simply organize to best use space
Read More: Garage Renovations: Remodel garage and simply organize to best use spaceBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer When you live in the Rocky Mountains, a good garage can significantly improve your life. If you have ever faced early mornings scraping the snow and ice off your car, you know the advantages of being able to park it in a sheltered space. Prepainted steel doors with a…
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Improving and enjoying outdoor living spaces
Read More: Improving and enjoying outdoor living spacesBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer With the advent of spring, we enjoy reconnecting with the outdoors through hiking, biking, golf or puttering around in the garden. Have you ever considered how well your home connects with your outdoor living spaces? An expanded patio, a built-in barbecue grill and a bench were added to the…
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Welcome spring with porch remodeling
Read More: Welcome spring with porch remodelingBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer It’s spring and our thoughts turn to outdoor living. We long for the days soon to come when we can sit on our back porch and relax outside, and our mouths are already watering for the first barbecue of the season. With the spring weather come opportunities to focus…
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Cost of adding on to home twice that of using existing space
Read More: Cost of adding on to home twice that of using existing spaceBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer A family in Murray asked us to help design an addition to their house. This couple likes to entertain, and their small kitchen/family room combination isn’t large enough to accommodate their guests. After reviewing the couple’s project, we determined that they don’t actually need to add on because they…
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Design should focus on flow of public, private spaces
Read More: Design should focus on flow of public, private spacesBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer There are places in your house meant to be public, and there are places meant to be private. When thinking architecturally, there are three levels of interaction in your home, and they need to be identified and appropriately designed in your remodel. The first is public spaces. These are…
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Rearrange existing space or add on to create master suite
Read More: Rearrange existing space or add on to create master suiteBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Some of the most sought-after simple pleasures of life are realized with remodeling a master suite. Finally, the bathroom you don’t have to share with the kids, the convenient double sinks, a separate shower and luxurious soaking tub. At last, the coveted walk-in closet with enough space to spread…
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Replace windows to capitalize on property’s views
Read More: Replace windows to capitalize on property’s viewsBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Everyone knows that curb appeal, or what you experience as you look at a house from the outside, is an important aspect of a home’s architecture. But don’t forget that what you experience from the inside of your house looking out can be even more important. By replacing the…
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Safely, sanely living through your remodeling project
Read More: Safely, sanely living through your remodeling projectBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Construction sites are considered one of the most dangerous work places in America. Whole government agencies are dedicated to making them safer. So, how do you keep your family safe when your home becomes the construction site? Although it is not always possible, the best approach when it comes…
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Be safe when tackling a remodel on your own
Read More: Be safe when tackling a remodel on your ownBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Re-mod-el (v.): to alter the structure of: remake; as in: “I want to remodel my … (fill in the blank — kitchen, basement, bathroom, etc.).” With few exceptions, everyone has a desire, if not a plan, to remodel something about their home. The psychology of this desire — whether…
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Snowmelt systems can make home safer
Read More: Snowmelt systems can make home saferBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Snowmelt systems are designed to take the sting out of Utah winters. Last week we discussed permanent systems to keep snow and ice off your driveway. These systems, which can be expensive, feature electric cables or hot water pipes running under your driveway. Today we’ll discuss some other options…
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Heating a driveway melts winter shoveling
Read More: Heating a driveway melts winter shovelingBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Heating your driveway is one of the most popular outdoor heating applications with obvious advantages, especially in the midst of a Utah winter. There are two basic choices for driveway heating — electric cable or hot water systems. You cannot add such a system to an existing concrete driveway…
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Architect provides solid foundation for remodel project
Read More: Architect provides solid foundation for remodel projectBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer There is no getting around it: If you are remodeling your home, you are going to need a set of plans. Plans will be required for municipal review prior to issuing a building permit, for contractors to provide you with a bid on your project, and for enabling them…
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Digging out your basement to add new space
Read More: Digging out your basement to add new spaceBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer When you are thinking of ways to use the existing space in your home, don’t forget to look in the basement. A basement remodel can be a less-expensive, less-invasive alternative to a home addition. It doesn’t require changing the exterior of your home or encroaching into your yard. A…
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If your house needs a little extra room, look to your attic
Read More: If your house needs a little extra room, look to your atticBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer People tend to look at the space in a home in terms of quantity — either there is too much space or, more likely, too little. Architects, on the other hand, see space as a way of creating an experience in a structure, a commodity that should be shaped…
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Multitask your rooms, make better use of space
Read More: Multitask your rooms, make better use of spaceBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Multitasking: the performance of multiple tasks at one time. This word, dating from 1966, describes a lot of our lives. From the dubious practice of talking on our cellular phones while driving to the mom trying to feed the baby while getting the other children out the door to…
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Analyze wants, needs before starting remodeling project
Read More: Analyze wants, needs before starting remodeling projectBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer As residential architects, we naturally question what triggers someone to turn those remodeling dreams into reality. We have discovered there are three areas that motivate people to get the ball rolling. The first is the tangible need for a different physical arrangement. For example, the anticipated birth of another…
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Weigh pros and cons of remodeling vs. buying new home
Read More: Weigh pros and cons of remodeling vs. buying new homeBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer We see it all the time. Homeowners come to us needing more space for a growing family or desiring home features that their current home just doesn’t have. The tough question they face is: Should I move to a new home or remodel the one I have? An architect…
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Digging down erases steep driveway
Read More: Digging down erases steep drivewayWhen you are sitting in Jennie Broadhead’s main-floor family room, you would never guess that two years ago you would have been sitting in her garage. The Broadheads just finished an extensive remodeling project that is one of the most creative uses of existing space we have seen. Jennie’s home is on a steep Bountiful…
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Combating McMansion craze
Read More: Combating McMansion crazeBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer In the past 10 years, there have been several trends in the local and national housing markets worth noting: The first is that houses have increased in size. Since 1970, the average size of a single-family home in the United States increased from 1,500 square feet to 2,443 —…
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Give fireplace a cost-effective face-lift
Read More: Give fireplace a cost-effective face-liftBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer The fireplace: We hang stockings from it, roast chestnuts in it and cuddle in front of it. (OK, maybe we don”t do the chestnut part.) Anyway, with so many reasons to gather around the fireplace this time of year, we thought we would discuss options to remodel yours. The…
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Give the gift of architecture
Read More: Give the gift of architecturey Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer You have 23 shopping days left until Christmas. So, we thought we would give you some ideas. How about giving the gift of architecture? There are lots of ways to do this. Some people love architecture as others love paintings or symphonies. Remodeling magazine subscriptions or architectural books…
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Being decisive will help streamline your remodel
Read More: Being decisive will help streamline your remodelBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer It is not uncommon to think about remodeling your home for years before taking any action. Once you have decided to actually do something, however, it is human nature to want it NOW. The fact of the matter is there are specific phases in this process. They are sequential…
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Save money tomorrow with a master plan today
Read More: Save money tomorrow with a master plan todayBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Most have been hit hard by the recent financial turmoil in our country. “We’re going to have to wait on our project.” That’s a phrase we are hearing from a lot of people, and it is not hard to understand that line of reasoning. During above: Replacing the windows…
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Skylights add light, warmth, dimension
Read More: Skylights add light, warmth, dimensionBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Many homeowners express a desire to add skylights to their homes during a remodeling project. Perhaps it is the same psychological attraction as the sunroof in your latest car. We all know that light cheers us up and makes a space more pleasant. The question in these days of…
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Vanquish ‘energy vampires’
Read More: Vanquish ‘energy vampires’We’re afraid it isn’t going to be cheap heating our homes this year. With energy costs expected to soar this winter, it is more important than ever to do our part to make our homes as energy efficient as possible. That means controlling “the energy vampires” that slowly suck the energy and heat out of…
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Beautify basement window wells
Read More: Beautify basement window wellsBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Basements are not just for storing canned peaches anymore. Finishing the basement is one of our most common renovations. People are living, playing and sleeping in the basement. With our families spending more time below-grade, it makes sense that there is a new market for livable basement products. For…