Retrofit Design

This new mixed use apartment complex already feels at home at its historic downtown location. We’re using traditional materials and detailing, and by stepping back the upper floors, the human experience at ground level maintains the historic feel to the streetscape. We’ll also lower the overall through an assortment of cutting edge green building practices. Can’t wait to see where this preliminary sketch will take us.

Where do you build when the site is half wooded?

I spent a few minutes at a coffee shop this morning studying a master plan for a commercial development. With 7-10 buildings planned, an industrial plant neighbor, a lot of slope, and some wooded wetlands, I have a lot to consider! Thankfully the solar orientation is to my advantage, and I should be able to maintain natural storm water movement to the nearby creeks.

Spring has sprung, and although there’s still a risk of more cold weather I’ve already taken time to get back outside to soak up the warmer temps and bright sun. What outdoor adventures await you this spring?!
Photo from Turkey Run State Park by

Whether you like to get out into nature or bring it inside, taking time to get back in touch has its benefits! Including:
1. Helps with memory
2. Increases happiness
3. Improves concentration
4. Limits bad stress
5. Strengthens immune system
6. Eases depression

Let work its magic! If you’re interested in learning some of the ways you can get started, give me a shout!

How important is proper lighting? Lighting can literally make or break an experience. Clearly this cabin is lit perfectly!

But if you poke around the internet and find some before and after pictures, notice the horrible lighting in the “before” photo. Or look at your own house. How many lights do you have in each room? Is your kitchen workspace bright enough? Does your vanity lighting make you look warm and lively or cold and dry?
Also, as we age our need for bright, color correct light increases. As our eyes lose sensitivity variations in surfaces get harder to distinguish. You might think a change in flooring material is actually a step and end up tripping.
So, when renovating be sure to add lighting! Typically I look for dimmable, 3000K-3500K (color), 90+ CRI LED lights. The warm color looks like the much missed incandescent bulbs without the energy use while the high CRI (color render) number makes everything more crisp and clear. One last tip is to make sure all general lighting bulbs are a bright 800lm (lumens) or higher. If it’s too bright for a particular time of day, simply use the dimmer to bring it down a notch.
Finally, don’t forget about accent and task lighting! It really sets the mood.

Photo from

If your home suffers from low water pressure or your hot water takes forever to get to each faucet, there are a few ways to make improvements. Here’s two simple changes: If you’re remodeling or have access, be sure to change out the supply pipes to a narrower diameter tubing. 3/8” PEX is a common size, and holds much less volume than 1/2” pipe.
Secondly, be sure to insulate any hot water supply runs you can access with pipe insulation. Keeping the hot water hot saves money by reducing wasted energy.
And hey, if you happen to be building a new home, be sure to keep the distance between the water heater and the faucets to a minimum.

Renovated bathroom by , Check out all the great work she’s done!

How efficient is your old home? Are you always chilly sitting next to the window? Do you have new windows or old? If you still have those beautiful old single pane windows, I highly recommend getting some storm windows to help buffer the cold winter weather. They can be mounted to the exterior and left on year round. This extra layer is helpful at slowing down air and heat transfer through the old window opening, not unlike how insulation works inside your walls.

How are you breathing these days?
As the weather gets cooler and we close up our homes readying for winter, are you noticing anything different in your home? Maybe the humidity is making it a bit stuffy, or perhaps the dust and pet dander is more noticeable? Are you sneezing or coughing more indoors than you did in the summer?
Indoor air quality is becoming a big ticket item for many home buyers, concerning 75% of those polled in 2018, even before Covid became a concern!
Do you know the things to ask your builder or remodeler? VOC’s in paints, glues, finishes, carpets, cabinets and more are a big issue, but don’t forget about sealing your house to keep out air pollution particulates (pollen, dust, odors, smoke, etc) from the outdoors!

After this summer’s storms I bet you’re just as tired of a wet basement as ! Not only are wet floors annoying, but they can also slowly rot out most wall materials, proliferate mold growth and raise humidity levels inside your home. Roof leaks are definitely not the only liquid water to worry about.
Don’t forget to fix this when you’re ready for your renovation!
Having your basement updated with new drainage and waterproofing is a great way to cut out a lot of unwanted moisture in your home.