As promised in yesterday’s post, here is The Check List of questions to ask yourself as you plan and design your new home. ·How many people will live here? Are they permanent or occasional occupants and are there special needs associated with any of them? ·Is this a primary or second home? Considerations such as…
In an earlier post, The Home Design Dilemma: 7 Lessons Learned, I stressed how important it is in knowing yourself, your needs and your wants prior to beginning the design process. In this two part post I’ll go into detail as, if you’re like me, needs and wants are not always readily apparent. I could…
My mom and I often disagree about taste and style particularly when it comes to architecture. She can not understand why I am such a huge fan of barn homes. As long as I can remember I have always had a love for barns. Barns are romantic symbols of our past. If not your personal…
As the weather gets warmer and yet another long winter has come to an end, our attention turns to outdoor living and the spaces we love to inhabit during the warmer days and nights of summer. There is nothing like beautiful blue water to evoke thoughts of SUMMER! Post and beam homes have an inherent…
The decor was not my style. I discovered one of the best, most cost effective and immediate ways to create a totally fresh look was with paint. I also learned the importance of choosing the correct shade of a color. Do you have any idea how many shades of white exist out there in the…
You’ve fallen in love with a rustic barn home; its beautiful timbers, great wood beams, wide board ceilings and heavy plank floors. It has great bones but is just a bit tired looking… and dark! How to spruce it up? Begin by setting a realistic budget. What do you want to accomplish and how much…
Building green isn’t just about catch phrases like carbon footprint, energy star rating and using expensive trendy flooring like bamboo. It’s not about labels and trademarks, but creating a healthier environment for ourselves and our family and friends to enjoy. Unhealthy chemicals are all around us. They are in everything we touch, breath, and sleep…
Remodeling a post & beam is a piece of cake compared to a similar project on a stick built home. One of the primary reasons is because the post & beam frame supports the structure, while a stick built home’s structural support is provided by the interior walls. In the year 2000 friends of…
People often suggest the need to design a house with the master bedroom on the first floor. You hear things like “someday you may not want or be able to climb stairs”. Possibly, but it may also be true that we could stay in better shape as we age if we are climbing stairs. My…
You may not believe this wild story but trust me, it is absolutely true. It happened to my close friend and I asked him to recount it for this post: I live in a Yankee Barn that was built in 1979 – 30 years old! April 15, 2007 was not one of my better days.…
Yes, even in this economy. I know you’re saying to yourself “Is she nuts?” but please hear me out. I have a point or two that may resonate with some of you non-believers as I, too, would have fit into your category not so long ago. Having just built a new post and beam…
It occurs to me that unless someone knows how to cook they should not design a kitchen. It’s a simple but totally practical theory. If you don’t know the basic steps for boiling water, don’t mess around with kitchen design. Here is where I have to insert a disclaimer: I love my husband dearly;…