NOTES

Stone Veneer: Keeping it real.

Nov 3, 2014

Stone Veneer, stick-on stone, fake stone, whatever you call it has been very popular for the last 15 years or so. We have used it on residential and commercial projects for some time now and when installed properly and carefully planned for, it can make a strong statement. We’ll focus on exterior stone for this post and talk about interior wall and interior fireplace options at a later date. Also, when designing a project that calls for stone veneer, we…

Exterior Shutters: How to pick them and why you need them.

Oct 20, 2014

Exterior shutters are an important piece of many architectural projects, depending on the style of architecture and the location of your project (many areas may require shutters as part of their adopted design guidelines). So let’s discuss shutter styles and their importance within your desired design aesthetic. History: Exterior shutters were originally constructed for privacy, protection from the elements, and for light control. They were operable and made from decay resistant materials such as Aluminum or Iron or from woods…

Windows: How to choose the right window style for your project.

Oct 10, 2014

Windows are one of the most important pieces of any construction project. Whether you’re installing replacement windows for an existing project or choosing the right windows for a new facility, they are an extremely important item. The focus of this post will be window styles. We’ll save window construction types, energy efficiency, etc. for a later post but I wanted to write about how to go about choosing which style of window is appropriate for your project. In my neck…

Our New Website

Sep 22, 2014

Welcome to our new website! We want to present a site that not only shows our work but also informs you about what an Architect does and how we can help you. The “Notes” section of the site will give us a chance to share what’s going on with our firm and will give us a place to share ideas that can help you with your next design project. We want to give a special thank you to Thrive Creative Group, particularly…

Visiting Fallingwater

Sep 1, 2013

Fallingwater was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (no relation) and is one of the greatest pieces of architecture anywhere. It was designed as a mountain retreat for the Kaufmann Family in 1935. Frank Lloyd Wright was the master of his craft and this house was a major pinnacle of his illustrious career. I took these shots on a muggy, rainy day during a site seeing tour with my wife. This was a major item on my bucket list and…

Visiting Monticello

Aug 29, 2013

This is Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. It’s located just outside Charlottesville, Virginia. I’ve wanted to see it in person since I was a little boy but after studying architecture, it became even more of a priority to visit. My wife and I decided to take a road trip vacation and this was one of our stops. I’m so glad we decided to visit. Thomas Jefferson was an Architect, among many other things, and Monticello was his Plantation home and his architectural…