Home Remodel
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Home automation is one of the top remodeling trends for 2020, a trend that is driven by a variety of factors, including millennials’ desire for tech integration in their lives, a chance for seniors to age in place, and lower energy bills. But there is a huge variety of technology available, so how do you…
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Picture a Highlands ranch house (circa 1980) perched atop a foothills vista. You might think such a site would make for the quintessential Boise home — and you’d be quite right, except for the fact that it was poorly situated, both inside and out. Undaunted, our clients bought their home not for what they saw,…
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However little we may credit our powers of visualization, there are spaces we encounter that whisper to us just what they were meant to be. Sometimes they shout. In the case of our clients Keith and Deborah, one home’s intention was loud enough to be heard during a jog through the Boise foothills. “We loved…
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In residential design, many rooms are no guarantee of having room. At the heart of this seeming paradox is functional intent — and in the case of one Southeast Boise couple, the intent was to fill an empty nest with friends and family in an unobstructed space. What stood in the way of that vision…
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Every picture tells a story…and the pictures associated with this remodel tell quite a few — which should come as no surprise given the history of this home. Our job was to bring those disparate stories together into one seamless tale of beauty, comfort, and grace. Mission accomplished! Vision This home was moved to its…
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Is it really a compromise when everyone involved gets more than they bargained for? Based on their experience, our clients Paul and Becky would probably tell you that when you trust your remodel partner and keep your eyes on the prize, no one has to settle for less than everything they wanted. It’s an experience…
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Most folks would be forgiven for thinking that the ultimate in customization is to build from scratch. Granted, from both a design and construction perspective, a remodel always poses some constraints — for reasons of budget, if nothing else. The sign of a great remodel project, however, is to make the “after” appear as though…
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Empty nests tend not to stay empty for long. Children grow, they leave for school or jobs — or simply to chart their own course in life — and homeowners adjust their lifestyles accordingly. When we combine these changes with retirement, a new set of dynamics drives how we look at our homes. And while…
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CJ and Melissa hadn’t intended to live in their North End home for more than a few years when they purchased it back in 2005. At the time, Melissa recalls, there just wasn’t much on the market — and when homes did come up for sale, they were often snapped up on the first day.…
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For an active Boise couple, retirement meant re-examining their lifestyle and priorities. It also meant rethinking their home’s suitability for the next chapter in their life story. Vision For our clients, retirement didn’t mean slowing down — it simply meant having more time to pursue other interests beyond their professions. Given their active role in…
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Like so many homebuyers, Janet and Russ had to carefully weigh the allure of their ideal home against its affordability — and like so many homebuyers, their decision was to stretch their budget to accommodate a house they knew they could live in and love for many years. There was indeed plenty to love about…
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The paradox of remodeling is finding limitless opportunity in constraint. It’s kind of a zen thing — and if you’ve been doing it for four decades, it definitely colors the way you look at so called obstacles. Just ask STRITE president and “field marshal” Bob Mundy — a man for whom challenges are but thinly…
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Even after 30 years, our clients loved their home in the foothills above Warm Springs Avenue in Boise. The floor plan gave it an intimacy that one of them described as like “living in a treehouse.” Eventually, however, one aspect of any home that can become not only outdated but dysfunctional are its bathrooms. It…
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Remodeling old homes is rewarding, but it definitely has its challenges. The wear and tear of years can present structural issues along with the basic deterioration of pipes, wiring, and building materials. In the case of a home that is on a historic register, these challenges can be exacerbated by the need to place historical…
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When Don and Patty moved from California to Boise, it wasn’t with the goal of either upsizing or downsizing their household; they moved to be closer to their children and grandchildren. They rented a home in southwest Boise with idea of eventually finding a more permanent place to live. Although the kitchen fell short of…
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Why is it that kitchens are so often hidden away from the rest of the life of the family? When you think of how central they are to nurturing us, it seems perversely ironic that they should be banished the way they so often are. This kitchen just wasn’t going to take it anymore. Here…
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Do you remember the first time you imagined the ideal kitchen? If this seems a trivial, if not odd, question to pose, bear with me a moment — and think about the role that kitchens have played in your life. I’ve lived in a lot of homes over the years, and while many of the…
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Our clients came to their home for the view, and stayed for the architecture. But before they reached that point, there was a lot to get done — as you’ll learn in this whole-house remodel case study that was featured in this year’s NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) Remodeled Homes Tour. Vision Our…
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Our client’s passion for working on cars was more than a serious avocation…it was also a source of income. We gave him a garage addition that satisfied both of these manly impulses. Vision Our client had an existing free standing garage, but it could only accommodate two cars. He wanted to expand that capacity…and have…
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There’s not a bit of hyperbole in saying that David and Pat’s home truly reflects all the best of what we associate with the southwest Idaho lifestyle. Nestled into five acres of the Eagle foothills, it’s an ideal setting for horses, dogs (David trains hunting dogs as a pastime), as well as appreciating sweeping vistas of…