Category: Uncategorized

When making major renovations to your home, your architect or interior designer will likely consider the architectural style of your home. Typically, the goal is to infuse a fresh, modern look into the home also to convert existing square footage into more useable space.

Here we explore 3 of the most popular architectural styles in Colorado and a few ideas for a modern home renovation.

Mountain Rustic Homes

This is a native Colorado residential style that incorporates a timber frame and stone to simulate an early Americana home. These homes typically have an idyllic landscape, large open interior spaces, cozy fireplaces, floor to ceiling windows, and wrap-around decks. Also included in this type is a log home.

To update these homes for a more modern look, consider adding a mix of materials and textures like smooth glass space dividers, stainless steel appliances, and modern light fixtures to offset the homespun interiors. This can be done in all but log homes. It is TAB’s philosophy that modernizing a log home is not appropriate.

Mid-Century Modern

This home style gained notoriety from American architect Frank Lloyd Wright and feature an open floor plan and sharp, clean lines. These minimalist interiors include many conveniences such as window seating, built-in seating and wall spaces, along with a modern kitchen.

An interior remodel that is organic will inject nature into the home and soften the crisp lines and hard surfaces. Consider an interior remodel that promotes natural shapes and materials like wood, stone, and brick. Then, contrast with bright color palettes and cozy furnishings, plenty of open views, along with water features and greenery.

Raised Ranch

Built for families and space efficiency, raised ranch homes with a lower story that is slightly below grade are found all across Colorado. These homes feature a low-pitched roofline, an open concept floor plan, and are typically rectangular, “U”, or “L”-shaped.

Update these boxy and sometimes small interiors by adding charm and detail. Interior crown molding, a re-worked front entry, wood flooring, lighting coves, and a full kitchen and bath update can bring these 1950s and 1960s into the new millennium.

For more ideas on updating your Colorado architectural home, contact TAB Associates to discover how our architecture, planning and interior design services can create modern spaces within traditional homes.

Image via Pexels

by Katie Conroy kc@advicemine.com

Investing in real estate can be a great way to ensure your long-term financial security. However, it’s not as simple as signing on the dotted line. You’ll need to make sure that you make a sound investment, maximize your return, and find (and keep) the best tenants possible.

TAB Associates invite you to read on for tips to buy and manage your first investment property successfully.

Assess your liability

Though the potential rewards are high, buying a rental property also involves potential risks – such as delinquent tenants, expensive maintenance, or a declining market. However, you can protect yourself and your assets from these and other risks. One way to do this is by establishing a limited liability company (LLC) for your new business in real estate investment. While lawyers can help you with this, it’s often easier and less expensive to work with an online formation service.

Choose your location wisely

There’s a lot to consider when choosing a location for a profitable rental property. Look for signs that a neighborhood is stable, growing, and not in decline. Talk to local residents to get their impression and check to see if there are any revitalization projects in the works. This could indicate that the area has potential.

You’ll also need to determine whether a property is safe from natural disasters. One way to do this is to request a geotechnical report, which analyzes a property’s risk of landslide, flooding, or earthquake damage. Fire risk is another factor on many people’s minds, so be sure to research the level of fire danger in the summer months.

If the property is low-risk, next determine whether the neighborhood is a desirable place to live. Look for whether your property is close to amenities (such as parks, gyms, restaurants, shops, and cinemas). Access to hiking trails, public transportation, and a good school district are also great signs.

Market your property like a pro

Once you’ve purchased your first investment property, the next step is to market it to potential tenants. Some ways to do this are through websites with direct listings, on-site signage, working with local realtors, and advertising in local publications. Be sure to emphasize your property’s most attractive features, such as a stunning view, easy access to amenities, or great indoor-outdoor flow.

Another way to ensure that you attract potential tenants is to improve your property’s curb appeal – its ability to make a positive first impression from the sidewalk. You can easily do this with quality landscaping, general tidiness, a fresh coat of paint, and fun touches like flowers or attractive outdoor seating. Next, consider hiring a professional photographer to take a stunning curbside photo.

Embrace your role as a landlord

Once you own a rental property, you are your tenants’ main point of contact if any issues arise with the property. Although you can always hire a property manager, this could eat into your profits early on. It may be time to familiarize yourself with the tools of the landlord trade and brush up on your DIY home repair skills. Once you’re more established, you can always put together a team of reliable handypeople, cleaners, and contractors.

Although real estate investment is often referred to as passive income, initially you will need to be anything but passive. You’ll be in charge of managing the tenants, the property itself, and the finances. Once you have good systems in place and things are running smoothly, you can take a step back and enjoy the extra income that the property provides.

Are you unsure about the next steps for your investment property? For information about architecture, planning, construction, and professional interior design, contact TAB Associates today.

Getting your house up on the market can be a stressful process. Moving into your newly built TAB Associates home is exciting, but the uncertainty of selling your old property can drive you crazy. Fortunately, you can give yourself an advantage by making sure your home has a ton of curb appeal. Here’s a look at why it matters, and how to catch buyers’ eyes:

What is Curb Appeal?

And how much of a difference can a first impression make?

• Simply put, curb appeal is how attractive your property is from the sidewalk.
• Since most online listings start with a curbside photo, it can make or break your buyer interest.
• Moreover, higher curb appeal can raise your property value significantly.

Lawnscaping

Curb appeal often comes down to great landscaping:

• Keep your lawn mowed throughout the selling process.
• Plant fresh flowers and water them regularly to keep the property attractive.
• If you don’t want to do the work yourself, hire a landscaper to keep your lawn neat.

Facade DIYs

These projects are easy to tackle and make a big difference:

• A fresh coat of paint can give your door a new look – make sure to coordinate the color with your home.
• Install window boxes to give the property floral accents.
• Dirty brick? Consider renting a power washer to clean it up.

As a seller, you want buyers enamored with your property from the very first look. Curb appeal gives buyers the first impression you want. Keep these resources on hand so you can make sure you nail it.

Photo Credit: Unsplash

By Emma Croft

emma.croft@getgardening.info

Architectural balance refers to the features of a structure and how they relate to one another. For some buildings, that might mean creating total symmetry. For others, the balance is found in an asymmetry that still manages to achieve cohesion. We’ll look at the benefits of this approach and how it contributes to homes that people can’t wait to enter.

Highlights Your Attention

With better architectural balance, your eye is drawn toward the best parts of the home. While you might be taking in the whole of the building, especially in the case of one that’s symmetrical, your attention might be pulled toward the bright door or interesting design of the roof. These details are excellent for leaving a lasting impression. Instead of diminishing the rest of the building, the key details manage to elevate it.

Stirs Interest

Some homes are easy to pass us by, while others cause us to pause and look at the structure. These moments are brought upon by the lines, shapes, and harmony the property manages to strike. Even those without an eye for architecture will be fascinated by the rhythm of the building. From the sequences to continuity, talented architects are known to play with shapes in such a way that will give people a sight to absorb rather than avoid.

Adds Character

The character of a home has a lot to do with its curb appeal, which is why architectural balance can play such an important role in building; not just a single home but whole communities. The more personality a building has, the more likely it is to withstand the test of time.

If you’re looking for someone who will make architectural balance a priority, Vail Valley and Western North Carolina architects are available to help you get the look you want. TAB Associates provides a number of interior design and architectural services to residents of Vail Valley and Western North Carolina, so give us a call today!

Architects in Vail Valley and Western North Carolina know that lighting should complement the interior of the home and its overall design. However, the task of providing adequate illumination for task fulfillment while maintaining ambient mood lighting is a task best left to the professionals. With a keen sense of scale and size, the experts offer these tips for establishing lighting that truly defines the space and brings balance to the setting.

Designing Each Room with Lighting in Mind

Your Vail Valley, Colorado and Western North Carolina architectural firm is likely to sit down with you for a discussion about your lifestyle and day-to-day needs. This helps them ideate each room with your vision in mind while making sure the lighting is adequate.

For relaxing zones like a living room one might choose adjustable lighting or multiple sources to suit any situation while opting for skylights that bring natural brilliance in during the daytime. Spreading the light around makes the difference, so make the light count!

Let the Focal Points Shine

Homeowners who want to draw guests’ eye to certain focal points in the home should talk to their home design team about establishing lighting to achieve the final goal. In a living room or hallway, picture display lights on walls, drop down pendants or angled recessed lighting can put just the right light on every situation. Special art lighting can illuminate the art and nothing else, visually popping it off the wall.

Customize Lighting Controls

Thanks to the innovations amid technology, we have more control than ever before over what is happening in our homes—even when we aren’t there. Dimmers, motion detectors and other settings for lights can be customized to activate when you want them to via an app if you invest in ‘smart’ lighting. These often connect to the home’s security system, so integration during construction is ideal, and that’s a task your Vail Valley and Western North Carolina architects will be happy to include in the design plans!

Let the Experts Ensure Lighting Success

When you have the professionals at Vail Valley and Western North Carolina architects at TAB Associates on your design team, you’ll always have a clear vision of where your construction project is headed. Reach out to us today for more information!

Vail Valley and the Smokies are a great place for new construction. Whether you want the most beautiful new home imaginable or you’re investing in something commercial, these are regions where opportunity is vast. In order to make your project a success, you’re going to need help, and that means investigating architectural firms. There are several points you want to consider in your search. Great firms will have a focal point, such as an architectural balance, but all of those considerations come after the big three.

The Portfolio of Past Success

This is the obvious place to start. A firm’s portfolio allows you to look directly at the work they have already done. You can judge for yourself how you like the designs and decisions made. Are you a fan of the aesthetic? Is there anything that captures and holds your attention? Do the designs fulfill practical needs? When you ask these questions while browsing a firm’s portfolio, you can quickly decide if you want to work with them or not.

The Architects Doing the Designs

It might seem redundant, but you need to see that the architects who did the work you like are available for your project. A firm can commit to principles of architectural balance and provide consistency, but the work is ultimately done by an architect — not the whole firm. If there is someone you like, you have to fight to make sure they are running your project.

The Contractors Working With Your Architect

Ultimately, architects don’t build anything. That’s the work of contractors. Most architecture firms have preferred contractors, but it is smart for you to investigate them. You can get an idea of how often they are on schedule and within budget. If you really want to know how a build will go, this is the most important point to check.

Since you’re looking for Vail Valley and Smokies architects, contact TAB Associates Inc.! We’ll discuss your plans and help you design something amazing.