Top Reasons to Hire An Architect For Your Next Project

Since a home is more than the sum of its parts, an architect is needed to make sure that structural choices will not cause harm elsewhere in the home.
Since a home is more than the sum of its parts, an architect is needed to make sure that structural choices will not cause harm elsewhere in the home.

Construction is a complicated and time-consuming endeavor, meaning that both skill and experience are needed to keep mistakes to a minimum. Since even small mistakes in either building or renovating a home can result in significant expenses, the services of an architect are more necessities than luxuries.

Consider these reasons to hire an architect:

  • Architects possess a more comprehensive set of skills than designers. This makes them particularly well-suited to both more unusual and more challenging tasks.
  • A home is more than the sum of its parts. This is problematic because a change in one part can cause further changes in other parts of the home. An architect is needed to make sure that structural choices will not cause harm elsewhere in the home.
  • The neglect of even seemingly unimportant details can lead to serious problems down the road. Hire an architect if you want attention to the details.
  • Over time, architects accrue both connections and experience working with other experts in the construction industry. These connections ensure that the construction process will flow that much more smoothly for their clients.

To learn more about finding the best Vail Valley architect for your dream home, please contact The Architectural Balance.

Add A Touch of Elegance to Your Home With Wooden Ceilings

Much of wood's appeal lies in the rich colors and patterns laid out upon their surfaces, which makes the building material beautiful but not ostentatious.
Much of wood’s appeal lies in the rich colors and patterns laid out upon their surfaces, which makes the building material beautiful but not ostentatious.

In this as in other matters, you can choose out of a number of building materials when it comes to the ceiling of your home. However, if you are interested in something that is both beautiful and elegant without being impractical, there are few choices as good as wooden ceilings.

  • Much of wood’s appeal lies in the rich colors and patterns laid out upon their surfaces, which makes the building material beautiful but not ostentatious. At the same time, wood lends warmth to the room, which is perfect if you are searching for something to sooth the senses.
  • Of course, it is also important to mention that wood is versatile, meaning that not all wooden ceilings have to consist of planks lined up in a row. For example, if you are interested in something more luxurious, then you may be interested in a wooden ceiling with carved details. Alternatively, if you use reclaimed wood, their weathered surfaces can contribute to the creation of a cozier and more comfortable atmosphere.
  • When it comes to wooden ceilings, the possibilities are truly limitless.  Realize that a wooden ceiling will psychologically lower the ceiling height due to its darker than most drywall color and make the room feel more intimate.

To learn more about the benefits of wooden ceilings in custom home design, please contact us at The Architectural Balance.

Advice On Hiring an Architect to Make Your Dream Home Come True

If you are thinking of remodeling your home, there’s one step you simply cannot skip — hiring an architect. Those who hire architects to design their homes or help design their remodels are consistently pleased with their results. Here’s why:

architects in vail CO
Source: TAB Associates
  • Someone will need to coordinate the various construction professionals who come together to work on your home. Who better than an architect, who thoroughly understands the ins and outs of your home design?
  • There’s a lot of paperwork  associated with building or remodeling a home. Satisfying building codes and meeting structural demands are not tasks to be undertaken by a novice. Your architect can ensure that these needs are met, and that the resulting structure is also attractive.
  • Architects are trained to see the big picture. You might think that brass doorknobs look good with anything, but your architect will be able to point out potential flaws in ideas like this before you waste your money on designs that don’t turn out to be as amazing as you’d hoped.

Whether you’re building a new home or remodeling and existing one, the architects at TAB Associates would love to help. Contact us to discuss your needs today.

Plans to Build Your Own Home? Follow These Tips to Get Started

If you want to live in a home that fits your dreams and expectations in every way, then building your own home is a great choice. However, the process can be difficult if you don’t approach it in the right way. Follow these tips to build your own home successfully.

3D home rendering
Source: TAB Associates
  • Pick the right land. Consider the school district, access to public spaces, the community, neighbors… anything you’d consider if moving into an existing home. You’ll also need to look at grading and topology to make sure it will work with the style of home you wish to build.
  • Hire an excellent builder. Get plenty of references, and get a few estimates before choosing someone. You need a builder who is easy to work with, and who is clear about what’s included in their services and what is not. Make sure your builder is licensed.
  • Have your plans drawn up by an architect. Even if you choose stock plans rather than custom plans, you’ll know that everything is properly laid out. Choose an architect with plenty of experience designing residential structures.

To discuss your custom home plans and start building your dream home, contact the architects at TAB Associates, Inc.

How to Combine Your Laundry, Mud, and Butler Pantry

When building or designing a home, you often have to make compromises between rooms you really want and what’s realistic for your situation. A good way to do this without excluding dreams entirely is to combine rooms into one. Three rooms that you can consider combining are the laundry room, mud room, and pantry.

Everyone tends to want a pantry in their home because of course you need somewhere to store food. Butler pantries offer a great alternative to full-sized pantry rooms, as they’re essentially tall cabinets, and they come in many different varieties. Pick one out that matches your decor, and you’re set to go.

The butler pantry is easily placed within a room that you designate as the mud room and laundry room. Place your laundry facilities on one side of the room, the butler pantry in the corner nearest the kitchen, and use the other side of the room as a “mud room” to store sporting goods, shoes, and more. You just won’t want to get it too muddy since it’s shared use space.

TAB Associates, Inc. is dedicated to helping you find the most efficient designs for your home. Contact our talented architects and designers today.

Aligning a Custom Home With the View Outside

If your home is on a beautiful piece of property, or if you can see lovely scenery of the mountains from your plot, it’s essential that this view can be enjoyed from the inside of the home. Our architects are experts are designing homes to capitalize on the view of the outdoors. There are many different ways to do this, and a good way to decide which styles you prefer is to look at examples:

A home that we designed in Avon, Colorado offers a beautiful view of Beaver Creek and Game Creek. Set in the mountains, its master bedroom faces the Gorge Range for a spectacular view.

This duplex in Wildridge offers a design that showcases the elevation. The duplex is built in contour with the slope of the land, and large windows make it easy to look out into the mountains.

This home in Red Sky Ranch is another one of our masterpieces, offering beautiful views of the Gore Mountain Range from the dining room and living room. The design of the living space perfectly frames the mountain views as the deck reaches out into the landscape seamlessly bringing the outside in.

Contact TAB Associates to discuss your custom home design, including a the importance of a view, with our qualified architects.  We study your site with the views in the forefront of importance.  We use a topographical program to verify views surveyed on site and study them in both plan and section.  In this way, the windows of the home frame the views and do not cut off the tops of the mountains from anywhere in the home.

For more information on the art and science of capturing dynamite views, click here.

Tips for Working With Your Architect to Achieve Your Dream Home

Your home reflects your lifestyle, interests, and personal taste. Building your residence with an architect ensures that your home will meet all of your needs. Working with an architect requires thought and planning. Here are a few tips for working with an architect.

Working with an Architect
Source: TAB Associates Inc.
  • Conduct an interview. A good architect will take time to discuss their process with you prior to working with you. Look for an architect that matches your philosophy and style of design with experience designing homes in the size and scope of your ideal residence.
  • Decide on a budget. Prior to meeting with an architect and beginning work, do research on your own and develop a budget. Develop a budget ahead of time so that the architect’s design and scope are within budget.
  • Develop a lookbook. Have a good idea of the features you’d like in your home prior to meeting with an architect. Collect pictures of homes, rooms, and structures in your target style to show your architect.

Our experienced architectural team at TAB Associates can answer all of your questions about building a residence in the Vail, CO area and working with an architect. Contact us at TAB Associates to discuss building your dream home.

How Much Time Should You Plan for To Build Your Home?

Planning on having a home designed and built? Make sure you plan accordingly, especially when it comes to how long this process takes. The amount of time it takes depends on how your home is being built and where you live.

Home Building in Colorado
Source: TAB Associates

Building a home can take as little as five or six months from permit to completion if you live in certain parts of the country like the southern states that border the Atlantic Ocean, the Midwest, and the western states that do not border the Pacific, such as Idaho, Nevada and Montana.

Having a home built in Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee generally takes around seven months, while building a home along the west coast or in Alaska, Hawaii, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio usually takes an average of eight months. The northeastern region takes the longest time. Home building from Pennsylvania to Maine takes between nine and ten months.

If you hire a contractor to build your home, it typically takes about eight months to complete. When you handle the contracting duties yourself, it can take up to 11 months.

Ready to discuss your home building project? Contact TAB Associates, and follow us on Facebook.

How Will Your Dream Home Come Together? Seven Steps

Being able to build your own home gives you the freedom to consider a variety of concepts and designs, but you also have to be realistic about it. Functionality is just as important as a stunning design or impressive layout.

Planning your dream home
Source: TAB Associates

Keep the following steps in mind when planning a new home:

  • List your goals. Figure out how you want your home to look and what features you want to include.
  • Determine your budget. Figure out how much you can spend, and include design fees and other costs of a home building project.
  • Buy property. Choose land that’s in a location you’ll love, such as near water or close to practical places, like work.
  • Hire your team. You’re going to need the help of skilled professionals, including architects and builders, to make your home design dreams come true.
  • Keep planning. Focus on every detail of the project, no matter how minor it seems.
  • Prepare for problems. A few issues are bound to occur, so be prepared to handle them.
  • Appreciate your new home. Explore every inch of your newly built home.

Ready to get your new home started? Contact TAB Associates, and visit us on Facebook.

 

Three Ways You Benefit From Hiring a Professional

If your plans include having a new house constructed, hiring an architect is highly recommended. Without one to assist you, your project could end up becoming more costly and complicated than it needs to be. It could also end up taking much longer than anticipated.

Use architects for your home renovation
Source: TAB Associates

These are a few of the most important benefits of working with an architect:

  • High-quality work. Architects have many skills that lead to higher quality work and help the project run smoothly. These skills include knowledge of the construction process, the materials that will be used and the latest technology. Finding this information on your own could take months of research.
  • Fewer mistakes. Architects are experts at turning 2-D renderings into 3-D construction processes. This leads to fewer mistakes and misinterpretations that can result in delays and costly errors.
  • Better communication. Architects can help you out when it comes to any issues you might have with the construction crew, electrician, or other contractors involved with your project. They can also ensure that everything is being done correctly.

Ready to begin discussing your home construction project? Contact TAB Associates to set up an appointment, and follow us on Facebook.