How to Add Character to the Exterior of Your Home

How to Add Character to the Exterior of Your Home

Many people tend to focus on interior features when thinking about their renovation project, but the exterior of your home shouldn’t be neglected! If you want a home that stands out, personalizing the exterior can be a great way to differentiate it from other homes in the area! Here are a few of the ways you can add style and your own unique touch to the outside of your home.

Create a Patio or Courtyard

One of the ways that you can add character to the exterior of your home is by creating a patio or courtyard in front of your home. Not only will this give your home a unique look, but it will provide you with an area to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine! Your home will have added character as well as new functionality.

Dress Up or Change Out Your Garage Door

If your garage sits in front of your home, your garage door is something that you and passersby by will notice. While many people have plain white garage doors, there is no reason you cannot make changes to your garage door or replace it to make it more appealing and eye-catching. Consider using a faux wood door, painting your door, or adding carriage garage door hardware to really make your door stand out and positively accent the rest of your home.

Add Dormer Windows

Adding dormer windows can alter the exterior appearance of your home. Dormer windows can be added to help break up the appearance of a large and plain roof, as part of a build-out addition on your home or to help add more natural light to your home.

Are you looking for an architectural firm to help add character and style to the exterior of your home? Then turn to us here at Tab and Associates. We provide planning services, architecture services, and interior design services. Call us now to get started!

Ideas for Building in the Charming Rustic Cabin Style

Rustic cabins are quaint, charming, and homey. If you’re thinking of having your own cabin built, either as a retreat or a primary home, keep these ideas in mind as you plan your floor plan and architectural design:

cabin style decor
Source: TAB Associates
  • Open lofts are the perfect complement to a rustic cabin home. You can use your loft as an extra bedroom, a relaxing library, or even a TV room.
  • While wood is the traditional choice for cabins, remember that you can work stone into your design. A beautiful stone chimney can make your cabin seem even cozier.
  • Cabins are places for families to spend time together. An open floor plan makes this easier, promoting conversation and interaction.
  • You’ll want to spend plenty of time relaxing outside when you’re at your cabin for a retreat. A spacious, wrap-around porch makes this possible.
  • Incorporate plenty of rustic wood into your interior to maintain the cabin-look indoors.
  • No cabin is complete without a beautiful mantle to display family heirlooms and treasures. Rustic brick and stone are great materials for your fireplace and mantel.

If you’re interested in building a cabin style home, contact TAB Associates, Inc. to learn more about our architectural services.

 

Trends In Architecture to Watch for In the Future

The world of architecture is constantly evolving, and keeping track of new developments helps you take the best out of the trends that come and go. What’s new for 2014? TAB Associates offers the following information on four architecture trends that are expected to become prominent as the year progresses.

TAB Associates Green Projects
Source: TAB Associates
  • Greater attention from the public regarding large-scale construction projects- Members of the public are increasingly likely to take an active role in managing and deciding on large scale building projects that have a strong impact on the urban landscape and local economy.
  • Off-the-grid on the urban scene– Although going “off-the-grid” used to be associated with living out of town, even urban dwellers are attempting to avoid a dependence on the grid for power.
  • De-emphasizing vehicle traffic– Across the country, more and more commuters try to get where they need to be via public transport.
  • Affordable low-rise and mid-rise housing– Instead of towering high-rise residential structures, urban dwellers increasingly prefer approachable, low/mid-rise housing.

For more industry news, check out our Facebook page. Contact us to learn about TAB Associates services.

How to Build Your Home to Be Relaxing

A home should be your personal retreat. The greatest benefit of personalized home design and building a home that meets your needs is the ability to select features of the home that suit you. You won’t have to worry about redesigning the kitchen or creating a better closet. Start off on the right foot and create the perfect paradise to suit your needs.

landscape
Tab Associates

We’ve gathered the most common features in relaxing homes.

  • Spa-style facilities. You won’t have to escape to the spa after a long day of work. Instead, invest in key spa features such as natural materials, whirlpool bathtubs, and mood lighting in your bathroom.
  • Natural stimuli. Our tech-savvy world has many people reaching for their phones every few minutes. Create a place in your home to relax and escape with nature. Design windows that allow extra light or a small indoor garden.
  • Saunas and steam rooms. Give your home international appeal and cleanse the body with a sauna or steam room, a growing trend in Europe. A sauna or steam room adds a unique feature to your home that will greatly aid in daily relaxation efforts.

Are you consider custom home design? Contact our team at TAB Associates.

Building a Home? Why You Should Consider a Timber Structure

When having a home built, you have plenty of materials to choose from. If you’re looking for something that has a lot of aesthetic appeal and provides numerous benefits, timber is a great choice.

Building a home with Timber
Source: TAB Associates

Timber offers the following advantages when it comes to building design:

  • It saves energy. Unlike other building materials, such as glass or steel, wood provides a lot of insulation that helps keep in warm and cool air, which means you’ll have lower energy bills.
  • It’s eco-friendly. Wood might not seem like an environmentally-friendly choice if you’re picturing part of a forest being cut down to provide the timber for your home. However, there are several sustainable sources of timber available that don’t contribute to deforestation. Also, a wooden home lowers your carbon footprint because the timber absorbs carbon dioxide.
  • It’s more cost-effective and quicker to build with. Wooden homes can be constructed in a much shorter amount of time than homes made from concrete or other materials. This saves you a considerable amount of money on the cost of labor and the cost of materials.

Check out our portfolio if you are interested in seeing examples of homes made from timberContact us at TAB Associates to start your new home build today!

How Can 3D Printing Help You Design Your Home?

Home design could take on an entirely new look, thanks to 3D printing. Although using this technology for designing a home is in the very early stages, a few designers have already come up with some cutting-edge architectural concepts.

How 3D printing affects home building
Source: Shutterstock

3D printing has been in the news a lot in recent years. This type of printing would allow a variety of items and materials to be printed for a wide range of purposes. As far as using it to design and build homes, that’s a long way off. However, some designers have been experimenting with the possibilities that this technology provides.

These designs don’t resemble the types of residences we’re used to, though. Part of adopting this approach would include either modifying them into more typical homes or getting people used to living in these very different home models. For now, the excitement over this technology is due to the freedom it gives architects to come up with new and very different home designs. It could also be used to create models of traditional homes to make it easier for people to decide what they want.

Need professional help designing a home? Contact us at TAB Associates, and follow our Facebook page.

Make Your Home One With the Landscape

If your home is surrounded by beautiful views, you can incorporate them into your home’s design. This can help you feel more connected to the outdoors, even while relaxing in your living room or preparing a meal in your kitchen.

design that blends seamlessly with outdoors
Source: TAB Associates


Here are some ideas for designing a home that blends seamlessly with its natural surroundings:

  • Turn the views into artwork. A large, wide window on one wall can reveal a stunning panoramic view that serves as natural artwork. Frame the window with curtains, a curtain rod, and bookshelves for an even more picturesque effect.
  • Make rooms appear more spacious. By installing wall-to-wall windows, you can include gorgeous views of the surrounding area. This can make smaller rooms seem much more spacious and inviting. This effect is enhanced even more when the room’s design is minimalistic.
  • Combine formality with a traditional domestic quality. Include characteristics that make homes look domestic, such as a gabled roof, while using carefully aligned features, such as an outdoor pool lining up with a fireplace, to create a formal look.

Need more ideas on designing a home? Contact TAB Associates, and follow us on Facebook.

How Your Home’s Wood Can Tell Its Story

Wood can add a warm and natural touch to any home. When designing a home with wood, it’s important to think about how this material can reflect on a home and share its story.

Use wood to soften a living space
Source: TAB Associates


Keep these tips in mind when using wood in a home’s design:

  • Create contrast. Combining wood with a starker material, like concrete or stone, can highlight a home’s past. For example, a home built from a former industrial building can use wood to add some warmth, while leaving structural elements, like concrete columns, beams, and floors intact.
  • Keep an original element or two. Leaving a structural wood element in place, while adding new ones, can help you blend the old with the new. Elements such as a wooden ladder in a renovated barn serve as a reminder of the building’s former use. The newer wood can create a more inviting appearance.
  • Blend old and new woods. Using more than one type of wood can create some interesting visual appeal in almost any home. The original wood can remain faded as a reminder of the past, while the newer one can add a sharp modern contrast.

Need professional help designing a home with wood? Call TAB Associates, and follow us on Facebook.

Custom Home Building Trends for 2013

Balancing space with modern luxuries is still a designing challenge in 2013.
Balancing space with modern luxuries is still a designing challenge in 2013.

Like most things in our day-to-day lives, current trends tend to play a role in our choices. For the 2013 season, several trends are leading the way in home design. Some trends are for space savers while others focus on convenience, technology and energy efficiency.

Space: Homes with a basement or a lower level offer the option of an additional room for adults, teens or children. The extra space is ideal as a place to entertain family or friends, set up a complete home theater and entertainment center, design a game room or create an exercise and weight room.

Formal dining rooms are being replaced and redesigned to use the space in a more productive way versus using the same space once in a while for special occasions. This adds more value to a room that can commonly go unnoticed until holidays or large gatherings.

Convenience: Creating a family work area, or resource area, in other words, near the kitchen provides a place to work whether it’s for school, business or the home. Work can be done without being isolated from the family.

Designing technology-friendly homes using multiple applications from an advanced cell phone to handle electronics, appliances, security and lighting is on the rise.

Energy: Current trends lean towards energy efficiency using geothermal heating and LED lighting.

At TAB Associates, Inc., we cater to our clients’ needs and vision in every home design project. For more information, contact us today at 970-766-1470.