Category: exteriors

Breaking Down the Building Barriers: How to Work with Material Wholesalers

There is so much in the design and building industry that is confusing and intimidating. A big part of Abrigo Home is about breaking down the barriers between consumers and professionals. The industry is vast, and there is a reason why it is a significant economic driver. Beyond the designers, builders, and suppliers, there are… Continue reading Breaking Down the Building Barriers: How to Work with Material Wholesalers

When Buying Plans Online Goes Wrong: A Designer’s Perspective

I often have people contact me about editing or drawing up plans they found or purchased online, and it has never worked out. Ultimately, it costs them much more time and money than they could have imagined. EXAMPLE ONE: One client took a screenshot of the plan, searched for months, and found it online to… Continue reading When Buying Plans Online Goes Wrong: A Designer’s Perspective

What is the Difference Between Design Styles?

When starting a project, you first want to determine the design style that speaks to you, either architecturally or the interior. I’ll start with Architecture, and then next week, we will move into Interiors. Two great ways to determine this are: Pinterest! Start a Pin Board and create as many sub-boards that you’d like and… Continue reading What is the Difference Between Design Styles?

Best Completed Project of 2021: New Englander Expansion

This newly renovated New Englander needed some help when we first met its homeowners! With a vision and budget to match, these homeowners took advantage of a very fast-moving market and closed on this Downtown Portsmouth New Englander quickly to start work as soon as possible. Even though they inevitably got caught up in the… Continue reading Best Completed Project of 2021: New Englander Expansion

The Perfect Patio

Are you looking to create the perfect patio? Well, why not? Patios are an extension of the house and living space so it is worth the time, energy, and funds to invest in research and design. As an example, I’ll use the York Cape Expansion project to show you my process when designing a patio.… Continue reading The Perfect Patio

The Reasoning of Rooflines

Have you ever looked at a house and thought “that looks so weird, something is wrong!” If so, it’s probably the roofline. I’m not going to lie, they are hard. Very hard. So here is the logic behind creating a roofline: FOOTPRINT The footprint dictates the wall locations and the walls then create the rooflines.… Continue reading The Reasoning of Rooflines

How the Traditional Farmhouse Interior and Exterior Relate

Do you wonder how the design process works between interior and exterior? Well, it’s a bit of the Chicken & the Egg story. Typically, there is a lot of back and forth within the relationship throughout the design process. With a farmhouse, we establish the footprint of the rectangle for the main house and determine… Continue reading How the Traditional Farmhouse Interior and Exterior Relate

North Mill Pond View

CLIENT PROFILE The homeowner is an engineer and worked in framing during college, so he is more than capable and very thoughtful about the construction process acting as the GC. He and his wife bought the 1900 2.5 stories, New Englander, with 1,534sf in 2012 mostly for the large, beautiful lot located right on North… Continue reading North Mill Pond View