There’s an old phrase: “in the spring a young man’s fancy turn to thoughts of love.” In the architectural design world the phrase would be more like, “in the spring the homeowner’s fancy turn to thought of construction”. With the end of the long winter, we are excited to be working with a number of families on home improvement projects ranging from simple renovations to entirely new houses.
Our Central New York winters tend to be quite long, and we all become very familiar with the interiors of our residences. This can often lead the homeowner to become aware of deficiencies in these interior spaces, and wish for improvements / enhancements. This is where we, as architects, often come in. As architects / interior designers, we love to meet with homeowners, and discuss what works and what does not work in their residences. Designing solutions that enhance people’s home lives is one of the great joys of our profession.
One approach, and possibly the most involved, to solve issues with your current residence is to build an entirely new house. This approach is most effective in that the homeowner and designer get to start with a blank sheet and create something entirely new, rather than modifying an existing space. This can be great to create an entirely new project without worrying about old pieces. However, it is probably the most expensive to accomplish. Teitsch-Kent-Fay Architects, P.C. is currently building a new, compact and efficient residence adjacent to our client’s main house for his daughter and grandchild. This building is set in a beautiful wooded area, and we specifically designed to ensure that as many trees as possible could remain.
When dealing with residential renovation projects, the kitchen is often a space where homeowner’s want improvements/renovations. Given that the kitchen is one of the most high traffic spaces in the home, homeowners often want it to be as efficient and up to date as possible. These renovations typically include careful coordination of all of the appliances and cabinets. One of our current residential projects is the construction of a new kitchen addition for a professional chef. To complete this project our team worked closely with the culinary professional on the design of his own home “performance space.”
Several residential projects the Teitsch-Kent-Fay Architects, P.C. team has worked with in the last year have specifically focused on accessibility issues. These renovations often stem from the need to make provisions on a client’s current home for elderly parents to come and live with the family. One of these projects was simply to construct an accessible ramp to allow their mother to move into the house, another project was to create a small “apartment” consisting of a bedroom, bath, kitchenette and living room, for their elderly father. These projects all require extensive discussions with the families to better integrate the elders with the rest of the family.
Residential construction projects often begin in the summertime time. The ground is finally warm enough to start doing serious construction and homeowners are sick of looking at all the flaws in their current home. Given that the home is an incredibly important fixture in people’s lives and somewhere that they spend a majority of their time, means that this work is incredibly important to us as architects. At Teitsch-Kent-Fay Architects, P.C. we are always eager to assist a homeowner in making their dream home a reality.
