Exterior Photos

2016 MBIA Gold Award Winner: From whence an old one-story house once stood now stands this 5,000+ SF marvel that Finecraft built in the heart of Bethesda, MD. Thomson & Cooke Architects Susie Soleimani Photography

The comfortable elegance of this French-Country inspired home belies the challenges faced during its conception. The beautiful, wooded site was steeply sloped requiring study of the location, grading, approach, yard and views from and to the rolling Pennsylvania countryside. The client desired an old world look and feel, requiring a sensitive approach to the extensive program. Large, modern spaces could not add bulk to the interior or exterior. Furthermore, it was critical to balance voluminous spaces designed for entertainment with more intimate settings for daily living while maintaining harmonic flow throughout. The result home is wide, approached by a winding drive terminating at a prominent facade embracing the motor court. Stone walls feather grade to the front façade, beginning the masonry theme dressing the structure. A second theme of true Pennsylvania timber-framing is also introduced on the exterior and is subsequently revealed in the formal Great and Dining rooms. Timber-framing adds drama, scales down volume, and adds the warmth of natural hand-wrought materials. The Great Room is literal and figurative center of this master down home, separating casual living areas from the elaborate master suite. The lower level accommodates casual entertaining and an office suite with compelling views. The rear yard, cut from the hillside, is a composition of natural and architectural elements with timber framed porches and terraces accessed from nearly every interior space flowing to a hillside of boulders and waterfalls. The result is a naturally set, livable, truly harmonious, new home radiating old world elegance. This home is powered by a geothermal heating and cooling system and state of the art electronic controls and monitoring systems. Roof is simulated slate made from recycled materials. The company for this home is no longer in business but today we specify Inspire by Boral https://www.boralroof.com/product-profile/composite/classic-slate/4IFUE5205/

Michael Hsu

Jason Wells

Photo by Jody Dole

http://www.pickellbuilders.com. Photography by Linda Oyama Bryan. Front Elevation of Contemporary European Farmhouse in White Stucco with Grey Standing Seam Metal Roof. Crushed gravel driveway.

Featured in Home & Design Magazine, this Chevy Chase home was inspired by Hugh Newell Jacobsen and built/designed by Anthony Wilder's team of architects and designers.

Step inside this rare & magnificent new construction French Quarter home filled with historic style and contemporary ease & elegance. Set within Maison Du Parc, this community offers the perfect blend of old and new with the combination of completely renovated historic structures and brand new ground up construction. This seamless integration of traditional New Orleans design with modern luxury creates an exclusive retreat within the cherished New Orleans Vieux Carre. Take the tour! http://ow.ly/ClEZ30nBGOX Featured Lanterns: http://ow.ly/hEVD30nBGyX | http://ow.ly/DGH330nBGEe

John McManus Photography, Verdant Enterprises (Landscape Architect)

This beautiful transitional home was designed by our client with one of our partner design firms, Covert + Associates Residential Design. Our client’s purchased this one-acre lot and hired Thoroughbred Custom Homes to build their high-performance custom home. The design incorporated a “U” shaped home to provide an area for their future pool and a porte-cochere with a five-car garage. The stunning white brick is accented by black Andersen composite windows, custom double iron entry doors and black trim. All the patios and the porte-cochere feature tongue and grove pine ceilings with recessed LED lighting. Upon entering the home through the custom doors, guests are greeted by 24’ wide by 10’ tall glass sliding doors and custom “X” pattern ceiling designs. The living area also features a 60” linear Montigo fireplace with a custom black concrete façade that matches vent hood in the kitchen. The kitchen features full overlay cabinets, quartzite countertops, and Monogram appliances with a Café black and gold 48” range. The master suite features a large bedroom with a unique corner window setup and private patio. The master bathroom is a showstopper with an 11’ wide ‘wet room’ including dual shower heads, a rain head, a handheld, and a freestanding tub. The semi-frameless Starphire, low iron, glass shows off the floor to ceiling marble and two-tone black and gold Kohler fixtures. There are just too many unique features to list!

This new home was built on an old lot in Dallas, TX in the Preston Hollow neighborhood. The new home is a little over 5,600 sq.ft. and features an expansive great room and a professional chef’s kitchen. This 100% brick exterior home was built with full-foam encapsulation for maximum energy performance. There is an immaculate courtyard enclosed by a 9' brick wall keeping their spool (spa/pool) private. Electric infrared radiant patio heaters and patio fans and of course a fireplace keep the courtyard comfortable no matter what time of year. A custom king and a half bed was built with steps at the end of the bed, making it easy for their dog Roxy, to get up on the bed. There are electrical outlets in the back of the bathroom drawers and a TV mounted on the wall behind the tub for convenience. The bathroom also has a steam shower with a digital thermostatic valve. The kitchen has two of everything, as it should, being a commercial chef's kitchen! The stainless vent hood, flanked by floating wooden shelves, draws your eyes to the center of this immaculate kitchen full of Bluestar Commercial appliances. There is also a wall oven with a warming drawer, a brick pizza oven, and an indoor churrasco grill. There are two refrigerators, one on either end of the expansive kitchen wall, making everything convenient. There are two islands; one with casual dining bar stools, as well as a built-in dining table and another for prepping food. At the top of the stairs is a good size landing for storage and family photos. There are two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, as well as a movie room. What makes this home so special is the Casita! It has its own entrance off the common breezeway to the main house and courtyard. There is a full kitchen, a living area, an ADA compliant full bath, and a comfortable king bedroom. It’s perfect for friends staying the weekend or in-laws staying for a month.

Beautifully updated front entry with striking 10 panel glass French door underneath a white portico with double columns. Great sightlines from the front through to the backyard of the home.

On the main street heading into Maplewood Village sat a home that was completely out of scale and did not exhibit the grandeur of the other homes surrounding it. When the home became available, our client seized the opportunity to create a home that is more in scale and character with the neighborhood. By creating a home with period details and traditional materials, this new home dovetails seamlessly into the the rhythm of the street while providing all the modern conveniences today's busy life demands. Clawson Architects was pleased to work in collaboration with the owners to create a new home design that takes into account the context, period and scale of the adjacent homes without being a "replica". It recalls details from the English Arts and Crafts style. The stucco finish on the exterior is consistent with the stucco finish on one of the adjacent homes as well as others on the block.

This 1990s brick home had decent square footage and a massive front yard, but no way to enjoy it. Each room needed an update, so the entire house was renovated and remodeled, and an addition was put on over the existing garage to create a symmetrical front. The old brown brick was painted a distressed white. The 500sf 2nd floor addition includes 2 new bedrooms for their teen children, and the 12'x30' front porch lanai with standing seam metal roof is a nod to the homeowners' love for the Islands. Each room is beautifully appointed with large windows, wood floors, white walls, white bead board ceilings, glass doors and knobs, and interior wood details reminiscent of Hawaiian plantation architecture. The kitchen was remodeled to increase width and flow, and a new laundry / mudroom was added in the back of the existing garage. The master bath was completely remodeled. Every room is filled with books, and shelves, many made by the homeowner. Project photography by Kmiecik Imagery.

hill country contemporary house designed by oscar e flores design studio in cordillera ranch on a 14 acre property