Really enjoyed coming back to look at this one and taking a few pics. A local contractor, Bob Lamotte, called me to help him out with this job. The parameters were to upgrade the pool sitting area with a covered area, add an outdoor cooking area, and some landscape upgrades. Wow it turned out nice. Refaced the pool deck, a new hot tub, a trellis, new walks, this one got the works. My part was figuring out how to tie all the structures together and figure out how to get rid of that old awning. And while I'm super proud of my contributions to the effort, my hat is off to Bob for executing excellent craftsmanship for this client. Simply spectacular. A future award winner for sure...
Remodeling with Square One
A designers guide to remodeling. William Mark Bostic of Square One Design Service, guides you through successful remodeling projects to show you how to get the best bang for your buck, and do it properly.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Certify Green at the lowest cost!

Thursday, September 8, 2011
Lake remodel comes together.
What was once a great home on lake Murray, becomes a great home again! My clients loved their location, they just needed a new look, a new owners suite and bath, and a better garage with a room over and nicer laundry. You know, the regular stuff. House is coming along nicely for sure, thanks to Barry Davis Constuction in Lexington, SC. And yes that's the same house folks!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Upgrade to a Lake Murray home

These clients had it all, nice home, great view, except enough space in the right place. We went into the attic, and added a family room, theater, a kitchenette, and mini office space, without covering up the lake view. They already had the stairway and the bonus room, we added a new dormer there so the room would be more useable. Other considerations included beefing up the old ceiling joists to carry more load, and re-locating the old hvac from the attic to under the home. Turned out great thanks to contractor Theresa Lejohn's attention to detail!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Dramatically lower your power bill

A couple of years ago I built one of those new "green homes". Learned a lot about how much lower a power bill can be. Though my home was bigger by 500 sf, my bills dropped by over half. At that time most of us thought you had to build a new "green" home to save on energy bills. Fact is, since we've learned to build "green", we've learned how to use the same technology to cut power usage in older homes. Through testing, we can identify where older homes leak air and then the holes can be plugged. Existing homes can be made nearly as efficient as the new ones. Most of the solutions are things that you can actually do yourself. I have another blog called "Green building with Square One Design". Where I detail the 10 first steps to make your home up to 50% more energy efficient. If your power bills are too high these solutions actually work. If you would like to know more, contact me anytime and I can help with advice and solutions to your problems.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Seeing what's not there


Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Keeping it between the lines

When I'm at a Columbia area remodeling site for the first time, I'm absorbing what's there. The physical building, the needs of the owner, the views and sight lines from the property, things like that. But there are some other important elements to the puzzle. A good survey is important. Usually the homeowner has a copy in with the closing papers. Now we can tell exactly where the property lines are. If there are any easements shown. Later on we will want to check with the zoning office for setback limitations on the lot, so we know exactly what we have to work with. Sometimes there are lot coverage guidelines that may come into play also. Along with subdivision restrictions, or review by an architectural review board. Knowing all of the requirements up front really will help drive the future design in a positive direction. You don't want to get all the way through design, bidding, and pricing only to have a setback problem later on. That's stressful. We want your job to be no stress. So do your homework before you design, for a better design solution.
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