Jaime Derringer, founder and editor of the wonderful blog Design Milk, owns a mid-century California-style contemporary ranch home, and her family is in the process of remodeling — including a kitchen renovation. Marvin Windows and Doors partnered with Architectural Digest to document part of the remodeling process.

The back of Derringer’s house is mostly glass, but the sliding patio doors connecting her kitchen to her patio stood out as an area ripe for improvement. The home has great style, and Marvin is the perfect company to help Derringer find the perfect solution that marries unmatched beauty with second-to-none performance for her home.

We’re excited to document the remodeling process. The video below is the first episode in a series that shows how Marvin helped this design blogger bring her vision to life with a gorgeous new patio door that helps bring the outside in.

Follow the story on Twitter by following Marvin and Design Milk and by checking the “Inspiration” section of marvin.com.

A recent article from Builder Magazine tells the tale of an all too common struggle architects face when a client’s desires seem to clash with the instinct to preserve the traditional character of an old home:

This 1915 house had good proportions, a protective roofline, and a view over the water. So architect Rob Whitten winced when the owners asked him to winterize it and add on. “Many such cottages have been brought to their knees by people wanting to turn them into four-season residences,” he says.

The renovated cottage includes Marvin double-hung windows that blend well with the other rustic but sophisticated materials in the home: wood-paneled walls, pine flooring, a farmhouse sink and cherry cabinets. Learn more about Marvin double-hung windows at marvin.com, and read the full article at Builder Online.

It’s almost Tax Day! It might not be the biggest day of celebration, but there are some tax breaks for homeowners that we heard about from Bob Vila. Will you get a tax credit for anything home related?

• Energy-efficient home improvements can help land you a tax break. If, for example, you replaced your windows with energy efficient ones, you could be eligible for this tax break on your primary home.
• Unfortunately, if you built a new house, the energy efficient breaks aren’t available to you. But if you replaced, renovated or retrofitted, you might qualify.
• Sometimes you can get a tax break for installation costs, and sometimes not. Check carefully.
• Save ALL documentation of your energy-efficient replacement efforts. You’ll need to submit documentation and you don’t want to be caught short during an audit!

As always, remember to consult your tax professional if you have any questions about tax breaks for home improvements.

Image courtesy of401K on Flickr.

A while ago, we asked you if you could only change one thing in your kitchen, what would it be? Let’s expand that to asking what one thing in your entire house would you change? Here are some ideas:

• Have you always wanted a fireplace for cozy winter evenings?
• Maybe your “vintage” kitchen doesn’t have a dishwasher
• Are your white walls bothering you?
• Would new windows make your house sparkle? (Hey, we know who can do that!)
• Do you want to rip out your old carpets and install gleaming hardwood floors?
• Does the thought of an additional bedroom or bathroom make your mouth water?
• Or maybe a walk-in closet or finished basement would be the way to go

Tell us in the comments what one thing you’d change in your house if could. And maybe search around this site for some ideas and tips, like in our remodeling category.

The American Brewery is a magnificent building, renovated and revitalized after having been abandoned 30 years ago. Over twenty unique, sometimes intricate window designs were needed to replicate the originals, and Marvin accepted the challenge. We initially wrote about the project about a year ago.

Today, we have a brief video case study to share, which really brings to life the significance of this revitalization project. The area around the brewery was deteriorating as much as the brewery building itself, and the renovated building — now office space — is having a positive effect on the community.

Would you believe the two homes shown above are actually the exact same home?

Well, sort of. Dwell.com has the story of a young Portland, Ore. family that took advantage of the FHA 203K loan program to nearly double their home’s square footage en route to a more modern and livable residence:

With its slim profile and sleek gray exterior, Lola Oyibo and Eric Boardman’s home in Portland, Oregon bears little resemblance to the house it used to be. Unable to afford the 40% down required to build a new house, the couple instead opted for a FHA 203K renovation loan that let them put just 3% down—and hired architect Ben Waechter of local firm Atelier Waechterto give the place a massive facelift. Formerly a nondescript 1947 Cape Cod-style structure, the house “had a horrible kitchen and had no built-ins or historic elements worth keeping,” says Waechter. Plus, it was only 625 square feet, which was overly crowded for the homeowners and their two year-old daughter, Mena. Keeping the footprint, foundation, and framing intact, the architect stripped the structure down to its bones, opening up the interior and adding a second story to give the family 1250 square feet —and a sweet modern space—in which to live.

My favorite feature – the rooftop patio. That’s not something you see from most Cape Cod remodels.

Think your dream remodeling project is too ambitious? This restoration proves nearly anything is possible if you have the vision.

[Photos from Dwell]

A stunning restoration and renovation of a historic plantation home on the Eastern Shore of Virginia by Stephen Muse and William Kiwan of Muse Architects, this project was awarded because of its meticulous attention to detail, authenticity and preservation.

Originally constructed in 1784 and expanded in 1829, the brick-ended clapboard structure with twin Georgian entry porches follows a one bay deep linear plan typical of Tidewater homes.

Along with complete renovation and restoration of the original house, the scope of work included removal of recent out-of-character additions and construction of additional living space capturing the view of nearby Hungar’s Creek.

To accomplish this, the twin porches from the drive side of the house were replicated on the waterfront side and a new kitchen with breakfast bay was connected to the existing structure by a one-story hyphen.

Additional work included the restoration of all outbuildings, construction of a new garage and the restoration of all driveways, walkways and gardens.

Marvin products used in the project included Ultimate Double Hung Windows, French Casement Windows, Ultimate Casement Windows, Stationary Windows and Transom Windows.

To see more winners and learn more about the Architect’s Challenge, please visit Marvin.

Welcome to 2012, MLuxe readers! It’s a new year and a fresh start. We want to know if you have any New Year’s Resolutions for your home. Here are a couple of ideas:

• Get organized! Getting rid of clutter will automatically make your home look better, and what better time to get motivated for organization than in the New Year?
• Tackle a DIY project. Just remember to take an honest look at what your capabilities are and start small. A good rule of thumb is that if you think you might need a pro, then you probably do.
• Start planning for a big remodel – a kitchen, a bathroom or even a new addition to your house. You might not get it done in 2012, but you’ll be on your way! Planning is an extraordinarily important part of the remodeling process. You need to think about what you want. You need time to get inspired. And of course, you need to figure out the practical financial aspects. Make 2012 the year to get your remodeling planning in place.

Need some more help with your home plans? Try out the Online Remodeling Planner.

Here’s to 2012 being the best year ever for you and your home!

This meticulously considered renovation by Douglas Larson of Larson and Paul Architects transformed a decrepit 19th-century farmhouse in Stanfordville, N.Y., into a weekend retreat for a New York City family. It also was a winner in the 2011 myMarvin Architect’s Challenge.

A plan to preserve the original structure as well as harvest as many reusable materials as possible, resulted in the creation of a comfortable, modern, green design while maintaining the simplicity and charm of the home’s history.

Of particular note, restoration of the original post and beam framing allowed for installation of an open wall of glass featuring Marvin Wood Ultimate Sliding French Doors to showcase a stunning mountain view on one of Duchess County’s most scenic country roads.

Marvin products used in the project included in sash wood polygons, Ultimate Casement windows, the Ultimate Sliding French Door, Ultimate Double Hung windows and Tilt Turn windows.

Learn more about the project on Marvin.com.