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.

Is there EVER a good time to remodel your kitchen? No matter what, it means major disruption, dirt, dust, inconvenience and expense. The trade off for all this is a beautiful new kitchen at the end that will fit your lifestyle, add value to your house and maybe even save you some money with energy-efficient appliances. But in the meantime, there’s the pain.

Many people prefer to remodel their kitchens in the spring and summer. With the warm weather, it’s easy to grill out and dining out options become a little more numerous with restaurant patios. Plus, if you’re cooking, summer is the perfect time for low-prep salads and other no-heat food.

Winter can be a little bit more of a difficult time to tackle a kitchen remodeling project. Besides the reasons above, there’s the holidays. Coming right after Halloween is Thanksgiving and then Christmas and Hanukkah and New Year’s  and Valentine’s Day…

What do you do when your kitchen consists of a hot plate and a roll of paper towels? Luckily, our friends at CalFinder have a few tips to help you keep your sanity:

• The right contractor is key. Find someone who not only can work within your budget, but who will listen to you and find creative solutions to problems that will inevitably crop up.
• We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Failure to plan is planning to fail. You can save yourself a lot of stress when remodeling you kitchen around the holidays if you have not only carefully planned what you want out of your kitchen, but also planned for the ways it will affect your life.

Check out the rest of the post for more tips and here’s one from us: Make this the year you veer away from tradition. Maybe you always cook a big Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe this year you and your family could volunteer at a food shelter.

If you always host on Christmas Eve, find someone else to take the reins this year. And the Christmas Day turkey might end up being Chinese takeout. Whatever your solution, the holiday when the kitchen is being remodeled will be memorable!

It sits atop most houses, confined to a space for storage and cobwebs, dark and dreary. But if you have an attic, it’s a great way to add some extra space to your house.

Need an extra bedroom or two? How about a bathroom? Maybe an office or art studio? Or a playroom for the kids? Your old attic can be your salvation. But let’s face it, attics are often weirdly shaped spaces with little light. There are things you need to remember when remodeling.

Here are some of Re-Nest’s attic tips, and a few ideas of our own:

• Ceiling fans are your friends in an attic. They help regulate the temperature in both the winter and summer.
• Attic floors are notoriously noisy. Carpet is an easy solution, but Re-Nest also suggests “beefier floor joists” if you want hardwood flooring.
• Put bathrooms above lower-floor bathrooms. This might take a little design maneuvering, but can save money in the end.

As interest rates for saving accounts hit all-time lows, the folks at Calfinder raise an interesting question: Are home improvements more valuable than savings accounts? Yes, according to information from Remodeling Magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value Report. But that’s not to say you should close your savings account and head to the nearest hardware store.

This opinion is based on the potential return on invest homeowners can expect to see after carefully planned renovation. For instance, a kitchen remodel averages a 72.8 percent turn while a bathroom returns nearly half. Even window replacement averages a 72.4 percent return.

Renovation doesn’t always require a hard hat and sledgehammer. Calfinder points out some smaller projects that can have a huge impact on your home’s value:

• “Make your bathroom feel larger by repainting it with a light semi-gloss, replace flooring with large 12-inch bathroom tiles to minimize distracting grout lines. Add larger mirrors.”
• “An average kitchen remodel takes nine months to plan and three to build—but you can improve your kitchen in a weekend by resurfacing cabinets and countertops, adding a new backsplash, and updating drawer pulls and other hardware.”

Does this mean you should drain your savings account to morph you home? Hardly. But it does mean you can smartly invest in your home and reap the benefits immediately and in the future.

[Photo from Houzz]

Qualified Remodeler magazine recently featured a rather impressive remodeling project:

Just outside Boston, in the town of Wellesley, Mass., the owners of a home that bordered conservation land faced changing needs. After purchasing the 1,700-square-foot, 1930’s house, the residents performed a renovation in 1995 to increase the size to 2,000 square feet. Over time the family of four grew to a family of six, and the owners were ready for a master suite, home office and a larger place to entertain guests. They loved the house, neighborhood and peaceful conservation land abutting their backyard, so rather than move, the owners decided to undertake a 2,600-square-foot addition to more than double the home’s size.

The $1.6 million addition included a master suite; his and her bathrooms; a 2-story mahogany library that serves as an entertainment room and home office; a guest room and guest bathroom; a large basement renovation with a recreation room, gym and mechanical room; and a new entryway. The project won the Silver award in Qualified Remodeler’s 2010 Master Design Awards in the Room Addition over $100,000 category.

The focus of this remodeling project was to be unobtrusive and to respect the original style and structure of the home — both inside and out. According to the president of the firm that completed the project, “The remodel is a prime example of how to create an addition with sensitivity to existing architecture.”

Part of the approach to maintaining the original look and feel was to use made-to-order Marvin Windows, which offer enough options and flexibility to match any architectural style. Read more about this remodeling project at Qualified Remodeler.

[photo]

We ran across an article with some interesting tidbits about what homeowners want in 2011. Are any of these on your radar?

• Outdoor living areas: Are you paying more attention to things like porches and patios? An outdoor kitchen (from simple to grand) and a fireplace can add a whole new dimension. Who doesn’t love an extra room in the great outdoors?
• Green features: Green is hot right now, but homeowners are demanding practical things like energy efficient windows and water and electricity-saving appliances.
• Open kitchens: If the hearth is the heart of the home, it makes sense people want to be in it. Open kitchens allow that cozy feeling while allowing the cook some additional space to maneuver.
• Smaller homes: To go along with the green theme, smaller homes are easier to heat and cool, easier to clean and discourage the mindless filling of rooms.

Do you see these trends in your house hunting and remodeling plans?

At a certain point in any remodel, homeowners might find themselves fleetingly considering homicide. You might think you know about the disruption remodeling can cause, but dealing with dust, dirt, workers going in and out of your home, nonworking essential appliances, etc., can turn your attitude into surviving if you’re lucky and insanity if you aren’t.

Fellow bloggers Charles and Hudson recognize that remodeling can drive you around the bend and they have a few commonsense tips to help you make it through. Memorize their advice  to repeat as a mantra:

• Manage expectations: There will be times that it is just going to be bad. Expect that and you will feel better when it happens.
• Plan first: You know that old saying about how it’s easier to seek forgiveness than permission? It doesn’t apply when it comes to remodeling. Always plan first, and tear down later.
• Get ready for dust, dirt and inconvenience: Do a mini cleaning each day or week. It will help make the mess more bearable. Charles and Hudson suggests budgeting for a maid — maybe do this for a deep cleaning when the project is done.
• Schedule changes: Your schedule will be disrupted (see above point) and you must plan for it or risk coming home after a run to the water being turned off (that your builder told you about).

To these points we would also add that nothing lasts forever, although it may seem like it. Keep your eyes on the prize and before you know it, your remodeling project will be over.

If you’re interested in further reading on this very subject, check out this previous post from Lou Manfredini.

Image courtesy of Demed on Flickr.

By way of an article in Midwest Home magazine, we learned of this gorgeous, century-old barn-turned-home on Lake Superior. Built from the existing shell of an old barn and loads of reclaimed wood, the lake home oozes character.

Ax-scarred logs from an old cabin were ripped lengthwise to harvest the heartwood that became the stairs. The rugged exteriors were put to good use, too, shipped off to a TimeWorn client in Big Bear, California, for siding on a new house. Redwood siding from one old barn was re-cut to tongue-and-groove for flooring in Tom and Nicole’s bedroom. Slabs cut from the scarred surface of logs hand-hewn by a broadax more than a century ago form one wall of their bedroom. In another bedroom, weathered Wyoming snow fence serves as both distinctive walls and flooring. Built-ins made from a variety of woods provide storage and display space throughout the house­—from the floor-to-ceiling lockers in the entryway to buffet in the dining room to the red elm dresser in the owners’ bedroom.

It might not occur to you at first, but the MH writer points out a certain disconnect that makes the home even more striking: it’s a barn in the middle of lake-shore woodlands. We’re used to seeing barns out in the open plains, near open farm land and the like.

Be sure to read the full article at Midwest Home, and check out the dozens of photos at LakeSuperiorBarn.com.

photos courtesy of LakeSuperiorBarn.com