This New Tech Turns Any Countertop into a Wireless Charger
FreePower for Countertop has swept awards for its innovation—and the company claims installing it is "as straightforward as cutting a sink"
Design
Designing, Building, and Installing a Luxury Custom Wine Cube
An 11-foot wine cube enveloping a pantry is the stand out feature of this customized New York penthouse
Products
Marvin Releases Switchable Privacy Glass Window
The privacy glass windows can be purchased from Marvin's Direct Glaze windows
Thought Leadership
Building A Small Projects Division from the Ground Up
Through hard work and careful strategy, Harth Home Services has seen big growth
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Remodel Redux
It's tough enough to remodel a kitchen built in the 20th century, but try working on one that's gone through three centuries of updating. That was the challenge put to HomeTech Renovations Inc. of Lansdale, Pa. Originally a three-story log cabin built in 1722, the Del Viscio's center hall colonial in nearby Villanova had seen a number of renovations through the centuries, including a plaster-co...
The Production Machine
Tim Lassiter, owner of 8-year-old design/build firm Houston Remodeling, runs a low-overhead, low-headcount business that employs just himself, a salesperson and an office manager. Yet the company typically has seven or eight projects, usually large additions, in progress simultaneously. With few in-house bodies to throw at an emergency, advance planning and elimination of predictable emergencie...
Outdoor Living
American homeowners have rediscovered the pleasures of the great outdoors, and this has meant a boom in the exterior remodeling market and a great increase in the options available in decking materials, furnishings and everything in between. The term "outdoor rooms" has become used to describe this consumer trend toward adding backyard living space with all the amenities and conveni...
Downtown Rising
From Minneapolis to Memphis, Tenn.; Philadelphia to Phoenix; and Evanston, Ill. to Evansville, Ind., cities are developing expansive plans to bring more housing to downtowns and urban centers, bolstered by a growing crop of candidates for whom condo, loft or apartment living makes good sense. David A.
Outer Space
Located in an exclusive golf course community in Jupiter, Fla., this 4,000-square-foot home had "a plain vanilla exterior with a lack of detail," says remodeler John Dennis McDonald. "The owners wanted something dramatic." Key to the project was taking advantage of the potential vista — a lake and a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course.
A Room with a View
The owners of this home in Cornelius, N.C., had a beautiful lake view, but their rotting wooden deck, in desperate need of replacement, marred it. "They wanted their new deck to be virtually maintenance-free," says Dave Young, a sales consultant with Archadeck of Charlotte. Young, who sells, designs and manages projects, drew some deck plans and elevations for the homeowners by hand.
Beautiful Durability
Warm. Inviting. Inspiring. These words are not what clients think of when envisioning concrete — but maybe they should be. "People have always thought of concrete as plain gray, but now there are so many design options available," says Bev Garnant, the executive director of the American Society of Concrete Contractors, based in Dallas.
Downtown Rising
From Minneapolis to Memphis, Tenn.; Philadelphia to Phoenix; and Evanston, Ill. to Evansville, Ind., cities are developing expansive plans to bring more housing to downtowns and urban centers, bolstered by a growing crop of candidates for whom condo, loft or apartment living makes good sense. David A.
Progress Lighting
The SoHo Collection, inspired by New York's SoHo village, features clean-lined one-, two-, and three-light vanity fixtures, two-light semi-flush and three-light foyer fixtures. Scrolled arms support stylized glass opal globes accented with a contemporary brushed nickel finish. 864/599-6000.
Kitchen and Bath Trends
Kitchens and baths remain atop the list of rooms that homeowners nationwide most want to have remodeled. In some markets, owners are hiring remodeling professionals to make upgrades in these rooms about every 10 years. And it's not just a change in wall color, flooring, countertops or cabinetry — they're re-doing the entire room again.