As a homeowner, do you ever wish you could ask for some expert architectural advice? When it comes to improving an investment as important as your home, you want to get the most value for your money. Guidance from someone who’s “been there, done that” can help you make smart decisions and avoid costly mistakes.
How do you know when you need an architect? Should you buy new or remodel your current home? What are the current design trends and should I include them in my home renovation? The questions surrounding home improvement are numerous.
In these posts, Dallas residential architects Laura and Holly from hpd architecture + interiors, share tips and pointers based on questions that they have been asked by their own clients.
10 Questions to Ask Before Designing A House
What questions to ask before designing a house? We often receive phone calls from homeowners looking for information about what to expect when designing their new dream home or renovating their current one. Before we can start sketching your gourmet kitchen or new master suite, we need to gather some information. Ready to design your …click to read more…
Renovation Road Blocks Your Home (or Future Home) May Be Hiding
How do you know if a home is going to be easy to renovate? What secrets could your home (or future home) be hiding? Each time a new client approaches us with a home remodel or addition project, we do our research on that property. Homes have a funny way of hiding restrictions that can …click to read more…
When Do I Really Need an Architect?
Who do you call when you are about to start a home renovation project? A contractor? An interior designer? An architect? All three? In our podcast, 75: When Do I Really Need an Architect?, Holly and I share a checklist of questions and answers to effectively guide you through this process. What follows is a …click to read more…
California Solar Panel Mandate in Residential Construction – A Texas Architect Responds
Recently, Holly Hall, owner, architect, and interior designer at hpd architecture + interiors was quoted in an article about the new solar panel mandate in California. Solar panels on the roofs of private homes are not a new phenomenon. What is making news however, are the new standards passed by the California Energy Commission in May …click to read more…
Designing a Home? Take a Vacation
There are a few situations that cast a magnifying glass on family dynamics better than a family vacation. Make that a vacation with ten family members, across three generations, in a two bedroom cabin in the woods, and you’ve got yourself the setting for a Hollywood blockbuster! Whether it will be a heart-warming comedy or …click to read more…
HGTV: Reality or Unreality TV for Those Looking to Remodel Their Home
A huge shout-out to HGTV! Thanks to hours and hours of binge watching, we think we now know how to remodel a home. We had just been going about it the wrong way! Day One: Purchase home. Day Two: Visit home to see what you bought, the condition the home is in, and see who …click to read more…
Buy or Renovate? NOW is the Perfect Time to Remodel!
Dallas is booming and the housing market is hot. It is the hottest it has been since before the recession. And, a number of our clients are responding by engaging us to renovate their homes. Odd? Perhaps. Yet, there are a number of good reasons for it. First, there aren’t many houses available to buy …click to read more…
Ready to Sell? 14 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Home
When our clients decide to purchase a new home to remodel or build a new home from the ground up, they are faced with selling their current property. As you know, a picture is worth a thousand words, and photos in a real estate listing can sell a home even before the first open house. …click to read more…
Transitional Design Combines Contemporary and Traditional
Recently, we have been helping a couple plan the renovation of their home. His tastes are a mix of rustic, urban, masculine, relaxed, and refined. She prefers traditional, casual, and sophisticated. They have several antique pieces that are family heirlooms. Presented with the opportunity to redo their home, they would like to introduce some touches …click to read more…
Living in Smaller Homes
Updated March 24, 2018 Less is more. Whoever came up with that saying never bought a house in Texas. We like to say everything is bigger in Texas, and when it comes to buying a home, bigger is becoming the norm. Drive through an older neighborhood, and you’ll eventually see a property where an older …click to read more…
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Best Gifts for Future Architects
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Looking for the perfect gift for a kid who is creative, shows a curiosity for buildings, and always wants to know how things go together? Dallas Architects Laura Davis and Holly Hall share great ideas for the best gifts for future architects. See show notes at www.hpdarch.com/ahh79. Visit our blog for the 2018 Architectural Gift Guide …click to read more…
Commercial vs. Residential Architect. Husband vs. Wife.
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Tune in for our first showdown at the AHH corral. Join us as host Laura Davis interviews her husband architect Bob Davis about the differences and similarities between commercial architecture and residential architecture. This episode will be of special interest to architecture students and interns. Please note: No marriages were harmed in the making of …click to read more…
