Daylilies in Bloom!

The daylilies are finally in bloom! It's July! This is the entry to my office.

The Importance of an Entry Place

Here's my new basement office entry! My husband, Thomas, and I started moving back into the house just as the heavy snow started to fall in December. Right away, we appreciated the generous entry that we had created to the basement. If you read my Lwebuga House blog, you'll see that excavating for the new entry was not a small task, but it made the basement a comfortable place to be throughout the snowstorm.

If you hope to build a home office space that will welcome customers, a proper entry is perhaps the most important aspect of your project. It is important to recognize that the entry doesn't start at the door! When designing any entry space, I start by thinking about the entire process of entering a space, from the sidewalk on. What impression do you want to give?

In my own home office, I designed the entry to feel more business-like than a home entry... thus the wide walkway, heavy concrete retaining walls with planters, a commercial-type trough drain in the concrete sidewalk leading down to the door, and a door that looks a little more commercial than residential.

Small Projects

It seems to me that many people aren't quite sure what to expect from an architect... many times, I hear the comment, "I'd hire an architect, but my project is too small." Even with a small project, an architect can help you think through different design options - and 0ften he or she can present options you have never considered! Last year around this time, I started working with Janet. Her project was small - converting an existing detached 1-car garage into a guest bedroom + bathroom. Here's a photo of how it looked before:

For our first meeting, I sketched up 3 options for us to review together. Over about an hour, we walked through the pros and cons of each of these design options.

After reviewing these options, Janet decided that we should proceed with Option C, so we did. Below are some finished photos of the project, skillfully completed by a local builder, Matt Sears.