DESIGN BLOG
Project Profile - A Custom Farmhouse
Custom Urban Farmhouse
This family of 5 wanted to build a new home in a rural setting that would allow them to appreciate their hobbies and interests.
In addition to their custom designed farmhouse with a large wrap around porch, outdoor living spaces were designed to incorporate a pool and adjacent greenhouse.
A barn will be constructed on the property, leaving plenty of space for their 3 children to run and explore their 5 acres. They were inspired by the urban farmhouse style including industrial, yet classic, finishes inside.
The open first floor layout will be perfect for family time as well as entertaining, with large bedrooms upstairs, a master suite balcony, and a unique studio loft over the garage.
First Floor
Second Floor
Our designers are ready to help you create your dream home! Designing homes with your vision in mind and watching the excitement it brings you is our inspiration.
Inspiration Sources! #beinspired
Are you ready to make some changes to your home or sell yours and build a new home? Do you know where to find inspiration for new ideas? We love inspiration and are always looking for new sources to help our clients visualize what they have been dreaming about or provide them with ideas when they didn’t know they needed them. Luckily, there is inspiration available everywhere!
2018 BIA Parade of Homes
One of the biggest sources of inspiration is right around the corner. The BIA Parade of Homes is an ultimate source of creativity whether you are looking to find ideas for building a home or just making updates to your own home. Colors, designs, floorplans, use of space, furniture styles, fantastic appliances; you name it and you will see what is new, trending, coming soon, and timeless, classic features.
When: September 1st-16th, 2018
Where: Eversole Run at Jerome Village. Jerome Village is located in Jerome Township, in the Dublin City School District. Jerome Village is stunning, with 13 neighborhoods and a community center with pool, fitness center, and restaurant.
What better way to find new ideas than by winding your way through this year’s seven stunning homes?
This year’s participants are:
· 3 Pillar Homes
· Arthur Rutenburg Homes
· Bob Webb Homes
· Coppertree Homes
· Manor Homes
· Memmer Homes
· Romanelli & Hughes
For more information about this year’s event, click here. http://www.biaparade.com/aws/BIA/pt/sp/biaparade_home
Our Downloadable Form for the Parade
While you’re visiting each home, why not jot down ideas and floorplans that inspire you? In order to make this easier for you, we’ve created a form for you to download and use at the Parade. Love the lighting, the floorplan, the paint colors, design pieces, outside areas, and more?
Use this sheet to keep track of everything that you want to think more about and not forget! Parade Form
More Inspiration
Can’t make it to the Parade this year? Don’t worry! See what inspires us and what we have designed for our clients. We’d love to meet with you and help your inspirations come alive.
You can visit our:
NARI Home Improvement Tour
Another event to remember, and we will share more information with you soon, is the upcoming NARI Home Improvement Tour on September 15th & 16th. (We’re even creating a form for you to use at this event.) https://www.trustnari.org/consumers-and-homeowners/home-improvement-showcase/
All of us here at RDS love creating designs for new homes and remodeling projects. Call us and let’s get your ideas down on paper, revealing your dreams and turning them into your reality.
Spruce Up the Front of Your Home!
Light it up! A well lit exterior can not only provide safety at night, but also enhance the flair and drama of your home.
Summer is right around the corner and that means we will be spending even more time outdoors; neighbors out walking in the neighborhood, kids playing and riding their bikes, and maybe even some get togethers at your place. But what does the front of your home look like? Does it have the curb appeal you’d really like or could it use a little help?
At RDS, one of our Front Porch Friday Videos - Curb Appeal Tips dealt with just this topic. We’ve got sprucing up on the brain, so we wanted to share more tips to help you get the front of your home looking its best! And the best part? It doesn’t have to break the bank to accomplish it!
Front Porch:
Your front porch is the first thing people notice. Is it welcoming or will it scare people away? A well-designed and interesting front porch not only provides great curb appeal, but it invites people in! So what can you do?
Fill colorful containers with beautiful flowers and greens and place in groups on your porch.
If your porch is large enough, put a couple of chairs out so you can sit and chat with neighbors.
Before brick was painted.
After brick was painted.
Painted Brick:
Many homes have brick exteriors. It’s timeless and a staple when building. But does it need a facelift? Many people love the look of brick, but not the bold reddish hues. One change you can make is to paint it. Painting it will update the look and freshen up the front of your home. Choose a color that will coordinate with any adjacent siding. Two popular options include choosing the same color as the siding or a shade or two darker or lighter.
Window Pediments (or Headpieces):
Window pediments give your home proper dressing on the outside, much like window treatments do on the inside. Window pediments come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so choosing a style that works with your home’s architectural style is important. Choose to reinforce the style of your home or bring out more of your home’s character. If window pediments aren’t your thing, or you want to do more, add shutters if they will work on your home.
More Sprucing Tips:
Garage Door: Look at your garage door. Does it need a thorough cleaning? Is it time for a new paint color? Maybe the hardware needs to be updated or replaced. Or is it time to replace the door with a new wooden door, a door with windows, or a whole glass door? You can change the whole look of your home with a new garage door.
Window Boxes: Window boxes are simple, yet effective ways to add pops of color and depth to the front of your home. There are a variety of styles, materials, and colors available, allowing you the option to customize the look you want to achieve.
What’s Around Your Front Door: Sometimes it’s the smallest details that can make the difference. Replacing the hardware on the front door, the house numbers or the mailbox are easy changes to make, yet add flair to the front of your home.
Light it Up! You’ve made many improvements and now it’s time to show it off! Exterior lighting can provide you not only with safety at night but a little flair and drama. Uplighting in front of your home can light up trees, landscape, and exterior details. Change out existing lighting for new and trendier lighting. Don’t forget to light up your garage door.
Give your home a whole new look with just a little dressing up on the front of your home. You can choose to do a little or a lot. But whatever you do, it’s going to go a long way to help up the curb appeal of your home. Our designers would be thrilled to help you do even more and redesign the front of your existing home or design a new home for you. Contact us to get your project started today!
Updating the Lower Level
Our clients came to us with a problem many home owners face – how to make a lower level space updated and contemporary. They had several issues we had to address and we were able to create effective, yet contemporary changes to make this an incredible space.
Goals:
- Turn the stairs into a straight run
- Add a wine cellar as a visual part of the room
- Add a large bar and entertainment area that flows to the outdoor living area
- Create a full theatre room
- Embrace a contemporary aesthetic
Highlights of Our Design:
- Relocated several plumbing lines and a water heater
- Reframed the stairs and new trim, flooring, and finishes
- Installed a replacement door system for better operation and weather sealing
- Removed the existing stair landing and replaces with a straight run built with glass treads illuminated from beneath
- Wine cellar is a series of commercial glass doors allowing a view of the entire collection
- Large island was wrapped in a waterfall of marble in a bold green and black
The builder for this contemporary space was Charlie Griffey of Griffey Remodeling.
Our designers at RDS can work with you to renovate or remodel any room in your home to make it whatever you dream it should be. Let’s get the conversation started and the project underway!
RDS Turns 30!
We’re pretty excited by this number…we’ve been in business for 30 years as of April 1st, 2018! We celebrated this momentous occasion with a small party in the office on March 28th. To say that I was surprised was an understatement! My staff, fellow designers, builders, and clients made this day very special.
Many people asked me questions during the party so I thought I’d answer a few of them here for all of you. As I said during the party, “It’s been 30 years, one day at a time!”
How did you get your start?
I began my career as a draftsman for a small electronics company and then was able to make a move to work for a residential design firm. After five years I joined Bob Webb Builders where I feel that I received my Masters Degree in construction and basically “how to build the right way”. I worked briefly for another builder prior to starting RDS.
How did you choose Residential Designed Solutions as your company name?
We started out as Designed Solutions but when we incorporated there was another company with the same name so we added the “Residential” to be more descriptive.
Have you always been located where you are now?
The company began in my home study and within a year we moved into our first office on Snouffer Road. Several years later we moved into a larger office in the next building over and in 1999 we moved to our current location.
What is the best part of your job?
There are many aspects that I enjoy but I would have to say that the time I spend designing is my favorite. It’s all about problem-solving, fitting the puzzle pieces together so that they make sense and the spaces flow as we meet our customers’ needs and requirements.
How many homes have you designed/remodeled?
I’ve never stopped to count but as I think about it, it must be over 7500 projects completed to date.
Which design for a new home or remodel has been your favorite and why?
I think the best answer is “the next one”. They’re all “my children” to some extent so it is impossible to pick one as a favorite. The memorable projects are those where we had big challenges to overcome and projects where we broke new ground in terms of design styles.
What have you learned over the last 30 years?
The list is endless. How to run a design business, how to design to meet client needs, how to communicate better, how to be a better person and I am still constantly trying to improve in all those areas.
How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors?
Given the construction backgrounds that our design associates have, I would have to say that we speak “Builder” fluently. We understand the cost impact of various design details and how to design to a given price point. We know what adds perceived value over just additional costs.
If you could travel back 30 years, what would you tell yourself based on what you know now?
The list is endless here also but I guess the most important thing would be to just continue to focus on the clients and make sure we’re meeting their needs.
We cherish our relationships with our clients, builders and all the trade people we encounter daily. We take our business and our clients’ needs seriously and are honored to be part of this incredible home building profession. Thanks to all of you for letting us be a small part of your life.
What Our Clients Have to Say
At RDS, we believe that designing a home is one of the most satisfying parts of our work. We love building relationships with our clients and working with them to bring their dreams to reality. We want you to get an idea of what our clients think of their experience working with us.
Name: Kris Cassady
How was your experience with RDS – Residential Designed Solutions?
We were remodeling our old 1800’s brick home and the foundation collapsed. I was not confident in staying with the architect that has done our original plans and needed a new architect quickly. We were homeless in a matter of minutes.
I found Jim with RDs after some online research. I looked him up on Houzz and loved his designs. I called, explained our situation, and Jim arrived at our home site the following morning with his engineer.
We met and designed options to build onto what was left of our house at the time. (We were awaiting all of the reports from the various structural engineers so we could determine if we could actually build onto the remaining structure.) I was really excited about the design we’d come up with.
After the reports were in, we decided that we would be better off to tear down what was left of our old home and build a new one.
We discussed our options with Jim. Unfortunately, we were not in a position to do a complete custom design as my builder either needed to get started or put us on for the following year. I wanted to go home, so I needed plans fast!
Jim was going to send me a couple of plans that he had from The Plan Drawer, their sister company that sells stock plans. I was wrapped up in insurance stuff and kept checking my email but never received anything. So in a frantic state of mind, I ordered plans online instead of calling Jim. Then after talking to my builder about those online plans, I ordered a second set. At the 2 week mark (from talking to Jim), I emailed Jim early on a Sunday morning. He responded right away. Jim had no idea that I did not receive the plans that he had sent. Jim was able to get me the plans that same Sunday.
THANK GOODNESS!! Both plans were amazing and now we had to make a decision that we would live with for the rest of our lives.
What space(s) did you have redesigned, (if applicable) or did you have a new home designed?
We had a new home designed. Jim will forever hold a special place in my heart.
What is the favorite aspect of your new home design?
I love every single thing about our home design.
If you could change one thing, what would you change?
I made a change to the 2-story fireplace on the back wall and placed windows and a patio door there instead. I want the fireplace (and I will more than likely have my builder back to put it in).
What was your overall experience like?
Nothing short of amazing! With all of our chaos, we ended up with one minor mistake on our plans, which was a small window in a bedroom upstairs. The plans showed it as normal size like the rest of the windows, but we didn’t accommodate for the small roof over the eat-in dining.
None of us caught the error. Not myself, not Jim, not even my builder. It was found the day my builder was roughing in the windows.
When I called Jim to discuss, he offered to pay for the window, taking ownership of the error. We kindly declined.
What advice would you offer to someone who is designing a home or redesigning a space in the home?
First and foremost, do your homework like I state below, and go with your first choice!
Go to open houses, model homes, and visit websites. Really think about how you live and use your space. Don’t build something because it is popular or trending right now, as your love for something will more than likely change when a new trend comes around. I am not a trendy girl, thank goodness. Make sure you are practical when making decisions and know your local codes. Pinterest is big for some people and I used it for some ideas, which was great. I saw a picture of a master bath with this beautiful small chandelier over the tub. When I discussed this with my builder, most codes do not allow a light fixture over the bathtub. (Makes sense now that I know.) But you can put one right where it clears the tub.
Who else did you reach out to for designing your home?
No one. I did everything else myself. I’ve never considered myself a decorator or designer at all but I have received a ton of compliments from people who have visited our home. People always ask who designed my interior and I just smile and say ME!
Would you do it again?
Funny that you ask! I would prefer not to do it again under the rare circumstance of our house collapsing. But, Jim came to our rescue with an already busy schedule. My builder is local in our community and has been building for 35-40 years. He is a tough cookie and likes details. He usually picks architects apart as he likes the plans a certain way. Well, my builder really liked Jim and had no complaints about his plans. When my builder did have a few questions, he was able to call Jim and discuss them right away. Amazing teamwork! If we were looking to move and build again, I would probably build the other design that Jim sent me that I didn’t choose as I know it would be beautiful as well. I would use Jim and have recommended RDS many times since my experience.
We are so happy that Kris is happy with her new home after going through so much. Let our designers help you make your dreams a reality. We’d be honored to work with you!