Ansel Olson

Durston Saylor

Our empty nester clients bought this 1989 house on the Pacific Coast with the goal of remodeling it once they found the right architect. The shed roof house was built with plain finishes, basic front steps, and a raised panel front door with leaded glass sidelights and an arched window over it, but the location was to die for. Our goal was to make the house more consistently modern, more open, and take greater advantage of the views. At the exterior, we replaced the basic wood siding and clunky trim with a palette of more refined siding, sleek minimalist trim, stucco, and stacked stone. We replaced the old windows with better-proportioned black aluminum windows. We replaced the basic front door with a cool contemporary flush door, replaced the garage door with a compatible new one, replaced the dated exterior lighting, and added new downlights in the eaves. We redesigned the exterior wood stairs with an expansive, flowing design made of concrete and stone. We replaced the solid rails at the exterior with glass rails and completely redesigned the entry with sleek tile, new contemporary wood stairs, and frameless glass rails. We designed a new open kitchen and bathrooms using transitional-style cabinets, cutting-edge appliances, and modern fixtures. The most complicated part of the project was replacing a dated curved glass solarium. We replaced it with a better-insulated sunroom with an actual roof and skylights instead of the original kit solarium. It not only better suits the architecture but it is now one of the owners’ favorite rooms.

A durable, meaningful design heals a devastated residential property bordering Acadia National Park and Somes Sound on Maine’s Mount Desert Island. Comprehensive stormwater management strategies shape new landforms, resulting in elegant grading and thoughtful drainage solutions. Native plant colonies stabilize the site, regenerate habitat, and reveal wildlife patterns. Exquisitely crafted new masonry, built from an authentic palette of local reclaimed materials, gives the garden a unified, established feel. Lichen-encrusted stone retaining walls define edges, thresholds, and overlooks, and thick slabs of salvaged granite embedded in the earth provide gathering terraces and pathways. With balance restored, brilliant seasonal drama unfolds.

We were hired to add space to their cottage while still maintaining the current architectural style. We enlarged the home's living area, created a larger mudroom off the garage entry, enlarged the screen porch and created a covered porch off the dining room and the existing deck was also enlarged. On the second level, we added an additional bunk room, bathroom, and new access to the bonus room above the garage. The exterior was also embellished with timber beams and brackets as well as a stunning new balcony off the master bedroom. Trim details and new staining completed the look. - Jacqueline Southby Photography

This was an exterior remodel and backyard renovation, added pool, bbq, etc.

Concrete stepping stones meander their way thought a private, densely planted garden area. Accents like a wooden bridge over the dry creek bed, a seating bench, and container planting bring this area to life.

Martis Camp Home: Entry Way and Front Door House built with Savant control system, Lutron Homeworks lighting and shading system. Ruckus Wireless access points. Surgex power protection. In-wall iPads control points. Remote cameras. Climate control: temperature and humidity.

This gourmet kitchen includes wood burning pizza oven, grill, side burner, egg smoker, sink, refrigerator, trash chute, serving station and more! Photography: Daniel Driensky

Mark Hoyle

Designed & Built by Renewal Design-Build. RenewalDesignBuild.com Photography by: Jeff Herr Photography

Photography by Laura Moss

Amaryllis is almost beyond description; the entire back of the home opens seamlessly to a gigantic covered entertainment lanai and can only be described as a visual testament to the indoor/outdoor aesthetic which is commonly a part of our designs. This home includes four bedrooms, six full bathrooms, and two half bathrooms. Additional features include a theatre room, a separate private spa room near the swimming pool, a very large open kitchen, family room, and dining spaces that coupled with a huge master suite with adjacent flex space. The bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs flank a large entertaining space which seamlessly flows out to the second floor lounge balcony terrace. Outdoor entertaining will not be a problem in this home since almost every room on the first floor opens to the lanai and swimming pool. 4,516 square feet of air conditioned space is enveloped in the total square footage of 6,417 under roof area.