A recent client of ours just moved into a new house where the builders offered several stock fireplace options. They made a wise decision.. None of the above.
So they came to us with their inspiration pictures and we came up with a few options based on those pictures.
And just in time to hang their stockings with care, the fireplace was in. 
Our dear friend and amazing photographer, Meikel Reece, was on Studio 5 yesterday showing off her skills in commercial photography. It was also fun to see some of our projects flashing on screen.
We certainly agree that having beautiful pictures of your product is 100% worth it. However, I would argue that we might not ever be able to produce the crisp, bright and light and beautiful pictures that Meikel is able to do. Having professional pictures of your product is truly the best thing you can do for your business.
Anyway, great job, Meikel! And sorry just had to post this picture of us being awesome. 
A very small sampling of the amazing pictures Meikel has taken for us. 
Naturally part of any remodel is demolition. Most of what comes out during demo isn’t worth keeping. Of course there are exceptions…
This piece may have seemed outdated with its scalloped trim but with its inset doors and solid wood throughout, it was a keeper.
All I did was… big breath… cut it apart to make a breakfront, cut a footer detail, trim paneling around around each of the sides, a 1 inch crown around new countertop, a 2-step 4 inch crown on top, replace hinges with restoration hardware hinges AND then with painted it white.
Unfortunately, we did not get professional pictures so you’ll just have to use your imagination. It’s pretty awesome in person.
Our project is also coming along. The month of December we took a break from construction and put our efforts into the design (those efforts were mostly made by Steve, of course). We are still trying out different cabinets doors and colors but this is our latest. And there will also be a nice big island.
Although we’ve just recently been figuring out the details, we’ve had the Master Plan for our kitchen ever sense we bought the house two years ago. So any project we worked on had this layout in mind (for example, adding an attic furness to move ducts, making an extra large window well for the pop out, etc). Creating a Master Plan eliminates double work and allows to do work in phases.
This week drywall has been going up and it’s been exciting to see the the rooms take shape. Here’s the entry and mudroom. The mudroom is going to be an awesome transformation.. can’t wait..
Office opening that will someday be paneled and have sweet barn doors. And little C on my iPhone.
2011 was such a great year for Tiek Built Homes and we were very excited to get finish this project just in time for Christmas. Here’s a few more of our snapshots and I just can’t wait for Meikel to get the real shots to really do this place justice.
This is a very exciting point in the project where everything comes together. Here’s some terrible iPhone pictures to give you a little taste… 
It’s important to keep the end in sight when you’re living in a construction zone. I often think about our inspiration pictures when I’m doing dishes in the bath tub. You can see how they keep my spirits up ..check out our kitchen inspiration board on pinterest.
We have completed the framing, rough plumbing and electrical, wired for speakers in the kitchen, living room, office, backyard and garage (so excited to throw some parties!) and rewired the house with cat-5, and installed new windows.
Now just imagine these how the pictures on the right will someday look like the ones on the left.
We’ll have open shelves for over our sink and then an awesome archway from the entry into the kitchen. And yes, that’s our kids enjoying a little indoor picnic. Steve even made this remodel fun for the kids with the maze throughout the house.
We moved into this house over a year and a half ago and have spent a lot of time dreaming up the things we will do to make it awesome. We are very excited to have started our main floor remodel. But first, some before shots…
In phase 1, which was before we moved in and while I was a very 9 months pregnant (yes, this is Allison, not Steve), included this opening (it was a solid wall), a few can lights and sconces, skim coated most of the walls to get rid of the awful orange peel, some paint, a new window in the dinning room, and a few other little projects. 
Then the backyard was Phase 2. See before here and after here. And it looks even better now, but now is not the time for backyard updates.
So the inside main floor… here are all the before pictures:
Kitchen (worst layout).
Stairs in the entry and hall from the dining to the garage door.
Powder Bathroom and Laundry Room
This is the before floor plan… The issues we’re addressing include: a very small inefficient kitchen, huge garage door hallway with no real purpose, bottle neck hallway from the entry to the kitchen, office space that is cut off from the rest of the house, and an oven in the worst spot ever.
And here’s our new floor plan.. 2 foot kitchen pop out, actual mudroom with lockers, opened up office space and hallways with lots of sweet builtins and great details.
Progress pictures to come..
So to start with a little history on the Craftsmen style.. The Craftsman movement began as a response to the ornate Victorian homes. People started despising the whole culture that surrounded the Victorian movement. It came with self indulged families that flaunted their riches in their frilly homes, inside and out. Near the same time, trim became mass produced so it became much cheaper to look wealthy so everyone did it.
Craftsman forerunners wanted to take architecture back to the more simple times and place: humble European villages and shops. Craftsman trim is a reflection of that simplicity. It should have clean lines, little frills, and resemble simple post and beam construction. The ironic thing is, now-a-days, Craftsman is considered a higher trim standard.
Craftsmen Columns (between dining and family room):
Window Seats (living and family room):
Coffered Ceilings (from the front entry to the mud room):
Mudroom:
Fireplace (my drawings all over the drywall):
Well, almost finished.
This bathroom was still missing the mirror and the Euro glass around the shower (that was installed later the day these pictures were taken); however, you can see the tile work better without the glass. Click here for more about this bathroom. We were so excited with how everything turned out!
Photos by Meikel Reece.