Neal's Home Remodeling and Design Blog

It's a definite in the design world that strict adherence to a single design style just won't work for some homes and some homeowners. It's these instances when the all-encompassing "eclectic" look is a great solution. Defined by not really being definable, the eclectic kitchen is one where styles intermingle. The difficultly with eclectic kitchens is that, without some boundaries, things can start to get out of hand. Without some guidelines, eclectic can easily turn into cluttered and uncomposed. To avoid that fate, here are 5 eclectic kitchen design ideas for creating balance in your kitchen. The kitchen featured here is a 2013 NARI Local Contractor of the Year Residential Kitchen winner. To see more photos of this project, click here.

Read More

Awkward rooms, weird hallways, odd spaces. We've all got them. From that out-of-the-blue angled wall, to the narrow room that isn't quite a room, but somehow doesn't qualify as a hallway either. In some homes, these spaces add character and charm, or possibly a sense of history or pedigree. But most of these types of spaces are throwbacks that don't quite mesh with the modern ways we live our lives and utilize our homes. Here, we've scoured our gallery of design work, and found four projects that tackled the design challenge of the awkward space in four very different ways.

Read More

Using stone as accents inside the home is a design option we've seen a fair amount of in our 40+ years of remodeling experience. That natural look and texture juxtaposed with interior decor creates a casual look, but also injects the timelessness of a rustic architectural statement. It's not, however, a one-size-fits-all option, and there are several ways you can go that can drastically change the finished look from one option to the next. Here are the things you should know when choosing interior stonework for your home.

Read More

Faced with an expansive backyard with no character and a rolling slope, the homeowners had a very simple objective: make the yard a party space. Beyond this clear objective, the homeowners had a wish list of key elements, including a pool, an outdoor living room, and lots of comfortable space for a crowd. The result is a space that takes full advantage of the back yard while keeping scale, space and views at the forefront of the design. The resulting transformation is a 2016 NARI Contractor of the Year Residential Exterior Winner.

Read More