Good architecture. whether traditional or contemporary, is never dated.

THIS WAS MY FIRST HOME SALE AS A REALTOR HERE IN CUENCA.  THE CLIENTS WERE A COUPLE FROM THE STATES AND THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A HOME THAT COULD ACCOMMODATE THEIR EXTENSIVE ART COLLECTION AND THEY ALSO WANTED SOME GREEN SPACE AS ONE OF THE CLIENTS IS AN AVID GARDNER.  WHILE THEY LIKED THE OVERALL LOOK AND LAYOUT OF THIS HOUSE, THEY WANTED TO GIVE IT A MORE AMERICAN SENSIBILITY BY ADDING MORE CABINETRY IN THE KITCHEN AND LAUNDRY ROOM ALONG WITH MORE CLOSET SPACE IN THE BEDROOMS AND ADDITIONAL DISPLAY CABINETRY IN THE FORMAL LIVING ROOM.  I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING ALL THE ARCHITECTURAL CHANGES THAT THEY REQUESTED AND I ALSO CREATED A CONSTRUCTION WORKFORCE WHO DID A MAJORITY OF THE WORK WHILE THE CLIENTS WERE STILL LIVING IN THE STATES.  I SUGGESTED THAT A FULL MASONRY FIREPLACE WITH A GAS LOG BE ADDED IN THE GREAT ROOM IN ORDER TO GIVE THE SPACE A FOCAL POINT THAT IT DID NOT HAVE ORIGINALLY.  WE ALSO ABSORBED THE EXISTING MEDIA AREA IN ANOTHER PART OF THE HOUSE WHICH WAS NO LONGER NEEDED ALONG WITH AN EXISTING BEDROOM AND BATHROOM IN ORDER TO CREATE A SECONDARY MASTER SUITE WITH A WALK-IN CLOSET AND A TUB IN THE NEW MASTER BATH.  A CARPORT WITH A STORAGE ROOM WAS ALSO ADDED TO THE HOUSE.  NOTE THAT I WAS ASKED TO BE INVOLVED WITH THE ARCHITECTURAL CHANGES THAT WERE MADE TO THE HOUSE AND NOT ANY OF THE INTERIOR DESIGN DECISIONS.

WHILE I WAS ASSOCIATED WITH ECUADOR INTERIORS, WE WERE CONTACTED BY AN AMERICAN GENTLEMAN WHO ALONG WITH AN ECUADORIAN COUPLE FROM QUITO WERE BUILDING A HOME IN THE CUENCA AREA.  THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE UNUSUAL IN THE FACT THAT THIS WAS DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC AND THE ORIGINAL ARCHITECT FOR THE PROJECT WAS "TRAPPED" IN SPAIN FOR THAT REASON.  THE CLIENTS ASKED US IF WE WOULD BE WILLING TO TAKE OVER WHERE THE ORIGINAL ARCHITECT HAD LEFT OFF AND AT THE POINT ONLY THE HOLE HAD BE DUG FOR THE FOUNDATION BUT NOTHING ELSE HAD BEEN COMPLETED.  UPON AGREEING TO THAT ARRANGEMENT, WE ALSO SECURED THE SERVICES OF ANOTHER LOCAL ARCHITECT TO ASSIST US.  

AFTER LOOKING AT THE ORIGINAL ELEVATIONS AND THE BLUEPRINT LAYOUT, I HAD A NUMBER OF CONCERNS.  SO WHAT I DECIDED TO DO WAS TO REWORK THE BLUEPRINT AND ALSO PROVIDE AN OVERALL ANALYSIS OF THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL.  I TOLD THE CLIENTS THAT I DID THIS ON MY OWN ACCORD AND IF THEY DID NOT UTILIZE ANY OF MY SUGGESTIONS, I WOULD NOT CHARGE THEM FOR ANY OF MY TIME SPENT ON THE BLUEPRINTS AND ANALYSIS.  ULTIMATELY, THEY EMBRACED ALL THE SUGGESTIONS THAT I MADE.   

MY CONCERNS WERE AS FOLLOWS:  THE EXTENSIVE USE OF 6 INCH BY 6 INCH TILES FOR BOTH THE EXTERIOR AND THE INTERIOR WAS EXTREMELY PROBLEMATIC TO ME.  KEEP IN MIND THAT THE PROPOSED CEILING HEIGHT WAS A STANDARD 8 FEET TALL.  AT THAT HEIGHT AND WITH ALL THAT TILE, I SUSPECT THAT SOMEONE ENTERING THE HOUSE WOULD FEEL THE NEED TO LOWER THEIR HEAD AS IF THEY WERE WALKING IN TO AN OLD CELLAR.  THE ONLY EXPLANATION FOR USING THAT MUCH TILE WAS THAT THE ARCHITECT MUST HAVE HAD A COUSIN IN THE CLAY TILE BUSINESS.  THE OTHER MAJOR ISSUE WAS THAT THE PUBLIC AREA OF THE HOUSE WAS 64 FEET LONG AND ONLY 14 FEET WIDE.  THOSE DIMENSIONS MIGHT WORK FOR AN AIRPORT LOUNGE BUT NOT FOR A HOUSE.  FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, IT WAS NOT ONLY IMPERATIVE THAT THE WIDTH OF THAT AREA BE INCREASED IN ORDER TO CREATE A LARGER AND MORE EFFICIENT KITCHEN, BUT ALSO TO CREATE A DIVISION IN THE 64 FOOT LONG DIMENSION. 

IN TERMS OF THE REST OF THE HOUSE, THE WIDTH OF THE MASTER  BEDROOM WAS PROBLEMATIC AS THERE WAS NOT A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF SPACE TO EVEN GET PAST AN UPHOLSTERED BED, LET ALONE BE ABLE TO PLACE A PIECE OF FURNITURE DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM IT ON THE OPPOSITE WALL.  THE PROPOSED MASTER BATHROOM WAS ALSO EXTREMELY SMALL AND INEFFICIENT FOR TWO PEOPLE.  IN ADDITION, THE SHARED BATHROOM FOR THE OTHER TWO BEDROOMS MADE NO SENSE AS THERE WAS AMPLE ROOM TO GIVE EACH BEDROOM ITS OWN BATHROOM IN THE SAME AMOUNT OF SPACE ORIGINALLY PROVIDED.  FINALLY AS TO THE FOYER LAYOUT, A POWDER ROOM DOOR IS NOT THE FIRST THING THAT A VISITOR SHOULD SEE WHEN ENTERING A HOUSE.  SO ENDTH THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SCHMIDT. 

THIS WAS A SECOND PROJECT THAT I DID FOR THESE CLIENTS AND THIER ORIGINAL PLAN WAS TO JUST ENLARGE THE MASTER BATHROOM AND CLOSET.  WELL, OF COURSE WE ENDED UP REDOING THE ENTIRE HOUSE. THIS HAS TO BE ONE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AREAS ON LAKE MICHIGAN WITH ITS PRIVATE SANDY BEACH AND INCREDIBLE VIEWS OF THE LAKE FACING NORTH AND SURROUNDED BY OLD GROWTH TREES.  BUILDING CODES DON'T ALLOW YOU TO CHANGE THE FOOTPRINT OF THE HOUSE WHEN YOU'RE THIS CLOSE TO THE LAKE, SO THOSE WERE THE RESTRICTIONS THAT WE HAD TO DEAL WITH.  THE ONLY MAJOR DISAGREEMENT THAT I HAD WITH THE CLIENTS WAS THAT I WANTED WHITE EXTERIOR SIDING AND A METAL ROOF.  AS YOU CAN SEE, I LOST OUT ON THAT ONE.

THIS WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PROJECTS FOR TWO REASONS.  FIRST, IT IS OWNED BY TWO OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS.  SECONDLY, I HAD BEEN IN THIS HOUSE SEVERAL YEARS PRIOR WHEN TWO OTHER FRIENDS WERE RENTING THE DOWNSTAIRS,  THE BELGIAN FARMHOUSE STYLE HOME WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT IN THE 1930'S AS A SINGLE FAMILY HOME.  SEVERAL YEARS LATER IT WAS CONVERTED INTO TWO APARTMENTS.  WHEN I FRIST SAW THE HOME IN ITS TWO APARTMENT STATE, I ALREADY HAD A VISION OF WHAT IT COULD LOOK LIKE IF IT WERE RETURNED TO ITS SINGLE FAMILY HOME STATUS AND REMODELED WITH A MODERN DAY SENSIBILITY.  NEVER COULD I HAVE IMAGINED AT THE TIME THAT I WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THAT VISION BECOME REALITY.  AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF OWNING THE HOME, MY TWO FRIENDS DECIDED THAT THEY WANTED TO MAKE THAT CONVERSION AND IT TOOK ME ONLY A DAY TO PUT ALL THOSE THOUGHTS THAT HAD BEEN MARINATING IN MY HEAD FOR YEARS ON PAPER.

THE FIRST FLOOR APARTMENT CONSISTED OF TWO BEDROOMS, A FULL BATHROOM, A FRONT PORCH AREA THAT HAD BEEN ENCLOSED, A SMALL LIVING ROOM,  AND A KITCHEN,  THE SECOND FLOOR APARTMENT HAD A FULL BATHROOM, A KITCHEN / DINING AREA, A LIVING ROOM, AND A BEDROOM.

THE PLAN FOR THE FIRST FLOOR WAS TO CREATE A GENEROUS SIZE LIVING ROOM WITH A FIREPLACE, A FORMAL DINING AREA, A GALLEY KITCHEN, A BREAKFAST ROOM, A FULL BATHROOM, AND A MUDROOM AREA.

THE PLAN FOR THE SECOND FLOOR WAS TO HAVE A LARGE MASTER BEDROOM, ONE GUEST ROOM, ONE FULL BATHROOM, AN OFFICE,  A TV VIEWNG AREA, AND AN AREA FOR THE WASHER AND DRYER WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY IN THE BASEMENT. 

NOTE THAT MY ROLE IN THIS PROJECT WAS LIMITED TO ARCHITECTURAL CHANGES ONLY AND NOT INTERIOR DESIGN.

IF I HAD A NICKEL FOR EVERY TIME I'VE HAD A CLIENT SAY TO ME, "YA KNOW, WE HAVE THIS RACQUET BALL COURT ATTACHED TO OUR HOUSE AND WE'D LIKE TO TURN IT INTO AN AUTHENTIC ENGLISH GREAT HALL".....WELL, YOU KNOW HOW THE REST OF IT GOES.  THE DIMENSIONS OF A TYPICAL RACQUET BALL COURT ARE 40 FEET LONG BY 20 FEET WIDE BY 2 FEET TALL.  SO YES, THIS ROOM HAD THE POTENTIAL TO CREATE  A GREAT HALL THAT THE CLIENTS ENVISIONED.  

EXTENSIVE RESEARCH WENT INTO DESIGNING THE CEILING DECORATIVE  BEAMS AND THE WOOD PANELING THAT WRAPPED AROUND THE ROOM WHICH WAS FABRICATED BY V AND A CABINETS IN DE PERE, WISCONSIN THE STONE FIREPLACE AND THE ENTRY STAIRWAY WERE BOTH MADE IN CHINA. THE THREE 12 FOOT HIGH GOTHIC WINDOWS WERE CUSTOM MADE BY THE PELLA WINDOW COMPANY AND THE FLOORING WAS MADE OF A COMBINATION OF STONE TO MATCH THE FIREPLACE AND WOOD TO MATCH THE PANELING.  THE EXTERIOR OF THE HOUSE WAS COVERED WITH THE SAME STONE USED ON BUCKINGHAM PALACE. 

THIS PROJECT WAS FOR TWO CLIENTS WHO HAD JUST RELOCATED FROM TEXAS AND HAD RECENTLY PURCHASED THIS PENTHOUSE.  THE UNIT WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED TO MEET THE WANTS OF THE PREVIOUS OWNER DURING THE BUILDING'S CONSTRUCTION; BUT ULTIMATELY THAT OWNER NEVER ACTUALLY LIVED THERE.  THE NEW OWNERS FELT THAT THE KITCHEN IN PARTICULAR DID NOT SUIT THE WAY THEY TYPICALLY UTILIZE THAT SPACE SO A DIFFERENT PLAN WAS CREATED FOR THEM.  ONCE THEY AGREED TO SAID CHANGES, WE THEN EMPLOYED THE SERVICES OF MADEVAL CABINETRY HERE IN CUENCA TO EXECUTE THOSE CHANGES.

THIS CHURCH LOCATED ON MONORE AVENUE IN GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN WAS ON THE VERGE OF BEING DEMOLISHED WHEN MY FREIND DECIDED TO PURCHASE IT AS OFFICE SPACE FOR HIS ADVERTISING AGENCY.   AT THE TIME OF THE PURCHASE, THERE WERE ONLY TWLEVE REMAINING MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION WHO HAD SPENT MONTHS TRYING TO FIND A BUYER AND WERE OBVIOUSLY THRILLED THAT THE CHURCH WAS GOING TO CONTINUE TO EXIST WITH A NEW PURPOSE. 

THIS PROJECT WAS FEATURED IN THE NATIONAL PUBLICATION "METROPOLIS MAGAZINE"