One of the great joys of being in the design profession is perhaps one of the most obvious; I am given the opportunity to create something new and deeply personal for my clients. When given this task I tend to get to know my clients fairly well and in the end, when the project is complete, and if all goes well, my clients end up being my friends.

I say it is a joy, and it is, but along with that joy come’s a tremendous responsibility. Our homes are our sanctuaries; they are the place we raise our children, make many memories, enjoy holidays and meals with family and friends, retreat from the outside world and, more often than not, make our largest financial investment in.

Along the way I wonder; is what I am creating going to work for them? Are they going to like their new home when it is all said and done? After all, there is a lot riding on this entire proposition of designing and building a new home. So it is always a pleasure, and a bit of a relief, to hear from a client after they have been in their new home for a while and find out that, yes, they really do love it and my creation has turned out even better than they expected.

This week I was very blessed. On Monday I received an email from a client I had the opportunity to work with a year ago and who I designed a new home for. Attached to the email was a very glowing letter of recommendation in which they were pleased with me personally but more importantly, with their new home.

Never having gone through the home building process before, they were naturally nervous at the start. And, given the fact that this project required demolishing their existing home to make way for the new one, they had even more riding on the line. After all, what happens if I, the builder or someone else along the way flakes out or makes a monumental mistake; these folks will have not only lost their place to live but a significant investment as well.

So imagine my great joy and relief to read their letter and find out that not only was the project a success but that they love their new home and it exceeded their expectations. My favorite line in the entire letter is this one: “We have lived in the house for a year now (sorry it took so long for us to write this), and still get up every day happier with the house than the day before.” As a home designer, I strive to create beautiful and lasting homes but in the end, what I really strive for is this; to create something which will make someone’s life better and more enjoyable than the day before.

It is indeed a great joy to receive a letter like this as confirmation of a successful project. Thank you Scott and Kristen for the opportunity to work with you, your wonderful letter, being great clients and being two people who I am happy to call my friends.

To read Scott and Kristen’s full letter, please visit our testimonial page on our website at: http://psdesignerinc.com/Testimonials.html

Here is your opportunity to vote in the National Kitchen and Bath Associations (NKBA) People’s Pick Awards for best bath. Click here to vote: http://bit.ly/gFMtQb

Once you have voted, write back to me and let me know what your top choice was and why. We would love to hear what styles and designs you like the best.

Are you thinking of remodeling your kitchen or bath in the near future? According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), here are 11 of the top design trends for 2011: http://www.housingzone.com/cb/article/11-kitchen-and-bath-design-trends-2011

When you are ready to do that renovation or new home project, we would love the opportunity to talk with you about the design of your project. We partner with some of the top interior designers and construction professionals in town to help bring your dream to reality. Estimates are free, so call today: 503-768-4573  

As a designer of homes which, quite possibly in the very near future, may incorporate many of these technologies, please let me know what you think. Do you like this much technology? Are there any concepts you would add or remove? Do you think these tools will make our lives easier or is it more cumbersome and intrusive to be connected 24/7?

The latest report from Professional Remodeler magazine indicates that remodeling activity for 2010 was up significantly from the previous year. Read here for the full article. 2011 looks to continue that trend as the housing market continues its recovery.

If you are thinking of doing a remodel or addition project, right now is the time to begin planning and preparing for a spring or summer build. Don’t wait and find yourself scrambling at the last-minute. We can help. Give us a call today to discuss your ideas and find out how we can help turn your dreams into reality. Give us a call at 503-768-4573 or visit us on the web at www.psdesignerinc.com

Recently the Oregon Building Codes Division approved an amendment to the 2008 Oregon Residential Specialty Code requiring the use of carbon monoxide detectors in all new single-family homes. This change will go into effect April 1, 2011.

• Locations in new single-family homes where the Co alarms will be required shall be as per Sec. R326.2 Installation location:

Carbon monoxide alarms shall be located in each bedroom or within 15 feet outside of each bedroom door. Bedrooms on separate floor levels in a structure consisting of two or more stories shall have separate carbon monoxide alarms serving each story.

• Locations where Co alarms will be required in existing dwellings shall be as per Sec.R326.5 Where required in existing dwellings:

Where a new carbon monoxide source is introduced or work requiring a structural permit occurs in existing dwellings, carbon monoxide alarms shall be provided in accordance with Section R315.1.

Exception: Work involving the exterior surfaces of dwellings, such as the replacement of roofing or siding, or the addition or replacement of windows or doors, or the addition of a porch or deck, are exempt from the requirements of this section.

***PLEASE NOTE: The referenced section R315.1 should actually read R326.1. This effectively makes the requirements for addition/remodel work the same as those for new construction. Hopefully when the 2011 code comes out in July this will be properly noted.***

To view the complete code section R326 and print out the code amendment pages for your 2008 Oregon Residential Specialty Code book, click here.

2011 Portland Spring Home and Garden Show

Looking for some great new ideas for your home or yard? This year’s Portland Spring Home and Garden show runs February 23-27 at the Expo Center. To make things even more enticing, click here for a discount off the regular admission price.

To keep up with all of the updates LIKE their page on Facebook.

Hot off the press; the January 2011 edition of “The Monthly Market” newsletter from Theresa Springer, Senior Mortgage Banker at Director’s Mortgage. This month’s issue is filled with news on current interest rate trends, (their ticking upward) and some bright news for the housing market in the coming year.

Economic Analysts Look for Improvement in 2011

Over the last two years, Lou Crandall has been among the most accurate forecasters of the U.S. economy. Crandall believes, because the economy is recovering from such low levels, the progress that has been made has yet to generate a sense that things are moving in the right direction… MORE

Click here to get the full newsletter.

This morning I received this link to a virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel, one of the great art and architectural treasures of the world, and felt it worth sharing. This amazing tour gives you the ability to see, up close, the famous ceiling painted by Michelangelo. Using your mouse, you can pan around the entire room and zoom in and out using your scoll wheel.

A bit of history on the ceiling, (from Wikipedia): "The Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, at the commission of Pope Julius II, is one of the most renowned artworks of the High Renaissance. The ceiling is that of the large Papal Chapel built within the Vatican between 1477 and 1480 by Pope Sixtus IV after whom it is named the Sistine Chapel. The chapel is the location for Papal Conclaves and many important services.[1]

The ceiling’s various painted elements comprise part of a larger scheme of decoration within the Sistine Chapel which includes the large fresco The Last Judgment on the sanctuary wall, also by Michelangelo, wall paintings by a team of the most highly regarded painters of the late 15th century including Botticelli and Perugino, and a set of large tapestries by Raphael, the whole illustrating much of the doctrine of the Catholic Church.[2][3]

Central to the ceiling decoration are nine scenes from the Book of Genesis of which the Creation of Adam is the best known, having an iconic standing equalled only by Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the hands of God and Adam being reproduced in countless imitations."

·         For more information on the Sistine Chapel, click here.

·         For more on the ceiling paintings and their meanings, click here.

When we think of “home”, we often think of the physical places in which we live. But our ”home” may also reference our physical body, which includes our mental & spiritual states. The strongest of these are created by beginning with a solid foundation built on right principles, correct thinking and strong faith. Both of these “homes” must be honored, nurtured and supported. They are the bedrocks of a civil, moral and free society.

“Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.” –Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

“The sun at home warms better than the sun elsewhere.” –Albanian Proverb

“We must make our homes centers of compassion and forgive endlessly.” –Mother Teresa

“The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home.” –Confucius

“Make two homes for thyself…One actual home…and another spiritual home, which thou art to carry with thee always.” –St. Catherine of Siena