What’s Behind The Walls!

Before the cellulose insulation gets blown in the walls, the electricians review the wiring plan and check each wire in the wall to make sure that they are shielded from possible nail or screw when the drywall gets hung. This Oakland County custom home (near Birmingham and Bloomfied) should be complete in May. The careful planning and daily attention to the construction schedule will assure it is completed on time. Watch our progress here every few days.

Ken Peterson – Wellington Chase Homes – Bloomfield Hills, MI

Hunter Roberts Homes and Wellington Chase Homes are related design/build businesses doing new residential design build and renovation design build in Michigan.  We operate primarily in the Oakland County cities, townships and villages of Birmingham, Bloomfield Village, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Franklin, Sylvan Lake, Beverly Hills, Orchard Lake, Bingham Farms, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Berkley, Ferndale and Troy

What’s Behind The Walls!

Before the cellulose insulation gets blown in the walls, we take extra care to seal up any possible penetration to the outside where cold air could get between the walls. We foam, caulk, and cover all possible sources of heat leakage. This Oakland County custom home (near Birmingham and Bloomfied) should be complete in May. The careful planning and daily attention to the construction schedule will assure it is completed on time. Watch our progress here every few days.

Ken Peterson – Wellington Chase Homes – Bloomfield Hills, MI

Hunter Roberts Homes and Wellington Chase Homes are related design/build businesses doing new residential design build and renovation design build in Michigan.  We operate primarily in the Oakland County cities, townships and villages of Birmingham, Bloomfield Village, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Franklin, Sylvan Lake, Beverly Hills, Orchard Lake, Bingham Farms, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Berkley, Ferndale and Troy

What’s Behind The Walls!

As we continue to show you the progresses on this custom home we designed and are building in Bloomfield Village, we are at the drywall stage with about 4 months to complete the interior.  This Oakland County custom home (near Birmingham and Bloomfied) will be ready for the new homeowners during May, as promised, we will meet our 8 month build promise for the nearly 5,000 square foot house.  It has plenty of custom finishes.  The careful planning and daily attention to the construction schedule will assure it is completed on time.  Watch our progress here every few days.

Ken Peterson – Wellington Chase Homes – Bloomfield Hills, MI

Hunter Roberts Homes and Wellington Chase Homes are related design/build businesses doing new residential design build and renovation design build in Michigan.  We operate primarily in the Oakland County cities, townships and villages of Birmingham, Bloomfield Village, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Franklin, Sylvan Lake, Beverly Hills, Orchard Lake, Bingham Farms, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Berkley, Ferndale and Troy

The Way Things Used To Be

I just came across a copy of the January 1941 issue of THE AMERICAN HOME magazine.  As I was looking through it I noticed several advertisements that pertained to home building.

One of them was for Pella Windows.  They served a lot of custom home builders.  Architects used them because they had the famous “roller screens” built into them.  If you bought Pella Windows….in 1941 you were very modern because you didn’t have to use “old fashioned screens”.

Another advertisement from Red Cedar Shingles indicated that architects also preferred double coursed wood shingles over any other type of shingles.  Actually we love to use wood shingles when the homes we design are appropriate for them.

We tend to relate glass blocks with Modern style homes.  The magazine had an advertisement for a glass block company.  Back in 1941 the glass block company explained that using glass blocks was a very modern way to custom build a home.  Apparently modern is timeless.

When you hear the name Kimberly-Clark don’t you think of paper products, wax paper, paper towels and so on?  Me too.  Take a look at the insulation advertisement showing Kimsul Insulation.  50 years ago insulation, as today was an important issue….imagine that.  Well apparently it was back then and probably will be for  a long time into the future.

These Are Modern Windows For The Modern House

At One Time Wood Roofers We The Norm

Insulation Was Important Then, Still Is!

This is a very affordable home!

Finally, we pride ourselves as being very good at designing new homes and renovations, as well being very affordable and effective builders.  Well, the advertisement from The Philip Carey Company redefines building economically and affordably.

By Rick Wiand who is a principal with a company located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan which designs and builds new residential design build and renovation design build in Michigan.  We operate primarily in the Oakland County cities, townships and villages of Birmingham, Bloomfield Village, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Franklin, Sylvan Lake, Beverly Hills, Orchard Lake, Bingham Farms, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Berkley, Ferndale and Troy

The Morning Room – Maybe The Best Room In The House

In England they call it a morning room.  Some people call it a breakfast room.  It is really the informal family dining room.  Some of the clients for whom we have designed homes in the Bloomfield Birmingham area communities of Oakland County think it’s one of the most practical and pleasant rooms in a house.

Most of the homes we design and build and renovations as well include a Morning Room.  Whenever possible we make sure the Morning Room is positioned on the south side of the house.  Since they are typically three sided rooms projecting from the house, they receive great sunlight.  In the morning it is easterly and southerly.  In the midday it is southerly and late in the day southerly and westerly.  So throughout the day it is a bright, airy feeling room projecting out into the yard of a house.

An ideal size is 12 ft by 12 ft.  A bit smaller is functional. A bit larger is great.  I use my morning room not just for family meals.  It is a create place to work at home, play card or simply have a cup of coffee and read the paper.  Since a basement is typically under a morning room this lower level space is ideal for many uses – a wine cellar, an office or even a lower level bedroom.

A Morning Room – Very Elegant, Very Functional

A Morning Room – Very Elegant, Very Functional

A Beautiful South Facing Morning Room

If you are designing a new home or considering a renovation, if you have the opportunity to create a morning room, you will be glad you did it.

Rick Wiand – Hunter Roberts Homes and Wellington Chase Homes are related design/build businesses doing new residential design build and renovation design build in Michigan.  We operate primarily in the Oakland County cities, townships and villages of Birmingham, Bloomfield Village, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Franklin, Sylvan Lake, Beverly Hills, Orchard Lake, Bingham Farms, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Berkley, Ferndale and Troy

What’s Behind The Walls!

As we continue to show you the progresses on this custom home we designed and are building in Oakand County of Sylvan Lake (near Birmingham and Bloomfied) we are showing you the start of the rough heating and plumbing which gets us closer to insulation and drywall.  As you watch these videos of this cottage style home we have designed you will get a sense for the building practices we use to make sure this home is built in a quality manner

Todd Bergsman, Hunter Roberts Homes, Bloomfield Hills, MI

Hunter Roberts Homes and Wellington Chase Homes are related design/build businesses doing new residential design build and renovation design build in Michigan.  We operate primarily in the Oakland County cities, townships and villages of Birmingham, Bloomfield Village, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Franklin, Sylvan Lake, Beverly Hills, Orchard Lake, Bingham Farms, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Berkley, Ferndale and Troy

New Custom Home Idea

These are not homes our design and build new and renovation typically would build.  Most of our work is in the Oakland county communities of Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, and Sylvan Lake.

But these were so stunning we though you would like to see them.

Just For Fun!

Occasionally we will come across some very unusual design ideas for building practices.  Here are a few very “custom” construction techniques that we thought you might enjoy seeing.  We assure you the homes we design and build would not pattern anything you see here.

Why waste time on stone and extra labor. Just stack the bag of cement up and you’re done. In a few years the paper bags will dissolve and you’ll have a rock hard retaining wall!

This gives a new meaning to recycling and re-purposing. Then again, looks like it’s working!

Having trouble getting water to some of your garden? Try the Oxymoron Gutter and your plants will get all the water they need.

If one works well, two must be great!

What a Bright Idea!

It speaks for itself

More Updates – Progress On Sylvan Lake

This is the third group of videos showing more framing progress on the lake front home in Sylvan Lake, Michigan (Oakland County).  This is a home we have designed and are building.  It is a very traditional “cottage style” home, perfect for the area.  Sylvan Lake is a beautiful Oakland County lake near Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, the Royal Oak, Franklin, Bingham Farms and centralized north Woodward area.

Video Update – Progress On Sylvan Lake

This is the second group of videos showing more framing progress on the lake front home in Sylvan Lake, Michigan (Oakland County).  This is a home we have designed and are building.  It is a very traditional “cottage style” home, perfect for the area.  Sylvan Lake is a beautiful Oakland County lake near Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, the Royal Oak, Franklin, Bingham Farms and centralized north Woodward area.

Original Sylvan Lake was a resort area.  It has homes dating to the early 1900s and likely before.  As is common in the area, many older homes are replaced with custom new homes.  Our clients had a great vision for this home which is it should be designed as an original “cottage” home.  With their help, we were able to design a wonderful home0 which fits in perfectly on this beautiful lake front site.

Bryan Leith, the project manager, has been providing video blog clips.  We are posting them on a regular basis, every few days. Here is another video with great explanations of the quality and attention to detail going into the house.