Welcome to the BRAD MICHAEL ARCHITECTURE blog

So you’ve made the decision to move forward with your dream home, and now you’re starting the process of hiring an architect. Congratulations!

After years of commuting back and forth from New York, this second home in Lafayette, La is seeing new life. The home’s low sloped roof and existing window locations provided the perfect backdrop for simple clean lines and the homeowner’s passion for Japanese architecture.

In the story of Pool View, we started by looking at the incredible design potential that stewed beneath dark drapery and narrow spaces. The home is gorgeous with double height ceilings, ornate metal details, and large travertine tile throughout.  After living in the home for three years, the homeowner’s decided it was time to create a kitchen and living space that fit their lifestyle.

You may not know this, but some of the materials used to build homes in New Orleans came from ships! It is true! After all, Louisiana is a port state, so it only makes sense that some of the materials used to build homes here would come from ships. In particular, barge boards were often used to construct houses. Let us take a closer look at how these boards were used and why they were so popular.

As an avid city dweller, I love the front porch as it’s the perfect place to watch the world go by, enjoying all the comings and goings. But what about your rear porch? This often-neglected outdoor space can be transformed into a lovely respite with just a few elements to bring it all together. Let’s take a look at how to love your rear porch!

The size of the bedrooms in your home starts with the home’s overall square footage. The larger the home, the larger the bedrooms will be. For a good rule of thumb, I always account for a bedroom to accommodate at least a queen size bed. By doing this, we can provide comfortable accommodations for any one such as a roommate, teenager, or guest that stays at our home. Let’s take a look at a few different bedroom sizes and their matching square footages!

You may have just bought your home or maybe you’re thinking of buying a new one. There’s a good chance that the first place you’re going to start is with the kitchen! Here are some fundamentals that I start with to get the function and style correct with any kitchen.

The location of your property line is critical for any new construction, and it’s especially critical to the renovation of an existing building’s exterior. If you plan on adding to your home, don’t do any work until you have survey. Most cities will require this document for permitting.

The primary bedroom, formally known as the master bedroom, is an area of focus in most homes. It was once told to me by a realtor, “it’s where the person paying for the house stays so it better be good.” In a way I guess they’re right, but let’s dive deeper into what we NEED in a smaller primary bedroom. Making a room larger certainly is a great start, but often times need a little more creativity to support the idea that is THE primary bedroom.

We’ve made it through 2020, but not before all of us had to make significant adjustments to our “work from home” situation. Within three months of 2020 I had seven clients reach out about attic conversions! It was an influx of people thrown into a situation they hadn’t prepared for, and they needed to find more space in their home! The truth is, working from home means we are also taking many virtual calls. This means that we have to pay attention to our adjacencies for sound and backgrounds for visuals. Let’s dive in!

What are the qualities of a good contractor? We recently dove into this question as we approached our own personal home renovation! A little backstory, when we started this project we went through eight contractors. Yes, eight. We couldn’t seem to get anyone to call us back or give us feedback! Our go-to contractor had just retired so we were starting fresh in the search for a good contractor in the area. Let’s discuss what we found are the TOP factors to include when picking your contactor.