The famous introduction by Mr. Rogers is truly a throwback to a bygone era– the era of the Boomers, who are now swelling the ranks of the retired. The idea of 'neighbor' has changed over the past half century; it is hard to say what the word really means today. With automatic garage door openers and stockade privacy fences, most of us are hermetically-sealed from our physical neighbors. But back in Mr. Roger's day there was the most common and neighborly of architectural features designed into just about every home: the front porch. During the evening folks would walk the neighborhood streets while the children played 'Kick the Can' or (later, after the sun went down) 'Ghost in the Graveyard.' Neighbors would pause their stroll to talk with other neighbors sitting on their front porches, keeping an inattentive eye on the youngsters, who were sometimes the topic of the conversation (you couldn't get away with much in those days; everyone knew everyone, and there was always the front porch forum).

Front porches were not always a thing, but there seemed to be a time in our society's architectural development, roughly corresponding to the Boomer Generation, when the porch stoop was replaced by a long, deep covered front porch with seating for the Greatest Generation. My memory is of a long deacons' bench where my parents sat and talked with my friends' parents while we wrought mayhem around the neighborhood. Forgotten times, and forgotten porches. But they are making a comeback, and we at Designed for Downtown, LLC applaud the resurgence.

Of all the architectural features that go into the design of a new home, nothing says 'neighbor' like a usable front porch. There are several design options that can be drawn from America's architectural past: the deep, square Craftsman or the mid-century Long Porch to name just two. An open patio to the side of the entry is also very welcoming to guests, especially neighbors who just stop by to have a chat. We at Designed for Downtown, LLC love the social history of our country's architecture and love being able to bring back the welcoming front porch. Give us a call today to start the conversation about how to make your home more neighborly.

Why we love them? Navien removes stress by providing endless hot water while saving on utilities!

As new home builders, we strive to give our clients the best of the best! That means we’re always on the lookout for the most effective and efficient systems for our home builds. We know even the nicest tile shower won’t look so nice if the water is cold, so we recommend Navien’s high efficiency tankless water heaters to keep your water hot all day long!

Navien’s tankless water heaters are small, wall mounted units that burn natural gas or propane to heat water on demand. They don’t need a bulky storage tank, so they help save space in your garage or utility room! Going tankless also helps reduce energy demand! Navien water heaters don’t consume any energy unless hot water is being drawn, making them the most energy efficient water heater on the market! With a Uniform Energy Factor as low as 0.80-0.96, Navien water heaters burn less fuel to heat as much water as a conventional gas heater.

If neither natural gas or liquid propane are an option for your home, Navien also makes top-of-the-line heat pump water heaters. These hybrid models pair the speed of electric coils with the efficiency of a heat pump. Although it is based on a traditional tank setup, the system can switch between the heat pump and the electric heater to heat your water efficiently but also provide hot water quickly when you need it!

Navien’s water heaters are also built for longevity. With durable stainless steel heat exchangers, they are built to last at least 20 years. They are also built to withstand even the hardest of hard water, requiring only periodic descaling to keep them functioning efficiently. When we spec a Navien water heater, we know our clients can rely on it for decades of efficient hot water.

Explore how Navien has reinvented water heaters on their website!

So many fads have come and gone in the renovation industry — travertine tile, jetted jacuzzi tubs, fuzzy wallpaper (that goes a long way back) — that it is a constant challenge to design something for our clients that will stand the test of time. There are, of course, timeless styles and finishes, but these are often wholly incorporated into the style of the house - like Colonial, for instance, or Mid-Century Farmhouse.

Avoiding faddish finishes and materials is more of a challenge when the home itself is already eclectic, not belonging entirely to any specific architectural style. We recently had the opportunity to complete just such a challenge with a newly designed footbridge by Tindall Architectural Workshop (TAW). The mountain home had a seriously dated (and seriously deteriorated), heavy timber and stone access footbridge that looked so tired. The house itself is mid-century modern, and the lines are clean and sleek throughout…..except for the old footbridge.

“Avoiding faddish finishes and materials is more of a challenge when the home itself is already eclectic.”

TAW designed a multi-media composition bridge that mixed wood with metal with the clean and sleek lines that coordinate perfectly with the house. For longevity, Ipe tropical wood was used for the deck boards; for openness, stainless steel cable railing was used for safety. The bridge cover is vaulted with clear coated alder pine and exposed steel beams to give the roof a forward, welcoming look accentuated by the angled support columns. Dimmable LED strip lights were installed under the railing banisters for accent lighting at night. The result is a stunning entrance that coordinates perfectly with the house itself - a footbridge now as timeless as the architecture of the house, and as durable, too.

My how time flies!

Designed for Downtown, LLC is celebrating its tenth anniversary in June of 2026, just a year after AJH Renovations, LLC celebrated its twentieth! With these milestones passed and passing, it seemed like a good idea to talk about the Design/Build model for residential renovation and expansion projects. That's how we got started in 2005 - offering full design packages for our clients ahead of their renovation project. The model filled a niche in the Greenville downtown market, so we incorporated our design studio in 2016 in order better organize both our client presentations and our in-house systems under the Design/Build model. But even after a decade of designing beautiful home renovations and custom homes, there are still some questions and misconceptions out there. Perhaps this article will answer yours.

“The Design/Build model provides... a full-service design team that feeds directly into the construction team.”

The main question we hear, which also reveals the primary misconception, is whether a licensed architect is required for residential plans and construction. The simple answer is: No. [Full Disclosure: we are not licensed architects (we are licensed builders) but a staff of trained and experienced designers incorporating residential structural design, interior design & finishes, and even landscape design into our build projects]. However, none of the jurisdictions in which we work in the Upstate require an architect's stamp on the residential design package. Now that doesn't mean you shouldn't get an architect to do your design package - we work with several local architects and very much enjoy the relationships we have developed there. But we also think the Design/Build process is an improvement on the Architect-then-Builder model.

The Design/Build model provides a one-stop shop for the homeowner, with a full-service design team that feeds directly into the construction team. This allows very quick turnaround on design iterations during the design phase as well as in the midst of the construction phase. With our construction estimating department only one door away from our design studio, we are able to provide our clients with almost instantaneous (as that word applies to construction!) cost impacts for various design options. On the reverse side of this, we also provide excellent value engineering in order to tailor a project scope to the client's budget. With the field team involved early in the design phase, and our designers continuing with the project during construction, our residential projects are virtually seamless.

Designed for Downtown, LLC has been around for a pretty long time now, and we have many satisfied (and a fair number of repeat) customers in the downtown Greenville area. Our clients have found the Design/Build model to be efficient and responsive, which generally leads to a very successful project and a beautiful renovation. Give us a call today to start the conversation for your Design/Build renovation project in 2026.