Back in the day, before 'code’ was a thing in construction, folks pretty much did what they wanted in terms of residential home building. For the most part, they did very well and we find that most of the mature homes we renovate have what is known as 'good bones’. One in particular stands out: the owner/builder apparently had access to military surplus material, so his main floor support system was augmented with U.S. Navy surplus steel I-beams. Truly a Cold War worthy home.

Usually, however, what we see in older homes still requires some bringing-up-to-code in terms of joist spacing, load paths, and sometimes the foundation itself. This is true for the primary residences in downtown Greenville; it is even more so when we look into the structural integrity of recreational homes, such as mountain cabins.

Designed for Downtown and our sister company, AJH Renovations, recently had the opportunity to assist a family in turning their newly bought mountain cabin in the Upstate into their primary residence. They had already added a beautiful, vaulted-ceiling screened porch overlooking the mountain view, but this addition only served to highlight the worn appearance of the rest of the house. They also needed a true master suite as well as additional bedrooms for when the grandchildren stayed over.

All well and good, but at the end of the day, this was a cabin and needed to retain that mountain cabin ambiance. But even before the cabin finishes, the structure itself needed to be repaired and reinforced as the ubiquitous (at least in South Carolina) termite had been enjoying the cabin as well over the years. AJHR has become quite adept at in-place structural reinforcement and repair, and we were able to bring the old structure into full code compliance for a new lease on life.

Projects like these are refreshing, not only because of the unique finishes - pine paneling on walls & ceilings, new shake siding on the exterior, metal roofing, etc. - but for the knowledge that we are adding years of life and family enjoyment to an old cabin that has already seen many generations pass through. Giving a new lease on life is certainly one of the most gratifying aspects of the residential renovation business, and we at Designed for Downtown have over twenty years of experience doing just that. Give us a call today to see how our Design/Build services can add years to the functional life of your home.

Why do we love innovative concrete finishes? Concrete is a durable and affordable finish for many parts of the home. Whether you have a concrete patio, concrete floors in your first floor, or just a slab in your garage, all homes need a little concrete. But there’s no reason you should be stuck with basic broom or trowel finishes! Here we explore some unique and fun ways to make your concrete shine!

Polished concrete is a popular floor finish for its durability and easy maintenance. Under normal household conditions, sealed polished floors will last up to 10 years before needing resealing, making them an affordable and long-lasting option. If your home has exceptionally heavy traffic, you may wish to consider mechanically polished concrete. Mechanically polished concrete uses a densifying technique to harden the concrete, before polishing it via abrasion. This process is more wear-resistant than a seal coat that can be worn away by traffic, but is much more labor intensive.

Via FIGR Architecture and Design

One major attraction of polished concrete floors is its unique finish that shows the natural variation of the concrete itself. Minor differences in aggregate and other factors cause concrete to have slight variations in tone as it is poured, similar to a natural stone product. For new home build, take advantage of integral color mixes and specialty aggregates to customize the color and pattern of the concrete itself. For an existing home, try revitalizing old concrete using an acid stain and a sealant coat to give aged concrete new color and a polish!

If you have a classic car, or do lots of maintenance on your own vehicles, using densified concrete slabs in the garage is a great choice! Densification uses a silicate solution that is applied to a ground concrete surface. The silicate bonds to calcium compounds in the concrete, closing pores and creating a dense, durable surface. Then the surface is sealed to prevent oils from seeping into it. Densified concrete is highly resistant to wear, even under heavy vehicle traffic.

Via AJH Custom Homes, Designed by Cutler Anderson Architects

If you’re looking for textured floors, acid etching is a great option that produces a low profile texture without sacrificing traction. Acid etching uses a uniform layer of acid to abrade the smooth face of a troweled concrete slab. This chemical abrasion opens up the pores of the concrete and creates a uniform, fine texture. Etching is ideal for applications with high traffic or potential for dampness, where the slight texture can provide safety against slipping on damp concrete. The texture created by acid etching is much more subtle than a traditional broom finish, but still provides grip and traction!

More bold textures can be achieved with patterned concrete, using a variety of forms and stamps to achieve the look of stone, wood, and more. Whether you utilize textured concrete in a unique walkway, a patio, or perhaps to add visual detail to a poured concrete wall, there is a wealth of options for pattern and texture. Paired with an integral color mix, the results can be quite stunning!

Concrete may be versatile, but it doesn’t have to be utilitarian! Bring a little detail into your home with some of these tips today!

September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Florida panhandle. Most of us went to bed that Thursday night with little concern since the radar forecasts showed the storm path going through Georgia. But, like so many folks, Helene decided to move to Greenville, giving it a direct hit on Friday morning. The destruction was fortunately not as bad as Western North Carolina suffered, but it was still the worst we've seen in Greenville for many years. Life gave many people lemons, a lot of lemons, but some of our clients were able to make lemonade. The hurricane damage was at best a huge inconvenience, dealing with the insurance companies a huge annoyance, and the loss of electricity and internet a huge hassle. But for several of our clients, the silver lining was putting the pieces back together much nicer than they were before, including bringing an old home into compliance with modern building codes.

The unexpected event became an opportunity to not only repair the damage but to incorporate renovations or expansions of the house that had been desired even before Helene hit. With our in-house design studio, we were able to provide both repair and renovation drawings to turn a disaster into a dream house. Our field team and our administrative staff carefully segregated insurance from non-insurance work, essentially developing parallel projects to both fix the damage done by Helene and incorporate the changes and additions desired, to make the home better than it was before.

Designed for Downtown and our sister company AJH Renovations, LLC are a Design/Build team specializing in the reclamation of mature homes in the downtown Greenville area. We don't do insurance work as a rule: the difficulties associated with dealing with insurance companies are truly prohibitive. But it was gratifying to provide both our basic construction services and our renovation design services to bear for folks who had suffered the trauma of Helene's wrath. To help make things not only whole again, but better than whole, is as refreshing a thought as a cold lemonade on a hot summer day.

Helene certainly didn't convince us to start doing insurance work, and we hope that Greenville never suffers a natural disaster of that magnitude again, but we did some great work with the bushels of lemons Helene dumped on us.

Photo via Corston Architectural Detail

Why do we love Corston Architectural Detail? Because their products go above and beyond in quality, looks, and style!

Corston Architectural Detail is a lighting firm established in England, with branches in the U.S. and Europe. Corston’s specialty is designing high quality fixtures in timeless styles. Corston’s lights, switches, and hardware are all designed, engineered, and manufactured in-house, allowing them control over the quality and look of every piece.

Quality is Corston’s trademark, and their fixtures are manufactured from materials significantly above industry standards. Nearly all their products are made from solid brass, finished one of three ways: antique brass, a living finish that ages and patinas as you use it; bronze, a deep, rich color that is eye-catching but not shiny; and polished nickel, a warm steely color that works well in a wide range of settings.

Corston is also committed to making life easy for their homeowners. Many commercially available LED light fixtures are built as a single unit, with an LED light chip built into the shell, but, these are difficult to maintain, as replacing the LED requires replacing the entire fixture. Corston’s LED lights are designed to function like regular lights, using replaceable LED bulbs. Their lights bring energy efficiency and ease of use, all in an attractive packaging!

Corston is a champion of recycling and re-cast all the brass clippings from their products for use in future fixtures, an effort that helps them manage waste while providing high-quality products. They also use only recyclable cardboard packaging, specially engineered to offer the best protection for your fixtures!

Whether you love their pendant lights for your dining room, need some antique toggle switches for your library, or even just want some nifty sconces, Corston Architectural Detail provides fixtures and hardware for every location in a quality that can’t be beaten! They even make yard lighting to go around patios or in gardens, so you can throw the spotlight on the best parts of your home, inside and out! Check out their products and more here!