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Raise the Roof with a Home Addition above the Garage

workout room with white wallsWhen you know you need to expand your homeโ€™s footprint but arenโ€™t sure you have the land to add on to your existing home, consider an addition above the garage. Normandy Designer John Long says an addition above the attached garage can add that extra space in an unexpected place.

โ€œA garage addition is ideal in situations where there isnโ€™t room to add to the house or your cityโ€™s building code doesnโ€™t allow you to expand the footprint of your home,โ€ says John. โ€œInstead of an addition to the side or back of a two-story home, you can add to the top of your attached garage.โ€

home addition above the garageThough a common need for an addition is an extra bedroom, itโ€™s perfectly logical to have an addition that creates a unique and necessary space for you. โ€œThis couple needed a better workout room. They both run marathons, and their current workout space just wasnโ€™t working,โ€ John says. โ€œThey wanted to trade in their gym membership and create a more usable space at home. But the cramped room they were using had poor ventilation and not enough space for their workout equipment.โ€

Another concern for this couple was not enough space in their garage. Besides being marathon runners, this husband and wife are also sports car enthusiasts and needed additional room to store and show off their cool cars. Raising the garageโ€™s ceiling height allowed them to add a car lift where the vehicles could be stacked. This one addition project solved two major pain points for this family.

workout room with white walls Building above the garage can come with a different set of concerns. Car fumes, for one. โ€œA separate HVAC control was added for the workout room above the garage,โ€ John says. โ€œAnd with proper insulation, this new space is both safe and functional.โ€

If youโ€™re considering an addition of a bedroom, workout room, or hobby room, reach out to John to discuss your needs, and see if adding on above your garage is an option that will fit your lifestyle. Weโ€™re also on social. Take some time to browse the images we share on our Facebook page and Instagram feed and see what sparks your interest.

 

 

The Riches are in Kitchen Nooks & Niches

Storage nook for spices and cutting boardsItโ€™s the special touches that really make a designer kitchen unique; it can even be something as inconspicuous as kitchen nooks and niches. Kitchen niches are little cut outs in columns, pillars, and walls that would otherwise be dead space. Normandy Designer Vince Weber says in most cases nooks and niches in the kitchen are little features that a designer creates to add semi-hidden functionality. Not surprisingly, many people love this unique storage solution.

“Niches in the kitchen are generally created in an odd corner where upper cabinets arenโ€™t an ideal solution. Instead, these pockets can be cut out to custom fit your daily kitchen essentials,โ€ Vince says. โ€œThese arenโ€™t cooking or cleaning zones but rather a mini open storage area where tools like your blender or toaster are easily accessible.โ€

Choosing a great spot to tuck in a kitchen niche is determined by its function and purpose. ย โ€œThe niche should be versatile and properly located near another station in the kitchen,โ€ suggests Vince. โ€œA niche that holds cutting boards and a knife block near the sink is a good example.โ€

The ideal way to incorporate a niche in your kitchenโ€™s design is to help it blend into the background. โ€œIf youโ€™re using your niche to hide kitchen appliances, you probably donโ€™t want to call attention to that little pocket,โ€ Vince offers. โ€œUsing the same paint color in the niche as the wall makes it disappear.โ€

Niches donโ€™t have to be designed to fit a specific style of kitchen, they can fit into modern, traditional, transitional or any aesthetic. There isnโ€™t a specific size recommendation, though Vince suggests, โ€œThe niche shouldnโ€™t be too small that it seems like a design error, but not too large that it dominates the area where it’s placed.โ€

The idea of niches in the kitchen can be polarizing. Some people love that niches can hold essentials at armโ€™s reach and love the quirky interest they add to a kitchen. While others feel the niche adds visual clutter, because the โ€œhidden toolsโ€ are still in plain sight, just tucked away.

Whether youโ€™re a fan of niches or not, Vince is ready to discuss your kitchen or home remodeling needs. If youโ€™re not quite ready to talk to a designer about your remodeling project, we invite you to scroll through the images weโ€™ve curated of our projects. Follow us on Pinterest and Instagram for ideas and inspiration.

 

Niche for hidden kitchen storageKitchen with slab backsplash, hammered metal range hood and open shelvingOversized stainless steel hood with professional grade cooktop

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