Design ideas for a large contemporary three-storey brick grey house exterior in Dallas with a butterfly roof, a metal roof and a grey roof.

This is an example of a large modern two-storey multi-coloured house exterior in Portland with mixed siding, a butterfly roof, a metal roof and a black roof.

The Portland Heights home of Neil Kelly Company CFO, Dan Watson (and family), gets a modern redesign led by Neil Kelly Portland Design Consultant Michelle Rolens, who has been with the company for nearly 30 years. The project includes an addition, architectural redesign, new siding, windows, paint, and outdoor living spaces.

Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary one-storey brick brown house exterior in Geelong with a metal roof and a gambrel roof.

Eric Roth
Design ideas for a mid-sized arts and crafts two-storey beige house exterior in Manchester with mixed siding, a gambrel roof and a shingle roof.

Chicago, IL Exterior Siding Remodel. This Chicago, IL Dutch Colonial Style Home was remodeled by Siding & Windows Group with James HardiePlank Select Cedarmill Lap Siding and HardieTrim Smooth Boards in ColorPlus Technology Color Arctic White plus Hardie Soffit. Also re-did Arched Front Entry, installed Vinyl Fypon Shutters in Black with crossheads, top and bottom frieze boards.

Inspiration for a large transitional two-storey grey exterior in New York with wood siding and a gambrel roof.

Photos by Michael Hally
Photo of a traditional two-storey grey exterior in Boston with wood siding and a gambrel roof.

Photo of a large traditional three-storey yellow exterior in Boston with vinyl siding and a gambrel roof.

Irvin Serrano
This is an example of a beach style two-storey white exterior in Portland Maine with wood siding and a gambrel roof.

Photography: Brian Vanden Brink
Expansive traditional three-storey grey exterior in Boston with wood siding and a gambrel roof.

Design ideas for a large traditional two-storey grey house exterior in Boston with wood siding, a gambrel roof and a shingle roof.

Entertaining, relaxing and enjoying life…this spectacular pool house sits on the water’s edge, built on piers and takes full advantage of Long Island Sound views. An infinity pool with hot tub and trellis with a built in misting system to keep everyone cool and relaxed all summer long!

Beach style three-storey exterior in Philadelphia with wood siding and a gambrel roof.

Richard Herman is in the hospitality business and owns several upscale hotels in Florida and in other states as well as cattle ranches in both Florida and Missouri. Their farm in Ocala is by farm their most unique. The property serves as a 4-H demonstration project for the purpose of children’s education. They have been working with the Academy Prep of St. Pete which is dedicated to inner-city youths that are selected on the basis of need and achievement. Wife Diane spends her time on the farm raising Gypsy Vanners, a diminutive draft horse named after the job they did in Eastern Europe, pulling the wagons (vans) for gypsies that wandered across the continent. On the Ocala farm, there are several mules with a unique profession. Richard had visited the Hearthstone display at a Log & Timber Home Shows at the Orlando Convention Center many years ago. He was impressed that Hearthstone had stayed in touch with him over the years by mailings, invitations to shows, and periodic phone calls. When the time came to start serious consideration of the design of barn, Hearthstone responded promptly and professionally to Richard and Diane’s requests for information and a review of their ideas for their barn, which would serve as the centerpiece for their new farm. They wanted a multipurpose facility that could accommodate an educational environment and a large hall suitable for the fundraising events for his charities. Richard wanted a barn that reflected the look and feel of barns built at the dawn of the 20th century. Besides the rustic chicken houses and vegetable gardens, they have completely renovated a 1020’s era farmhouse to be as historically correct as possible and serves as the entry to the farm. “They very careful to feel us out, get comfortable with our capabilities, and be convinced that we could perform as promised,” said Project Manager John Ricketson of Hearthstone. Design Process There were some initial drawings that gave us a start on the basic shape and size of the barn. From there, it was a process of narrowing down the uses of each area and the spans that could be achieved. The barn was going to have the traditional “board & batten” exterior siding and a metal roof. There is a cantilevered ‘hay hood” on the north gable end above the large sliding barn doors that open into the foyer and horse stalls. The wings house a combination of areas, beginning with the large restrooms to accommodate crowds for events. Other parts of the wings have garage areas for the farm vehicles, feed room, tack room, wash rack, storage, offices, and smaller restrooms. Keeping with the look and feel of the turn of the century, Hearthstone developed a process for giving the timbers a surface texture that mimicked the circular cuts of timbers that had just come out of an old sawmill. This was easier said than done. Randy Giles guided his millwright (Wolfgang) in designing a machine that would do this effectively. The barn was delivered in October of 2014 and was erected over the course of two weeks, thanks to a hardworking crew (Eric Foster) and near-perfect weather. After the Hearthstone crew completed the erection and roof dry-in, it was time for the local carpenters to step up and install some light conventional framing on the gable ends before applying the roof fascia and exterior board & batten siding. Next came the big sliding barn doors, plumbing, electrical, heating, and cooling. Large rustic fixtures were hung from the great hall roof timbers. Exterior The board & batten siding was cypress and allowed to turn color naturally as rain hit it and the sun started working on it with UV rays. This method causes a much grayer look closer to the ground and less so where the roof overhang provides protection. The North end has some large limestone boulders and planters arranged around the pad with tall pampas grass. The planters provide casual seating before events and during outside receptions. The entire area was sodded with lush St. Augustine grass and split rail fences were added to enclose the barn area. The corrugated metal roof was a special order material that immediately rusted after being exposed to moisture. The layer of rust protects the metal from the elements. Interior The board & batten theme was carried throughout most of the interior with the timbers left natural to show off the circular saw texture. All of the tongue & groove decking was shipped in advance to allow the local painter to pre-stain it with a dark brown transparent stain that is a beautiful background to the light color Eastern White Pine timbers. “Everything was unique in this project” said Project Manager John Ricketson. “The setting on a small demonstration farm close to Ocala, the multipurpose design, the circular saw texture on the timbers.” The Hermans are very proud of their farm’s outcome. Richard sent a note to Randy Giles, owner of Hearthstone: “The Barn is fantastic, not a single problem, period. Next month, we have Jo Dee Messina coming in to help with a fundraiser for a local center for abused kids. Folks love the farm, ...... but that barn gets all of the attention. I would encourage you to use me as a reference for your sales team, feel free to extend my cell phone to any prospective purchasers.”

The conversion of this iconic American barn into a Writer’s Studio was conceived of as a tranquil retreat with natural light and lush views to stimulate inspiration for both husband and wife. Originally used as a garage with two horse stalls, the existing stick framed structure provided a loft with ideal space and orientation for a secluded studio. Signature barn features were maintained and enhanced such as horizontal siding, trim, large barn doors, cupola, roof overhangs, and framing. New features added to compliment the contextual significance and sustainability aspect of the project were reclaimed lumber from a razed barn used as flooring, driftwood retrieved from the shores of the Hudson River used for trim, and distressing / wearing new wood finishes creating an aged look. Along with the efforts for maintaining the historic character of the barn, modern elements were also incorporated into the design to provide a more current ensemble based on its new use. Elements such a light fixtures, window configurations, plumbing fixtures and appliances were all modernized to appropriately represent the present way of life.

Brian Vanden Brink
Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional two-storey beige house exterior in Boston with wood siding, a gambrel roof and a shingle roof.

Charming lake cottage on Lake Minnetonka.
Design ideas for a traditional exterior in Minneapolis with a gambrel roof.

Photo of a transitional three-storey white house exterior in Philadelphia with a gambrel roof, a shingle roof and a brown roof.