NW Ecobuilding Guild Green Home Tour 2024
H2D Architecture + Design and Carlisle Classic Homes are excited to announce that one of our recently completed new custom home projects will be featured on the NW Ecobuilding Guild's Green Home Tour on April 27, 2024. This home will be open for in person tours from 11am to 5pm on April 27th, 2024. Please follow this link to learn more and to register for the tour. This high-performance home, the Seward Park Industrial Custom Home, recently completed construction and boasts numerous cutting edge sustainable construction materials and methods, in addition to showcasing a variety of unique design features. Green features of this home include a highly insulated and efficient exterior envelope meeting Passive House air tightness standards, a Structurally Insulated Panel (SIPS) roof system, sustainably sourced wood products, and an efficient HVAC system for heating, cooling, and ventilation. The exterior of the home is built to optimize energy efficiency in the home and provide years of durability. The walls of the home are designed with a combination of products including cellulose insulation, Gutex interlocking wood fiber panel boards, air barrier meeting Passive House air tightness standards, rain screen system, and fibercement panel siding. The modern shed roof is built with Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPS). These technologies work together to provide a highly insulated system that reduces thermal bridging, creates a water resistant and airtight barrier, and allows moisture to escape. The HVAC system is designed for energy efficiency and to create a comfortable environment in the home. The SpacePak system installed in the home provides a multifunctional and multi-zoned system. The system includes in-floor radiant heating and cooling system installed in the exposed concrete floors for both floors of the home, as well as a high-velocity forced air heating, cooling and ventilation system. The home has multiple zones and is customized to provide the occupants with the heating and cooling they desire for the various spaces in the home. The HVAC system, as well as the lighting in the home, is set up with smart technologies allowing the homeowner to easily adjust settings directly in their smart app. Beyond the sustainable aspects of this home, this two-story structure is designed in an modern industrial style with numerous unique design features. The main floor of the home has an open plan with a kitchen, dining, and living room segmented with a three sided fireplace and wall of sliding glass doors leading out to an expansive deck with views of Lake Washington. The gourmet kitchen is designed with high end appliances, custom cabinetry, concrete countertops, custom steel pot rack, and wet bar. Other unique features in the home include a exposed steel beams, large cantilevered roof overhangs, spa-like primary bathroom with smart controls in the shower, wine cellar, office with custom built-ins, and home gym. The industrial modern styling of the home is expressed with exposed steel beams, industrial materials, polished concrete floors, and contemporary finishes. Learn more about the project here!
Stair Design 101
Whether you’re building new, adding on, or remodeling a multistory home there’s one element that can have a major impact on your space planning: stairs. With so many options on layouts and styles, this guide will help you get started on thinking about your stairs. Under most circumstances (and in most jurisdictions under the current code) there are a few basic requirements to keep in mind when planning for a new stair in a residential project. Must be at least 36” wide. Cannot have a riser higher than 7 ¾” (residential) The landing at the top and bottom of the stair must at minimum be as wide as the stair and the depth to match the stair width. Must have minimum 6’-8” clear head space between nose of riser and ceiling/finish above. There are a few exceptions for the above for stairs leading to attics and small lofts. Step 1: Stair Shapes There are many different types of stairs with unique space considerations and dimensions to keep in mind. Straight Run: The most common stair type, this stair goes in one straight line typically without any landings other than the top and bottom. Straight run stairs are a great fit for narrower spaces with a lot of length to work with. L-Shape: Much like the name indicates this stair has a landing somewhere in the run with a 90 degree turn. L-Shape stairs are great for small spaces as they can be tucked into a corner and leave a good amount of usable floor space. U-Shape: This stair is similar to the L-Shape but has a 180 degree turn at the landing. This stair is ideal for wider more generous spaces since they tend to take up more floor area than the other shapes. Spiral: A helical/circular stair more commonly used as an accent stair or in very small spaces. These stairs can have a great visual impact to a space but tend to be less safe than the other shapes and not recommended for areas with a lot of foot traffic. Step 2: Open vs. Closed It seems like a simple question, but there are pros and cons to having an open (railings on the sides so you can see into the adjacent spaces) or closed (walls on all sides) staircase. Here is a brief list of pros/cons: Open Stair pros: Visibility and connection into the spaces around the stairs Opportunity to introduce railing or slat wall design into the space Makes the stair an architectural feature of the space Open Stair cons: The biggest con for an open stair is sound travelling between floors and spaces. Open stairs are typically more expensive than closed stairs Closed stair pros: Keeps noise from travelling between floors and spaces Allows opportunity for doors at the top/bottom of the stair to add more security and sound dampening Typically less expensive than open stairs Closed stair cons: No visual connection between floors and spaces Step 2: Stair Construction The construction type of your stair can significantly change the look and style of your space, but it also has the most impact on the cost of your stair. While there are some up-charges to go from a straight run to a spiral stair shape, the construction type will be a major factor when it comes to budget. Here are just a few examples of construction types: Standard wood frame closed riser ($): This is the most common stair construction type. It’s the least expensive and does not require specialty engineering or construction. These stairs can be open or closed and finished with a variety of materials such as carpet or hardwood. Open riser with closed end ($$): An almost middle-ground between a floating stair and a closed riser stair, this option has “floating” treads between two stringers or walls. The stringers or sides of the stair can be wood or metal and will require some additional engineering. Steel stringer floating tread ($$$): One of the most desired modern stair designs we see requested by clients this stair has a single steel beam in the middle with “floating” treads. These stairs are a great feature for spaces but come at a high price and require specialty engineering and construction. Cantilever stair ($$$$): These stairs appear to “float” off the wall with only one side having a hidden connection point. They require meticulous engineering to ensure there isn’t too much flexibility on the ends furthest from the walls. There are a lot of other factors that go into designing the perfect stair for your home. Stay tuned for more blog posts getting into the fine details of stair design coming soon!
NW EcoBuilding Guild Green Home Tour – April 29
H2D Architecture + Design and Carlisle Classic Homes are excited to announce that one of our recent projects will be featured on the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild Green Home Tour on Saturday, April 29, 2023! The featured home, the Nearly Passive Blue Ridge Custom Home, recently completed construction and is an amazing example of sustainable construction materials and methods, in addition to showcasing a variety of unique design features. This high-performance energy efficient home boasts cutting edge technologies for foundations, walls and ventilation systems combined with a beautiful design. The foundation is designed with ICF (insulated concrete forms) to reduce transfer of heat (thermal bridging). The walls are designed with a combination of products including cellulose insulation, Gutex interlocking wood fiber board panels, Zip sheathing and tape, Mento house wrap, and a mesh rain screen. These technologies work together to provide a highly insulated wall system with a continuous layer of insulation that reduces thermal bridging, creates a water resistant and airtight barrier, and allows moisture to escape. Other unique design features include an Attached Accessory Dwelling Unit (AADU) connected to the house with a hidden steel door, residential elevator for accessible access to all three floors of the home, gourmet kitchen, custom cabinetry with many numerous features, custom tile work, and great views of the Puget Sound. Learn more about this home at: https://nwgreenhometour.org/ghtoursite/near-passive-house-blue-ridge-home/. Please join us on the tour on April 29th! Get Your FREE Tickets for the 2023 NW Green Home Tour! Saturday, April 29, 2023 from 11:00am-5:00pm Sites spanning from Mt. Vernon to Seattle to Olympia to Portland The 2023 NW Green Home Tour is a FREE opportunity to see first-hand the many ways that environmentally conscious design and construction can benefit not only the planet as a whole, but your local community, your family, and you! This year’s tour features green building approaches that can put more money in your pocket by lowering your energy costs or even eliminating them altogether. We’ll show you remodels and new builds, backyard cottages, single-family residences, and co-housing units. The homes on our tour boast a variety of green building features and certifications, including Passive House, Built Green, and Net-Zero. Get your FREE tickets at nwgreenhometour.org/register Presented by the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild.
Celebrating the front porch
The front porch is not just a place to receive Amazon packages. The front porch is an extension of your home, a connection to the outdoors, and the place where you greet friends and neighbors and welcome them into your home. Life moments happen on the front porch! My kids know the drill… if it’s the first day of school, it’s pictures on the front porch. October 1st means stretching the 8-foot spider web between the porch columns to kick off the Halloween festivities. Strings of lights are hung across the porch roof during the holidays to brighten up the long, dark nights. The American flag waves proudly from the front porch, and if it’s College Game Day, the WSU flag flies. Go Cougs! If your home project allows, a covered front porch adds outdoor living space. Yes, we endure our share of rainy days here in the Pacific Northwest, but we enjoy warm, sunny days as well. Having a deep roof overhang gives protection from the elements almost year-round. Hang a porch swing, stage a couple of Adirondack chairs, make a statement with a custom bench, or if space allows, add a café table and chairs. A small furniture grouping welcomes visitors and says, “stay awhile!” The front door itself says “welcome home!” For added drama, consider an over-sized entry door. One that is wider and/or taller than a standard door. Add windows flanking the door, or a relight above the door, to further open up your space. Maybe you have a view that you want to take advantage of with a front door that is mostly glass. If structural changes are not an option, consider a replacement door in the same opening. A wood door with Craftsman detailing, or a modern, solid slab door will accentuate your entry and should compliment the style of your home. Giving your existing door a fresh coat of paint, with a new pop of color, is another great way to renew the entry to your home. Lighting is a key element in the design of any entry. Porch lighting should be warm and inviting, welcoming visitors to your front door. Wall sconces give good up-down lighting, washing the entry wall with general light. The light fixtures themselves can either be a design statement, an accent to the style of your home, or they can be designed to blend into the architecture of your home. If your space doesn’t allow adding a covered porch, other projects can have a big impact on your existing entry. Expand the approach to your front door by pruning mature landscaping. Install a new stone paver pathway and add pathway lighting – solar powered, for energy savings and ease of installation. Consider landscape lighting as well. Shine a spotlight on a favorite tree or two in the front yard, and when it’s dark the eye is drawn outside giving a sense of spaciousness to your entry. Widen the steps leading up to your front door for a more gracious feel. Don’t forget the details! There are several “smart” doorbells available now with cameras for added security. Consider installing smart outlets on your porch, for things like holiday lights, that can be controlled remotely. Steps illuminated with theater aisle lighting are a welcome feature. Last, but not least, be sure to install your house numbers in a location where they are easy to read. Whether you’re building a new home, planning a remodel or addition, or you simply want to freshen up the look of your space, don’t forget to celebrate the front porch! Written by: Cristy Weller, Architectural Designer at H2D Architecture + Design
Swim Spas versus In-ground Pools
Summertime means swimming – at the beach, in the river, or at the pool. It also means waiting for the weekend or “open” hours, then packing up your gear in the car (including the kids) and traveling to your destination. Want to enjoy swimming during the wintertime? Hopefully there’s an indoor pool or hot spring nearby. But what if you could swim in your own backyard? No travel necessary and “open” hours whenever you want! Private pools allow for not just the recreation of swimming, but also relaxing with your family and entertaining with your friends – any time of day, any day of the year. Thinking about installing a pool, but concerned with the costs, maintenance or whether there is even enough room on your property? You might want to consider a swim spa instead. What is a swim spa? Swim spas are similar to hot tubs but longer in one direction with powerful jets at one end. They are self-contained and have a one-piece molded interior with a heater and pumps for small and large jets, contained in a decorative cabinet for above-ground installation, or can be built into a deck or patio. They have traditional hot tub-style seating and jets at one end, but there is an open area in front of 2 or 3 “swim jets” at the other that allows for swimming or exercising against a strong and variable current. Swim spas are the width of a standard hot tub – about 8 feet – but can range in length from about 12 to 21 feet. The longest spas sometimes have a smaller hot tub at one end and a separate long swim tub at the other. Installation and cost comparisons The smaller footprint of swim spas means a smaller yard is not an impediment to enjoying aquatic recreation at home. Swim spas are often integrated into a deck or patio nearer to the house – sometimes installed within a covered or indoor space (perfect for the rainy Pacific Northwest weather). Because they are about 4’-6” tall, steps are needed for access and can be integrated into a surrounding deck design. In contrast, due to the size of in-ground pools, they often need to be set back farther from the house, with a larger deck or patio to provide access to and around the entire pool. Some jurisdictions’ limit on the hardscape area of a lot is such that a traditional-sized pool can be difficult or impossible to build - even if there is room in the backyard. A level concrete pad is required as a base for a swim spa (or a wood deck engineered and permitted to take the loads of the spa and water), and a permitted dedicated electrical circuit is required for the shutoff, but the costs of and timeline for construction and installation is a fraction of that required for a new in-ground pool. Swim spa delivery can require a crane if access to the yard is limited, but often can be hand-delivered through a side gate – with delivery and hookup taking a matter of hours. After filling the spa with water and allowing time for it to heat to a comfortable temperature (usually overnight) you’re ready to go! Compare this with permitting time for a new permanent in-ground concrete pool plus weeks of construction to install, with possible delays due to weather and ground conditions. Likewise, due to its smaller size, the average cost of heating a swim spa versus an in-ground pool is significantly less. Since smaller amounts of chlorine and other chemicals are needed to maintain clean water in the spa, these monthly maintenance costs are also much lower. In comparison to the swim spa, the greater monthly costs for heating and maintenance of a traditional in-ground pool drives many homeowners to “close” their in-ground pools during the winter months. Year-round comfort If you’ve dreamed about owning a swimming pool but also love the idea of a relaxing hot tub, a swim spa could be an ideal choice combining the best of these worlds. The design options are endless and can add value to your home by integrating a swim spa into a revitalized backyard with a new deck or patio, often combined with an outdoor covered living space or kitchen. And, since the costs and effort of keeping your swim spa heated throughout the year are minimal, it’s easy to pop into a heated spa even during the coldest winter for an exercise session or to relax in the steam and gaze up at the stars. Swim spas often come with a variety of amenities to enhance your enjoyment, including waterfall pillows, colored lights, and even an integrated sound system. There are several companies that sell them, with models that cater to everything from simple family recreation to athletic swim training. With such variety and versatility due to its size and cost, a swim spa could be just the thing to give your home that special touch and your family that much-needed recreation all in the privacy of your own backyard. Written and Photos by: Sarah Thompson, Project Architect
Kitchen Form and Functionality
Photo by Nathaniel Willson. © Nathaniel Willson 2018. All rights reserved. The kitchen is unarguably the hub of the modern-day home. It’s where meals get made, drinks get poured, children plop down for breakfast and so much more. It’s become a very social space but has a history of being behind closed doors. Most homes built before the 60s or 70s were designed with the kitchen adjacent to the dining room; a wall separating the two. Often kitchens had a small nook for an informal breakfast table, but it was never where guests were encouraged to gather for dinner parties. However, the kitchen has a way of drawing people in. Life has become less formal in many ways and hosts no longer care about keeping meal prep behind the scenes if it means they have to be isolated from the rest of the party. Hence the onset of “open floor plans”. Kitchens today also must include a space for guests to sit and engage with their hosts – the kitchen island or peninsula. The kitchen island is the number one request we hear for kitchen remodels. It has become such a staple and has evolved in shape and size. The island encourages involvement in the cooking and entertaining process, provides a place to eat casual meals, adds generous storage, and creates a closer working triangle. When designing a kitchen layout from scratch, it is important to start with function. The working triangle is the efficiency goalpost for kitchens – it is the path connecting the primary zones of the kitchen: sink, range, and refrigerator. A good working triangle makes moving in the kitchen seamless and quick. An elongated triangle usually means that one item is much further out of the way and causes you move slower and sometimes less safely. There is also a secondary triangle made up of the sink, dishwasher, and storage – this path is most used in cleanup and is also quite important because who wants that part to take any longer. Understanding the kitchens of the past help us design more functional kitchens, keeping our current way of life in mind. There will always be new trends, changes in entertaining styles, and technology advancements that evolve kitchen design. Ultimately, it’s up to us to hear the client’s specific desires and provide them with ideas and solutions that work for them and their family. Written by: Lauren Groth, Interior Designer at H2D Architecture + Design
Main floor remodel in NE Seattle
Opening up the floor plan was the main goal of this Northeast Seattle renovation. The existing home was laid out with several enclosed compact spaces for the kitchen, living and dining areas. These before photos listed below show the existing kitchen and dining areas. H2D worked with the homeowner to design a new layout for the spaces which allowed for an open floor plan to connect the living spaces and create a connection to the rear yard. Several walls were removed between the entry and kitchen areas. The kitchen was fully redesigned with a new layout, finishes, fixtures and appliances. A dark tone cabinet and light colors quartz countertop were used in the kitchen. The cooktop is situated at the island with a raised bar for seating. A unique range hood is installed flush with the ceiling to reduce obscuring the views from the living spaces or bar into the kitchen and out to the rear yard. A small seating area with built in cabinetry is designed next to the kitchen. Hardwood floors were installed throughout the spaces.
Queen Anne House Lift and Rebuild
The Queen Anne Seattle house lift and rebuild project is well underway in construction! The project entails lifting the existing house, remodeling the main floor and adding a second story addition. This tight urban lot is a challenge for the builder to make this all happen. We are excited to see how this major renovation will completely transform the existing aging home into a beautiful new Craftsman style home for this Seattle family. Please enjoy the time lapse video from the builder, People's Construction: https://www.instagram.com/p/BbNQESMnTOw/?taken-by=peoples_construction https://www.instagram.com/p/BhphgZwAvDR/?taken-by=peoples_construction You can follow peoples_construction on Instragram to see more progress on the project! https://www.instagram.com/peoples_construction/
Collecting and Storing Rainwater: The Planning Stage
While publicly provided water is often the default choice of home builders and owners because of its convenience of access and use, more and more people are choosing to harvest and store their own water on site to use for irrigation, cleaning, washing, flushing, and drinking. This can be done to supplement or completely replace public water. Some hope to save money or gain complete financial freedom from the utility companies, while others hope to reduce their demand on the environment, as public water requires considerable energy to move from source to user, and it is rarely extracted without impacting the ecosystems that we share the water with. For people living beyond the reach of municipal services as well as those in the cities, having a reserve of water at your home provides security against seasonal shortages, droughts, and even emergencies such as fire (some insurance companies appreciate these measures! See what your insurer says about it). Those of you who have on site access to a source of water may be considering finding some way to hold on to it for your own use rather than watching it all flow by, whether it is a spring, a stream, a well, or rain falling on your roof. While the easiest and cheapest use for on-site water storage is meeting irrigation needs, it is possible for those of you building a new home or renovating your current home to integrate your tank or cistern both visually and functionally with the house itself for indoor uses if you are willing to include the code-required filtration measures. Before going shopping, you will need to determine how big your tank will need to be, where it will need to be placed or built, and what material it should be made from, followed by making sure your tank has all the basic components necessary to provide clean water for a long time with as little trouble as possible. Knowing these things first will help you understand/estimate the associated costs up front and allow you to approach designers, builders, plumbers, or tank and cistern manufacturers with more confidence in the feasibility of your plan. First and foremost, you will want to figure out how big your tank will need to be, because not running out of water is a top priority. This is determined by balancing the amount of water coming from your source against the amount of water being withdrawn for use throughout the year. Using another real-life example, if you know that you will spend more than you will make in December because of the holidays, then you can set aside the excess income from previous months so that you know it will be there when you need it. For a gardener storing rainwater harvested from their roof, they know that they will need their water in the summer, but most of it will be harvested over the colder months while the rains are frequent. Their tank will need to be big enough to harvest enough through the colder months to provide all summer. Someone who has a spring or well producing a set number of gallons per minute year round may have some needs met on demand no problem, but using the washing machine while someone else showers and a third person cleans dishes will need more water for those 20 minutes than the spring can provide. Their tank will collect the steady stream while nobody uses it (overnight) and then be able to provide for the “peak demand” when it comes (usually in the afternoon/evening), and may not need to be as large as the gardener’s. If you are also planning for drought or fire protection, this volume may need to be considered separately from what is provided for everyday use. You can use your water bill to begin to understand your home’s water needs, and further research at home and online can further help you pin down the GPD (gallons per day) your house uses. If this number is beyond what your source can provide for, consider the introduction of water saving fixtures, appliances, and habits that can bring demand down if you haven’t already. The rate that your source produces water will also need to be measured as accurately as possible, so as not to misjudge availability. For rainwater harvesting, there are explanations on how to calculate the harvesting potential of your roof and site in our previous blog entry on rainwater harvesting, as well as local climate data on annual and monthly rainfall available online. After you know how big your tank(s) will be, you will be able to determine where it should go. Limitations on your site such as size, city codes, and location of existing structures may do much to make the decision for you, but where possible you should account for both the location of the water source and the point(s) of use, which would be your home’s plumbing fixtures and/or your garden. Placing the tank below the source and above the point of use allows gravity to provide both pressure and flow for your water as it moves from the source to the sink, so to speak. This saves energy and can decrease or eliminate the need for pumps, saving money and preventing the undesirable possibility that you will lose access to your water if the pumps lose power or break down, although some appliances or uses will need more pressure than gravity can produce, making a small pump necessary. Tanks and cisterns can be installed on solid ground, underground, or atop a structure like a roof or water tower. If you find that placing the tank underground or on a structure are the best options, you will probably need the help of an engineer to ensure the safety and stability of the design. Buried tanks can collapse under soil pressure when they aren’t completely full if they aren’t made specifically for being buried. These tanks will also likely require pumps to access the water, and can be more difficult or inconvenient to access for cleaning and maintenance. Tanks on roofs or other elevated structures require adequate structural stability to handle the massive load of hundreds or thousands of gallons of water, so professional assistance from an engineer will likely be necessary to ensure that your design is safe. Finally, you will want to know what material your tank will be made of. While the material’s ability to meet your tanks design’s structural requirements is very important, it is also important to consider that the water you store and use will spend a lot of time in contact with the tank itself, and different materials can have different effects on the water’s toxicity and taste. For example, glass is an ideal storage medium for small to medium sized applications because it is completely inert (non-toxic) and does not affect the water’s taste, while plastics (PVC especially) can leach small amounts of harmful toxins into the water over time and make it taste like plastic if the tank is exposed to the sun during the day. In Western Washington, Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar rain barrels will seem a visually appealing option that naturally resists rot. However, the stuff that makes this wood smell good and resist rot is toxic, and can seep into any water in contact with the wood. While this consideration is important for any people/plants/animals that will use the water, cost and availability will also likely affect your decision. Galvanized steel and concrete can both be very expensive, plastic is often cheaper. If you look around your neighborhood or online, you could find used drums and barrels being sold or even given away. This can be a good quick solution that keeps costs down, but make sure that the container in question did not previously hold any hazardous or toxic materials. If this cannot be determined, be a very cautious buyer, as this container will be holding your water. The other cost of any material is the environmental cost. Production of new steel requires enormous amounts of energy and generates considerable waste material that does not return quickly or cleanly to Earth’s natural systems, and both steel and petroleum-based plastics are non-renewable resources. In this regard, it is important to know what your tank is made of, where it comes from, and to utilize reused or recycled materials where possible. These are the essential design considerations to tackle when planning out your water storage system, and with this information in hand, you can feel more confident shopping for and applying your design solution to the problem of water security. If for any reason you feel you cannot tackle some or any of the above questions, there are professional designers and engineers who are willing and able to help you realize your water storage dreams. Feel free to see who in your area works with or specializes in home-scale water storage and other “green” living practices. For those who want more in-depth knowledge of water system design, much of the information in this post and more can be found in the water harvesting and storage related books by Art Ludwig and Brad Lancaster, who both have written extensively about their experience designing and building water systems in many different economic situations, scales, and locations. Additionally, we will cover the essential parts and pieces of an effective water storage system for any who would like to read further. Thank you for reading! Written by: James Drumwright IV, Architectural Designer at H2D Architecture + Design
Selecting Exterior Paint Colors
Choosing or changing the exterior color of your home can be overwhelming with so many color options available. It’s great to get ideas from magazines, websites, etc. but what looks great in a photo may not work on your own home. There are multiple factors that come into play that will affect how colors change in appearance from house to house. Keep the following tips in consideration when making your decision will help in picking the right color: Consider your surroundings. Sunlight and vegetation vary from region to region and will have an effect on the appearance of paint colors. The warm desert sky works great with bold orange, yellow, and red paint colors but those same colors in the gray skies of the Pacific Northwest with towering evergreens have a different appearance. Consider your region’s sunlight and vegetation and choose colors that reflect the either warm or cool tones of the light. Note that all colors have warm and cool variations; for example reds can have warm undertones with hints of orange/yellow or cool undertones with a blue/purple undertone so if you love red and live in the Northwest you’re not out of luck! Take into account your home’s architectural style. Whether you have a Midcentury Modern, Cape Cod, or Crafstman home a little research on the era will show an array of palettes that are appropriate to the style. Many paint companies have historical collections which can be a great start to choosing your palette! Three color approach. Ideally your exterior scheme will have 3 colors, although there’s no “rule” against having more or less. Your first color will be your field color, the primary color of the house. Second, an accent color which can be found on doors, small areas of siding, etc. Last is the trim color. The trim is a great way to make a bold statement and add contrast to your home. When you’ve selected a field color you love keep an open mind to a variety of trim colors to find the one that suits your style and vision the best! Test your colors! As mentioned earlier, you can’t rely on photos/paint chips to know how a color will look on your unique home. When you’ve narrowed down your colors grab some samples from the paint store and paint a 2’x2’ square in a discreet location of your home. Check the swatches during different times of the day and under different weather conditions to see how the colors look and change. Written by Lisa Kramer, Designer at H2D