Independent Design

Post your Before-and-After images ...

Nothing screams "Value of the Architect" better than a good before‑and‑after image — it tells the whole story in a single glance.

A “before” shows the uncertainty:
a blank site, an outdated layout, a space that isn’t living up to its potential.

An “after” shows what happens when design, code fluency, problem‑solving, and client goals finally align.
It’s not just a prettier picture — it’s clarity, function, safety, and long‑term value made visible.

For homeowners, developers, and business owners, that transformation is more than cosmetic. It’s the moment you can see the return on thoughtful planning, zoning strategy, structural logic, and a hundred decisions that never make it into the photo.

A strong before‑and‑after doesn’t say “look what we built.”

It says “look at what the ARCHITECT saw was possible”

That’s the real power of design.

Hat tip to R John Anderson. 2br 2ba with locking door and a hell of a wet bar. We need missing middle housing!

When I propose one bedroom cottages in cottage courts or as ADUs my recommendations are met with a lot of skepticism. Just because other people are not building something, does not mean there is no market for something different.

From the census data in every market I have looked at there are lots of one person households.

So my latest advice to a couple of emerging developers building cottage courts for rent is to build some 2 bedroom/2bath units, each with a lockout guest suite with its own exterior door.

One unit gets a full kitchen the the second gets a heck of a wet bar. There is only one Dwelling Unit, but two rentable spaces. This approach addresses the concern that maybe nobody wanting to lease a one bedroom unit since nobody is building free standing one bedroom cottages.

Share of One-Person Households More Than Tripled from 1940 to 2020 In 2020, 27.6% of occupied U.S. households had one person living alone, about 20 percentage points higher than in 1940.

We are pleased to announce our submission to the Monadnock Region ADU Design Challenge for a Garage and Workshop ADU in Keene, NH. Our hope is that this design can be locally approved in advance by municipalities as a detached Accessory Dwelling Unit to streamline permitting and build much needed housing faster.

We believe that there must be a balance between tax rates and restricting property rights. If I need to rent a room in my home to pay the bills, that shouldn't be prohibited.

Career meld, obviously.