COOL MODERN HOUSE PLANS

Insect Screen - "Screenmobile"

2012-02-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

Can you see the insect screen or its frame in this picture? Well, we looked for an absolutely minimalist modern look for this one. To make it work we called in the professionals and were absolutely pleasantly surprised. Screenmobile is a nationwide outfit offering a wide array of screen products. We worked with David Winters of the Charlotte, NC, franchise. Not only was he a blast to work with, and to explore our minimalist, contemporary detailing, the execution of his work was also impeccable. On all accounts we can only recommend him and his services.

In this project, we incorporated various aluminum framing products, the smalles of which was but 1"x1/2" in size. The finish, a dark anodized bronze, worked beautifully with our dark steel structure, The "H" channels fit snuggle into the sandwich design of our post-and-beam members. David's selection of structural pieces around the screened doors, the sreened doors themselves, and the pieces going against the brick walls of the house, worked perfectly with the simple modern look. He worked wonders fitting large screen areas with small, next to non-existing, framing pieces. For the screen itself we picked a charcoal colored fiberglass product.
The end result was so perfect that we had to figure out how to keep our clients from walking into the screened areas. The view out was absolutely unencumbered.

"Screenmobile of Charlotte is the Nations #1 mobile screening and sunroom service, with over 100 locations nationwide. Serving the entire Charlotte Metro area, from Lake Norman to Rock Hill, Gastonia to Concord and all points in-between. Screenmobile offers the best in quality screening products and services to your door. We rescreen as well as fabricate new custom window screens, screen doors, porches and sunrooms."

manufacturer's info
manufacturer's info for builders

Ceiling, Wall Light - "Lock" by IKEA

2011-10-04T07:25:00.001-07:00

This one has been one of our favorite stories about our design approach. Because we design and build our local projects, we can monitor the costs closely, while perfecting our modern and innovative design ideas through to very end of each creation. Here you can see a frosted acrylic counter that is multi-layered and holds drawers out of the same material. Three young girls share this bath, their colorful hair-bows shining through, livening up the counter bringing playful, colorful moments to the design. We developed the design of this counter through the project and had it manufactured at a local shop. It was quite pricy, but became an absolute must for our clients. To work with the circular stainless vessel sinks and the playfulness of the inhabitants, we thought we had to have a lot of differently sized circles "growing" over the walls. The best fixtures and mirrors, we could find, where very, very, very cheap at Target and IKEA. They were perfect, however. Good design and a good products that work with it, do not hinge on a high price tag.

The Lights are called "Lock" and are sold at IKEA for $4.99 each!

"Frosted glass gives no-glare general light. Diameter: 10", Height: 4", Grounded, Hardwired installation, Light bulb sold separately. IKEA recommends SPARSAM low-energy bulb E26 11W. Base plate: Steel, Pigmented powder coating. Shade: Glass"

manufacturer's info

purcahse ($4.99)

LED Landscape Lighting - "1548BZ" by Hinkley Lighting

2011-09-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

This light worked beautifully for the landscaping of aproject of ours. It is installed with this peculiar angle and gives off a warmsoft pool of light. With its 15" it does not intrude visually and yetoffers a little pizzazz.

It comes in various finishes. We opted for the dark anodized bronze, so it wouldn’tbe too fussy.

It is offered as a LED fixture, which is perfect for long distance runs inthe yard. Normally low voltage has been not quite ideal for landscaping becausethe fluctuating voltage over long distances would constantly burn out bulbs.Not with this LED light. It takes the voltage changes without a problem andinsures a long life. The low voltage makes installation, of course, quite easy.

This one is a keeper.

"Width: 1.75", Height: 15", Certification: c-UL-us Wet, Notes: Etched Acrylic Lens"

manufacturers' info

purchase ($138 was the price we paid)

LED Accent Light - "MiniDisc Light" by NSL

2011-09-22T12:37:00.000-07:00

Okay tigers, we found quite a neat accent light that we were able to use outside for a modern addition and upfit of ours. It is a LED light and therefore quite low on its energy usage. We used it in stone steps and had out mason bore holes into the stone to receive the fixtures. We also installed it in a dark grey, smooth finish, concrete freestanding wall. It come with a sleeve for these applications that we mounted in the form work of the concrete and behind the stone and had the low voltage cables run prior to pouring the concrete and installing the stone. these disks come in different colors and also with and without a little nose, a scoop that points the light down. It was perfect for adding a few touches of light to a pathway and the front porch of our project

"Bothcover and barrel are die cast aluminum for corrosion protection, strength,weight, and consistency of finish. Each LED Driver can power up to 100 MiniDiscLights by parallel wiring ("daisy chain") between fixtures. One wirecompletes chain. No custom cord required. NOTE: Use LW-18G-CL2 for all in-wallapplications. Use LW-18G-BUR for all outdoor and burial applications"

manufacturer's info

purchase (we paid $43 per light)

Door Stop - "DSIX04" by Inox

2010-03-08T13:24:00.000-08:00

Allright, so this is the wall mount door stop we found. Good price, hot look and quite sturdy. They are sold online, however, our local hardware store was able to give us the best price. They are made out of stainless steel and a tough rubber cap.

"Base 1 13/16" x Top 3/4" x 3 3/16"Projection"

manufacturer's info

purchase (we paid $15.86 at our local hardware store)

Door Hardware - "Stuttgart" by Emtek

2010-02-12T11:30:00.000-08:00

This is a beautiful set of hardware we just installed. We ordered it through our local hardware store, but called up the manufacturer first to figure the right configuration. They provided us with the right item numbers to order.

Of course they come in different finishes and different details. we chose in this case square mounting plates and a satin nickel finish.

"These stylish door levers and rosettes are constructed of the highest quality materials and cast into spectacular modern designs. Lever and rosette assemblies are provided for both sides of the door. Each lever and rosette is hand polished and expertly finished. Available finishes are Satin Nickel, Polished Chrome, and Oil Rubbed Bronze."

manufacturer's info

purchase (we paid $58.50 at our local fan supplier)

Ceiling Fan - "Cirque" by Minka Air

2009-12-21T09:16:00.000-08:00

Okay, we have to admit, we found another modern fan that works. We used this one, Cirque by Minka, for three children room's. The soft shapes reduced the children's aprehension against menacing rotary blades. The insets of the padels can be unsrewed. We are going to use this advantage to paint them several colors to match the rooms' decor. The fan comes with a fan control switch. The overall heihgt was surprisingly low and workes well with a 8' ceiling

"The cutting edge design of the MinkaAire Circue pushes boundaries, and rediscovers the artistic balance between art and function. The Cirque features six oval shaped blades, a simple round body, and a built-in halogen light fixture and comes with a full function wall mount remote control that replaces any normal light switch without the need for extra wiring. "

manfacturer's info

purchase (we paid $399.95 at our local fan supplier)

Window - "Rhino Aluminum Windows" by Gerkin

2009-12-03T13:20:00.000-08:00

This is our own hot trade secret; so don't tell. These windows by Gerkin are just DROP DEAD GORGEOUS. You can see in this image a fixed window (the big one) and a casement (on the left), and a hopper (on the right). These come with a thermal break in the frame, which makes them usable nationwide and give you a good insulation value. They are sleek and simple to install. Each one is custom made, but compare well in price with other brands. There relative thinness also allowes us to finish the opening out on the inside very minimally.

"Our primary focus has been to manufacture energy saving window and door products. Throughout our history we have established ourselves as an innovator in the design and manufacturing capability of insulated windows and doors. Stringent product testing and innovative design has allowed our products to evolve as market and consumer needs change. In the winter of 1989-90 we started to conceptualize and design our Rhino Commercial Aluminum window series. Today we have several commercial window styles in the Rhino line. This window series consists of a commercial horizontal slider, casement, hopper, awning, fixed and hung windows. Each Rhino window reflects the design and manufacturing expertise we’ve implemented over the years. We also publish our AAMA test results to back up our claims of product performance and quality."

manufacturer's info

purchase (you will have to order them through your local lumber yard, for a 28" by 46" casement window we looked at $476)

Ceiling Fan - "Pensi" by The Modern Fan Co.

2009-12-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

This is sofar the only affordable modern ceiling fan that we could find and liked. It comes also with a light set into the bottom pole extension.
It looks sharp and is widely available.

"Renowned Spanish designer Jorge Pensi has contributed a new and imaginative interpretation of the ceiling fan to our collection. The Pensi fan is a pure expression of minimal design and maximum performance, featuring curved molded blades and an optional down light."

manufacturer's info

purchase (We paid $364)

Switches, Outlets - "Aspire" by Cooper Wiring Devices

2009-12-02T10:50:00.000-08:00

We used this line in a modern house of ours and loved the finished look of it. The added benefit was, that not only was the electrical contractor familiar with using it, since they are very basic decor pieces, but we were also able to pick up extra pieces quickly at a near by Lowe's. Our fan distributor was able to easily add a fan control switch from the same line to our order as it became apparent that we needed it. Your local electrical contractor should be able to provide them for you.

"The ASPIRE Design System is offered in three dual-tone designs: the crisp brilliance of White Satin, the romantic warmth of Desert Sand, and the boldly dramatic Silver Granite. The ASPIRE Design System comprises a full line of wiring devices to meet every application in every area of the home. Wall switches; dimmers and receptacles; Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters for kitchen, bath, spa or pools; fan speed controls; screwless wallplates; telephone, television and data jacks for the home office and media room."

manufacturer's info

purchase (switch at Lowe's for $3.97 a switch)

Built In Refrigerator - "KBURT3675E" by Thermador

2009-12-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

We used this built in refrigerator for a seamless look. It has the same depth as all your standard kitchen cabinetry. It is built to receive any type of paneling to match the remaining cabinetry. We added a picture to show you how cool it ended up looking. You didn't know that there was a refrigerator behind this particular door.

"Special holiday mode complies with certain religious holiday observances. Roller Glides for Easy Drawer Access Pull-out freezer drawer with two large pull-out baskets. Available in right-hand or left-hand door swing. Also available in Stainless Steel with Masterpiece handles, or in Stainless Steel with Professional handles."

manufacturer's info
purchase ($5,886.00, you might find it for a better price at you local appliance distributor )