We’ve done a lot of designs over the last few decades, and at Winthorpe Design and Build, we always do our best on every project. Still, when you’ve built as many homes as we have, you can’t help having favorites. If you’re looking for inspiration for a custom home build you were considering, here are some of our favorite home builds to give you some ideas.
Waterside Adaptation Build
There’s nothing wrong with living in a small cottage-style home. There are a lot of people who prefer this aesthetic. However, one family in May, Maryland, decided that cottage living was not for them. They had been using it as a vacation home at the time, but they wanted to make it their primary residence. This meant that they would need a lot more space than their current cottage provided.
When this client came to use, they said they liked their home the way it was, but they wanted to do a renovation project to modernize it. They said they wanted an upgrade that would make their home more liveable without making it stick out compared to the rest of the homes in their neighborhood.
They loved that their cottage was on the water, and their sailing hobby was one of the main reasons they wanted to make this home their primary residence. They also said they loved the familial, natural charm of the cottage. But no matter how much they loved the house they had, there was no ignoring the fact that it was simply too small.
The more we discussed the potential plans with this client, the more we began to realize something: They needed more than a remodel. They had had some updates done to the cottage before, but it was still far from what they needed in a home. After much deliberation and considering all the other options, we decided starting with a new build would work best.
In the end, we designed a 5,200 square foot home for them that not only fulfilled their dreams but brought their dream home to life.
Montgomery County Dream Home
We once had a client in Montgomery County that we’d done a few projects for before. While they were delighted with the results, they were still searching for their dream home. After a long time, they found it. It was everything they’d hoped for, and it checked every box on their list of home design must-haves.
It had an early 1950s colonial-style design, and the rear of the property connected directly to a park. Like most of our builds, we started with the most high-priority items. For this particular build, this meant focusing on the bathrooms and the foundation. We needed to make sure it was leak-proof.
Checking the foundation is essential because many older homes weren’t designed to resist water deterioration very well, and most are susceptible to leaks and the resulting damage. It doesn’t take long for homes like these to sustain an enormous amount of damage in a short time.
This client had also reported issues with the upstairs doors not closing correctly. The concern about leaks and problems with the doors not closing right led us to an unwelcome conclusion: the foundation block wall had a large crack.
We were able to fix these problems fairly quickly and implement a few design changes the clients had specified. By the time we were done, they had a leak-proof home with doors that closed, a combined kitchen and dining room with an island, a formal dining room adapted from a screened-in porch, and wood flooring made from tactfully reused materials.
Designing a Home with your Favourite Home Designs in Mind
We’re very proud of these projects, but they’re just our favorites. We’ve done many builds, designs, and renovations over the years. By looking at some of the things we’ve done in the past, you can get a better idea of what you want your house to look like.
But if we only let you choose home designs from what we’ve already built, then we wouldn’t really be custom home builders, would we? We’re very willing to learn and try new things here at Winthorpe Design and Build, and we’d be more than happy to sit down with you and design an entirely new, unique creation.
If you have trouble coming up with potential build ideas on your own, you don’t have to use inspiration from our past builds. You can show us your favorite home design plans no matter where you found them, and we can work with you to incorporate the best parts of them into your very own dream home. Contact us today to experience our new process, including remote consultation and design services!
