Foerst is a remodeling consultant with MOSAIC Group [Architects and Remodelers] in Atlanta, Georgia.
- What are the top three home architectural styles you’ll find in metro Atlanta and/or the Southeast? Mostly Craftsman, Ranch and Colonial Style.
- Is there a reason(s) for their popularity? At first it was more the saturation of the marketplace that aided in their popularity, but now these readily available homes are “trendy” to renovate. These styles of homes have been made even more popular by the “DIY” and HGTV reality television shows that fill the networks.
- How do you identify your home’s architectural style? There are numerous websites that will enable users to nail down what style of house their home is trending toward. You can take a short quiz at the following link: http://www.housepride.ca/housestyle/questionnaire.jsp (Also see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Craftsman; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranch-style_house; or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_colonial_architecture)
- When you remodel your home, why should you keep the architectural style in mind for your home as well as the neighborhood? Resale is key as well as ensuring the greater likelihood that your renovations will coexist well with the architectural “fabric” of your current home.
- Can you keep the style of the home on the exterior when you remodel but change the interior to accommodate more modern lifestyles? Most definitely. This methodology is all the rage right now. “Transitional” is the design industry’s buzzword for doing this unique melding of styles inside and outside between Contemporary and Traditional.
- How do you do that? Very carefully. Mixing of colors and textures often pulls the outside and inside of a house together, even if the architectural styles are very different. The color palette chosen by homeowners and their designers can make or break a transitional melding of themes and design details.
- Why is it beneficial for a homeowner to select a remodeling company with an architect on staff to help achieve this process? Having an architect on staff dovetails well with the build component of the remodeling company. The familiarity and synergy between both design/build elements ensures a more successful and fluid design implementation for the client.
What’s your favorite architectural style?