Information on home design, including new home design, remodeling, mid-century modern architecture, sesimic upgrades and other home improvements.

Floating Homes Offer Innovative Solutions to Sea-Level Rise

A recent article in The New York Times for dealing with rising sea levels: building homes on the water. Marin County is no stranger to that concept. An entire community exists in Sausalito. In fact, there are approximately 425 floating homes in Marin County, according to Marin County Residential Real Estate. Sausalito boasts the largest

Bathroom Retrofit for Aging in Place: Sinks, Cabinets & Toilets

After the kitchen, the bathroom retrofit is probably the most important and challenging modification you can make for safe aging in place. The potential for water on the floor, combined with the need to maneuover into and out of a shower or tub or onto a toilet, raises the risk of a serious fall among

Would You Give up Your Grass Lawn?

In other words, would you take one for the planet and go native? California horticulturalists have long touted the benefits of using native plants in our residential and commercial landscaping. You’ve probably seen the headlines about how much water could be saved by tearing out our lawns and replanting with a variety of drought-resistant, native

Bathroom Retrofit for Aging in Place: Tubs & Showers

In any bathroom retrofit for aging in place, the bathtub and shower are likely to be key considerations. Getting into and out of the tub or shower presents challenges and risks for those with limited mobility or vision, so selecting the right product for your abilities and lifestyle is important. General Safety Recommendations Regardless of

Whose Tree Is It, Anyway?

Neighbors and trees How controversial do those words, neighbors and trees, sound to you? If you enter them into your browser, you might be surprised at the variety of sources that populate the search results. Many of them pointing to areas of contention when to comes to neighbors and trees. Nextdoor.com brings the controversies into

What’s In an Architectural Style?

If you’ve done any house-hunting in the Bay Area, you might have heard the terms Art Deco, Arts and Crafts Style, Bungalow, Modern, Contemporary, Mid-Century Modern, Cape Cod Style, Colonial and Victorian – to name a few of the architectural styles. The problem is, some of these terms are used interchangeably, when they are distinct.

Hot Tub Buying Guide: How to Choose the Perfect Oasis for Relaxation

There was a time when Marin County was made synonymous with hot tubs. The NBC documentary I Want it All Now caused quite the stir. We’ve come a long way since then, but the allure of owning a hot tub is still a great idea. Perhaps you've contemplated finding the hot tub that is just