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Is a Major Renovation Worth the Time or Should I Just Move?

When people decide it’s time to renovate their homes, they usually come to us for one of two reasons: ● They’ve just purchased a lot or an existing home and want to design and build a new house. ● They’ve lived in their home for years, love where they are, and want to make substantial changes to make their space even better. The first is the easiest. Your design ideas are more open and able to be applied to a new design or may be solidly in place. You might have drawings to paper long before you find the perfect space. But the second, that’s more of a challenge. You love your neighborhood. You love your community. You [...]

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How Natural Light in Your Home Can Transform Your Space

There are many different definitions of the word light. As a noun, it’s the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible. As a verb, it provides light or lighting; it illuminates. As an adjective, it’s defined as having a considerable or sufficient amount of natural light; not dark. As Seattle residential architects, we’ve made it our mission to understand how light transforms your space. Light is essential for the obvious reasons; we need it to accomplish tasks. But if we go back to the human origin, light has another meaning. Light is central to the circadian rhythm. Think of your circadian rhythm as the 24-hour internal clock that controls your sleep and [...]

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5 Questions You Don’t Know to Ask, But We Know to Address

Once you’ve decided to design your dream home, there are a lot of questions that will come to mind. It’s exciting, but the options will feel limitless, and the endlessness of choices can feel overwhelming without a guiding hand. Even more importantly, there are important factors that you may not have even considered yet. We know building on certain land will lead to its own unique issues. Fortunately, the Pacific Northwest Architects at Rhodes Architecture + Light bring twenty-three years of experience to the table. With this experience comes the expertise necessary to identify and address issues and questions as they arise, especially those specific to our area. Working with Architects who are knowledgeable, skilled, and experienced will help [...]

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Top Architectural Considerations When Designing a Sustainable Home

Deciding to design your home from the ground up can be an exciting process. It can also be frustrating. Chances are you’ve been dreaming for a while. You’ve searched through hundreds of floor plans. You’ve accumulated a stack of magazines several inches high. Your pinboard on Pinterest has taken on a life of its own. The local home improvement stores know you by name. And yet, here you are, still unsure of what direction to go. You know you want something different. Something contemporary. Something that stands out from the crowd. And while the architectural design is important, you also want sustainability. If this is your forever home, you want it to be as natural and efficient as possible. [...]

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5 Materials We Love & How We Apply Them Into Our Designs

At Rhodes Architecture + Light, our Architects are always on the lookout for new materials to incorporate in your design. Instead of just relying on the same materials we have for years, we want to be sure we provide our clients with the best quality options for their residences. Here are five materials we’ve recently been adding into Pacific Northwest architecture projects that we think are uniquely pleasing and will last for many years to come. 1. Porcelain Tile Porcelain tile is becoming inexpensive, allowing homeowners to choose this hardy option more regularly. Aside from the preferable price point, this is also a popular material because it is extremely durable. As an added bonus, it now also comes [...]

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Tips for Communicating Your Architectural Style

At Rhodes Architecture, we value the relationship we have with our clients and one of our favorite aspects of the design process is getting to know you and your architectural preferences. To build on this relationship, it’s imperative to develop clear lines of communication. A great place to start is by thinking about your taste and style and how you see it coming together in a finished project. To help start this process, we want to explore some of the key architecture considerations that emerge during the design process. This will also give you some places to look for design ideas and inspiration to help make your dream home come to fruition. First, begin by telling your Architect exactly [...]

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New Innovations That Stood Out at the 2018 AIA Expo

With each new design—residence or commercial building—we attempt to create the best architecture in Seattle. Our desire is to bring the ultimate version of your dream to life using contemporary materials that fit poetically into your environment. To achieve such lofty goals, it’s essential we stay abreast of the innovations taking place throughout the country. One way this is accomplished is by consuming industry news and this year at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2018 conference there were more than 800 brands and manufacturers present. Among those, a few stood out. Here are the some of the innovations presented this year that were of particular interest: Velux Cabrio Balcony Having a window on your roof to bring [...]

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What Does My Architect Do?

Part I You and Your Architect Successful built projects, those that achieve the desired results for owner and users, result from INFORMED clients working with skilled, licensed Architects. ARCHITECTs are registered professionals bringing many years of education, experience, and registration to your design and documents while acting to protect you, your time, money, and your property. Listed below are phases of typical architectural services. The Registered Architects at Rhodes Architecture provide all of the services listed. However, we do not discriminate against smaller projects, which may not require or have the budget to support all of these services. We are flexible and can tailor contracts to provide whatever services a client may require. ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES The general [...]

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What Architects Do Part II

Your Architect, Your Contractor, and your Building Bidding and Negotiation Hiring a contractor to fit your needs is a crucial part of this process. As your architect, we will develop a list of prospective contractors that are qualified for your project and can provide you with the end product you desire. Contractors can either be brought onto the team early in the design process or several contractors can be invited to submit bids for your project once construction documents are complete. Both scenarios have their own unique sets of advantages and disadvantages. Deciding to work with one builder early in the design process will allow you and the design team to receive feedback on the design’s impact on construction [...]

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Point Roberts Residence Featured in Seattle Magazine, January 2017

LIGHTHOUSE A Point Roberts family home emphasizes fresh air and natural light Seattle Magazine: January 2017 "When Rhodes’ Point Roberts clients bought an open, south-facing property (just shy of 1.5 acres) in Point Roberts with a water view and a scattering of mature maple trees, they were clear about one requirement for the future house: It would need to capture every scrap of daylight, even in winter. “Light all day long as much as possible really helps the mind and body feel good,” says the owners. The couple had previously lived in a rental in the woods and were ready to emerge from the gloom." "Seattle architect Tim Rhodes, of Rhodes Architecture + Light, responded to their needs with a [...]

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