Does your entryway occasionally look like this? Have you ever been tempted to take a sledge hammer to it? As the school year begins, we realize how important it is to begin the year organized and ready for all of the backpacks, books, papers, shoes, and coats that will make their way into your home.  We […]

I love being involved at the very beginning of a project, especially at the point when the problems and ideas are being shared with the architect.   Usually it starts in a negative way: “we can’t host a large family gathering,” “ the house leaks,” “ the kids are rapidly outgrowing their spaces,” “‘our ‘stuff’  is […]

It all started innocently enough. George showed our client photos of his favorite contemporary staircase. Then Jessica (the architect) suggested the treads be “heavy” … a few weeks later added that it might be nice to “consider” concrete. John and Carrie (the clients) mentioned that a reclaimed tread would be awesome. John started talking about LED lighting, which caused George to get a lump in his throat and a mist in his eyes….and that’s how you end up with a truly custom staircase at Rittenhouse Builders. Read More

Well meaning people with great intentions can ruin a home’s aesthetic appeal. This 1853 mill worker’s home in Newtown Square witnessed the civil war, the great depression, the heroics of the greatest generation, and sadly, some really misguided efforts to “historically restore” it in recent decades. While a large walk-in fireplace would have been built into a colonial-era kitchen, it would not have been tacked onto to the exterior of a “parlor” in the 1850’s as the previous owner had done. One does not have to be a connoisseur of historic preservation to see that something is just wrong in these before photos. Read More