Archives
See our blog for new projects, announcements, and all things TMS Architects.Clever, Eco-Friendly Styles for Reclaimed Wood
Spring is just around the corner, so it’s the perfect time to update or renovate your home. There are many smart options for building materials on the current market, so it can be understandably difficult to choose the right ones for your particular project. We love the way reclaimed wood adds warmth and introduces texture to a space. With reclaimed wood, you can make a huge design statement, so we have some tips and ideas to get you started.
Read More
A Sustainable Garden Loves Back: Planning Your Own
Looking for a way to give back to nature while receiving the benefits of flowers, plants, and vegetables? Growing your own plants and food is an important step toward leading a more sustainable lifestyle. Switching over to a sustainable gardening style goes a really long way in building a garden that you can then admire, eat from, and enjoy. To help you avoid getting lost on the way, we have some information to help grow your sustainable garden into a feature you can be proud of.
Read More
Not Just for Asethetics or Shade: Benefits of Trees
What has bark but no bite? You guessed it — a tree! We see them all the time, and they’re part of our everyday landscape, but do you know why they’re so important? Trees are crucial in absorbing greenhouse gases and helping to protect Earth from the heat of the sun. But that’s just one of the many benefits of trees.
Read More
Eco-Friendly & Smart Designs for Homes In Colder Climates
Warm weather is nice, but there’s something about a snowy landscape that is so enchanting. Nothing quite compares to the way it sparkles in the sun and glows in the moonlight. Colder climates can make for picturesque scenery, but they can also leave you with ice damns, slippery stairs, drafty interiors and – a homeowner’s nightmare – burst pipes. Homes that are located in regions with colder climates come with unique challenges. With these challenges, however, come opportunities for smart, sustainable home design. With winter still underway, here are some of the colder climate design ideas that we find inspiring.
Read More
Harness the Power of Passive Energy in Home Design
Passive home designs work with the environment rather than against it. By taking advantage of location, orientation, and local climate, a passive home is designed to maintain comfortable temperatures while reducing energy consumption.
Read More
Sustainability Spotlight: Constructing Silo & Shipping Container Homes
As the green building industry continues to expand, builders and architects are only getting more creative with sustainable home designs. We’re particularly inspired by the concept of re-purposing structures such as silos and shipping containers into beautiful and efficient eco-friendly homes. These designs take upcycling to the next level.
Read More
Building with Reclaimed Brick & Green Advantages
Sustainable building materials can be just as beautiful and functional as they are eco-friendly. As more and more homeowners and builders go green, brick masonry construction is becoming an important player in green building and sustainable home design. This is because bricks are inherently green and result in gorgeous structures that last for generations to come.
Read More
Cedar Siding Shingles Provide a Rustic, Country Look
The photo we pinned of the exterior of our project called the New Hampshire Hilltop Home has been pinned to multiple Pinterest boards. The well-liked pin has us pondering wooden shingles, and the way they exude both a historical and modern look.
Read More
Utilize Rainwater Harvesting for Sustainable Living
Saving water (and money) is easy with a residential rainwater harvesting system. Rainwater is great for watering all gardens and plants, including edible ones. The two most common home rainwater harvesting systems are rain barrels and cisterns. Rain barrels are easy to install and use and do not require any type of permit. Large cistern systems that hold more than 100 gallons and involve pumps will warrant the help of a professional to obtain the proper permits.
Read More
Reinvented and Renovated Space
We recently photographed a beautifully renovated space that was the result of a collaboration between TMS Architcts, Cebula Design and Ragusa Builders. The homeowners had operated a small business out of their home for many years and after their retirement, they decided to convert the shipping/warehouse space into a cozy family room and mudroom with an elegantly detailed connection to the main house. They confess that with the convenient gas fireplace, large screen TV and comfortable seating, most of their leisure time is spent relaxing in this new space! As they say, “pictures speak a thousand words” and Rob Karosis’s photographs of this elegant space certainly capture the beauty of this renovation.
Read More
TMS Wins Best of Houzz 2015
Houzz has become a go-to resource for homeowners, designers, and home improvement professionals. It’s a place for finding design inspiration and opportunities to collaborate. It’s a place for finding the right professionals for a home design or renovation project. It’s a place for designers and home improvement experts to showcase their work. Houzz has rapidly expanded to become one of the world’s leading online platforms for home remodeling and design with a community of over 25 million design enthusiasts, professionals, and homeowners.
Read More
Building Upon Building
When our guest historian, J. Dennis Robinson, recently wrote about the old Eldredge Brewery in one of his columns for The Portsmouth Herald, we were intrigued because the building in which TMS Architects offices are located is called Eldredge Park. We asked him what the connection might be and he supplied us with the following information…he always knows the answer to local lore!
Read More
Madbury Commons Construction Update
In spite of a challenging New England winter, TMS Architects and ProCon Construction have kept the Madbury Commons student housing on track in Durham, New Hampshire. The project is located in downtown Durham, close to the University of New Hampshire and all the downtown Durham amenities. The property will have 126 apartments and accommodate 525 students. Featuring fully furnished, modern apartments complete with air conditioning and washer/dryers, the complex will be opened for the 2015-16 school year. TMS principal architect, Shannon Alther, AIA, and project manager, Josh White, recently visited the site and returned with these progress photos.
Read More