TMS Architects Portsmouth NH
See our blog for new projects, announcements, and all things TMS Architects.Practical Ideas for Planting Drought & Native Plants
For your new wildlife retreat or rain garden, you’ll want to seek out drought resistant and native plants. The reason is simple — they’re well adapted to your specific climate, soil type, and pests. Ultimately, these advantages allow such plants to sustain themselves on less water, fertilizer, and pesticides. Without any help from humans, these plants will thrive, giving way to an eco-friendly landscape that still looks fantastic. Luckily, most native plants are also drought resistant and can handle poor soil conditions as well.
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TMS Field Trip!
Last Sunday, a large group of TMS employees and assorted spouses, friends and children embarked on a bus trip to western Massachusetts to view the TMS-designed Hampden Country Club. We are all very proud of this project that has taken shape over the past two years on bucolic hills overlooking the distant Berkshire Mountains. The TMS project team consisted of Shannon Alther, AIA, Principal, Jason Bailey, AIA, Project Architect and Cristina Marais, Interior Designer. All three did an amazing job and it was wonderful to be able to tour it as a group!
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Create a Resplendent Outdoor Garden Room with TMS
Having a great yard design is a blessing in itself, but maintaining incentives to spend even more time outdoors can be optimally rewarding. So, why not give yourself something to look forward to when you step outside? Our designers at TMS Architects can help bring structure and beauty to your landscape regardless of your lifestyle. While there are a huge array of possibilities for charming outdoor garden rooms, we’ve taken a few hints from classic garden designs to compile some of our favorite ideas.
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Ravishing Hardscapes that Welcome Greenery & Spring Blooms
Hardscapes aren’t limited by their sharp edges and abrupt angles. Think of them merely as the canvas upon which you can splash greenery and spring blooms to create charming garden looks. While some may have settled for mundane shrubbery and annuals jammed between the driveway and sidewalks, your exterior has the potential to be dynamic and cohesive. Keep the flow in your garden by considering these ideas for utilizing hardscaping to suit your landscape desires.
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A Home Grows To Greatness!
Many thanks to Selectwood, a wonderful building supply resource center in Portsmouth, NH, for featuring a TMS designed home in the Spring 2015 Builder’s Price Guide. The project, A Seaside Renovation, was a collaborative project between TMS Architects, CM Ragusa Builders and, of course, the homeowners!
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Delightful Metal & Wood Gazebos to Highlight Gardens
When you picture a gazebo, you might visualize the grandiose setup of the wedding you recently attended. You might picture whimsical flower arrangements, twinkling candles, and the spirit of romance in the air. However, gazebos can actually serve as wonderful landscape staples — places to picnic with your family, enjoy the breezes on a warm summer day, and cultivate your favorite flowers.
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Stunning Cupola Designs that Flatter the Home
Looking to make a statement with a refined, unique architectural feature? Long forgotten in the design world, people are once again starting to take notice of an iconic rooftop structure — the cupola. So, what is a cupola? And why has it taken the spot of the most pinned Pinterest photo for TMS?
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Appealing Pergolas Add Beauty to Gardens & Landscapes
Don’t be deterred by the name. The concept of the pergola is in reality very straightforward. It’s simply a row of vertical columns constructed to support a trellis or horizontal beams that are situated above. As the temperatures climb, you might be looking for a way to continue to enjoy your landscape without suffering in the stifling heat of Summer. Pergolas are classic, beautiful structures you should consider because of their ability to provide a versatile reprieve.
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Sloped or Grading Landscapes Unite with Visual Appeal
Dealing with sloped landscapes can be difficult, but it’s not impossible to manifest an alluring garden. It’s certainly not easy and requires a lot of effort, but all you really need is time, devotion, and an attentive eye. To overcome the hurdle of a sloped landscape, we must carefully shape and contour the land in order to establish a set framework for the landscape’s design. This process, called grading, is crucial because it places the groundwork for proper water flow and drainage.
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Nifty Kitchen Countertops Using Reclaimed & Repurposed Wood
Nothing quite compares to the rich tones and textures that reclaimed wood can bring to kitchen designs. Naturally beautiful and warm, reclaimed wood countertops can enhance the aesthetics of your kitchen while reducing your impact on the environment. Since no two pieces of wood are alike, you know you are getting a one-of-a-kind countertop with its own unique story. Not to mention, reclaimed and repurposed wood countertops can be just as beautiful as they are durable, functional, and environmentally-friendly.
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Portsmouth’s Other Lost Public Spaces
There has been a considerable amount of publicity lately about replicating The Old State House, which is presumed to have once stood in the center of Market Square. This got our guest historian, J. Dennis Robinson, thinking about other Portsmouth buildings that have also been lost over time.
“Here we go again. Just when you thought Portsmouth’s Old State House was never to return, it’s back in the news. A well-intentioned group wants to build a replica of the 1760-era colonial state house on the site of the city’s federal building off Daniel Street. That dream has been kicking around Portsmouth for almost a century. Architect John Mead Howells tossed out the idea back in the 1930s. I sat on a city committee to study the issue and TMS Architects helped with an in-depth study of the surviving remnants of the building.
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Luxe Energy-Efficient Kitchen Appliances for your Passive Kitchen
Sustainable homeowners are smart homeowners. After all, wouldn’t you rather spend your money on a weekend getaway or a fun day out with your family than waste it on your electrical bill? Upgrading to energy-efficient appliances in your kitchen can mean less waste, less resources consumed, more peace of mind, and more money in your pocket.
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First Glimpse of a TMS-Designed Beach House
TMS Architects was asked recently to design a beach house for a family currently living in “All for the Family“, their TMS-designed main home. The owners had their eyes on this spectacular beachfront lot for many years and were able to purchase it when it became available.
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Beautifully Design an Eco-Friendly Bathroom
With the right design, a bathroom can be just as eco-friendly as it is beautiful. It starts with the thoughtful selection of reclaimed, recycled, and green materials and finishes with water-saving features that ensure environmental responsibility. A well-designed, eco-friendly bathroom can evoke peace of mind, not only with its spa-like atmosphere but with its clear environmentally conscious layout.
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Control Rain Runoff with Landscaping Design
Rooftops, pavings, and other hardscapes can negatively affect landscapes and the environment. An unfortunate side effect of these impermeable surfaces, rain runoff, can deprive garden beds of natural irrigation and prevent groundwater tables from replenishing. It can cause erosion, slides, and even flash floods. Stormwater can pick up contaminates and lead to increased pollution of streams, rivers, and oceans.
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TMS Architect, Bill Soupcoff, Builds a Business from the Ground Up!
Morey Stettner, a business reporter for The Portsmouth Herald recently interviewed William Soupcoff, a founder and principal architect of TMS Architects. It was a very informative piece as we all learned some things about Bill that we didn’t know before….such as his first “real” job:
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Transformation of a Master Suite
Lafe Covill, Associate AIA , TMS Architects Project Manager and Cristina Marais, our Interior Designer, spent the morning at a renovation they have been working on for some time and we were thrilled to see the construction photographs they brought back with them! Located in the mid part of New Hampshire, this project involves a complete renovation of the master suite, the main living spaces and bathrooms. TMS has been collaborating once again with CMRugusa Builders on this renovation as we have on completed TMS projects, Seaside Renovation and Family Room Renovation.
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Upcycled Materials Great for Insulating Sustainable Homes
Homeowners are increasingly committing to living greener more eco-friendly lifestyles, and that extends to how they build and remodel their homes. If sustainability is a concern for your home, you will want to look into eco-friendly insulation materials.
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Roof Overhangs Keep Energy In for Comfortable Climates
Decorating your home is fun, but you want to make sure your home is functioning well, too. Spring is a great time to give your home a maintenance check up and tackle some of those projects that have been on your to-do list.
One aspect to consider is your home’s energy efficiency. By adding energy efficient systems, you can save money in the long run and help the environment in the process. These include things such as programmable thermostats, solar heating, insulation, windows, and more.
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Designing a Sustainable Home Around Natural Elements
If you are a fan of green building like we are, you are probably going to look for ways to incorporate your natural surroundings into your home as well. Many times, building or remodeling your home so that it is more in harmony with nature can boost both the way your home performs as well as the way it makes you feel. If your home has a close relationship with your surroundings, it creates a calming effect, and here are some ways to a build a home with natural elements in mind:
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