Todd Hallett, AIA, President of TK Design & Associates, Inc. (tkhomedesign.com) has been designing award winning homes for over 20 years. He spent 15 of those years working for a $50 million production building company. Todd designed all of their homes but also worked in every other aspect of the company including purchasing, development, land acquisition, product development, and operations, and was President of the company for three years. Equipped with his vast building experience and fueled by his love for architecture he left to form an architecture firm that is second to none in working cohesively with Builders. Todd specializes in Lean Design and works, alongside Scott Sedam of TrueNorth Development, in the trenches with builders, suppliers, and trade contractors. His Lean Design blog appears weekly at Housingzone.com. Todd welcomes your feedback at thallett@tkhomedesign.com or 248.446.1960.
If you were ever fortunate enough to have had a pair of parachute pants, checkered Vans or a headband then you probably remember the super sweet 80’s. In this era fads quickly flared up and just as quickly burned out. It was during this time that the English Tudor style became incredibly popular. It only took a quick drive around your local...
“Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace.” - Eugene O'Neill
Nothing brings up feelings of fairy tale romanticism about a home quite like a turret. With a soaring roofline and endless natural light, it is very easy to fall in love with a well done turret. In this plan the turret becomes a...
This little plan has really been a high producer. It is simple to build, lean, and has great curb appeal. As a result this plan has sold very well for several builders.
It reminds me of the quote, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” The bits and pieces of this seemingly simple plan work in concert with its exterior to culminate into...
Whether you call them crickets or saddles, the little patch of roof that is bridging water past a chimney or other element obstructing water flow is one of the hardest things for most framers to get right on the roof. Why is this?
It starts with the plans. Many times crickets are left off the drawings and not clearly illustrated. If the...
After last weeks blog about the great match up of Lean and custom homes I received the following inspiring "boots on the ground" letter from reader and fellow Leanista Roger Bess:
Todd,
Thanks for the timely post. By coincidence, I had a client with an expensive custom home plan, who was extremely frustrated with his architect, contact me a...
I'm a sucker for a good love story. I get emotional at the end of Pretty Woman, and will watch Can't Buy Me Love over and over again. However, one story that really gets me misty is the love story between custom home clients and Lean Design. It's allure is based on the fact that the pairing of the two is just so rare. It is every bit as rare as...
Professional Builder recently held a survey, and to quote Editor-in-Chief Dave Barista: "When it comes to selecting exterior design features and materials for their new homes, buyers are most concerned with the overall curb appeal of the home's exterior ... More than three-quarters of builder respondents (76.6 percent) said 'great design/curb...
The title of this blog is tongue in cheek (or maybe foot in mouth) as a follow up to a blog I wrote a while back titled, "Second Floor Laundries are Just Stupid, or are They?"
When this blog made it's way to the pages of Professional Builder in the April 2012 issue my inbox became very active with folks defending the second floor position. In the...
A young doctor was just setting up his first office when his secretary told him there was a man to see him. The doctor wanted to make a good first impression by having the man think he was successful and very busy. He told his secretary to show the man in.
At that moment, the doctor picked up the telephone and pretended to be having a conversation...
Better bust out the Grey Poupon for this one. Turrets, steep roof, stone and stucco will drive up the cost per square foot a bit on this design. However, as I have mentioned in the past, Lean Design is not about cost, it is about value. Lean Design focuses on eliminating waste and providing maximum value for the customer through collaborative...
It features a 9-inch outer ring that can pivot to increase spray coverage to 14.5 inches, which is 60 percent more coverage than a traditional rainshower.
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