I've received many positive comments and great feedback about my updated website and newsletter, and I really appreciate my past clients who have allo

 MG designnews

I've received many positive comments and great feedback about my updated website and newsletter, and I really appreciate my past clients who have allowed Janet and me to photograph their finished homes and remodel projects.

I must say that I'm very fortunate to be working in an industry that I love and to have a career that allows me to meet and work with a lot of different people. Many people, when they're young, aren't sure what they want to do for a living once they're out on their own. From an early age I knew that I wanted to have something to do with houses, although at that time I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was. In my home town of Utica, New York, I was surrounded by 19th century Victorians of varying sizes and designs, and I always had an appreciation for that vernacular of architecture.

When my family moved to Arizona I was 9 and would spend some of my allowance money on "Building & Construction" and other similar magazines. Believe it or not I still have a "B&C" issue from 1981 that featured what I thought was (and still is) one of the most interesting house designs. As a kid I would imagine how I would change all of the houses where we lived; and everywhere I went if I wasn't people-watching I was looking at the design of the space I was in. When I went to the library I would check out plan books and Bob Vila was my hero after "This Old House" first aired in 1980-81. Suffice it to say I was an architecture nerd.

In 5th or 6th grade I knew the path for me was architecture, having finally put a name to what I wanted to study in college. After my family moved to Georgia my plans for going to ASU changed to Georgia Tech, and then again to Southern Tech which is a small college north of Atlanta (now Southern Polytechnic State University). It had a fledgling architecture program which turned out to be a better fit for me.

In 1993 Janet and I moved out to Texas to marry and start our life together. I worked for a couple of home builders in the area and in 1997 started my own design company. During the past 15 years I've been fortunate to design houses as small as 1,200 s.f. and as large as 10,000 s.f.; homes on acreage as well as in the city; single family houses and duplexes; historic remodels and modern additions. Every day offers something different and I consider myself truly blessed to be gifted with the talent that allows me be a part of something that I've always had a love for: home design and construction.

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Hunt Street Residence

This month I'm including another Southern Living home design which was built by The British Builder. The McGowans were clients of his who purchased Plan SL-1445 - Kenilworth designed by Debbie L. Simmons exclusively for Southern Living.

In our redesign we opened up the dining room and study entries into the foyer more than they were on the original plan. The master bedroom had been located in the middle of the house with the master bathroom at the rear, but we flipped the two spaces to ensure that the master bedroom would enjoy the better views to the rear and access to the widened porch.

In the kitchen we added a bar and cabinets to separate that space from the family room, and we relocated the fireplace in the family room to the side wall to open up the views and access to the rear porch.

McGowan Main

Main Level Plan

 
McGowan Upper

Upper Level Plan

Front Elevation

Front Elevation

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Foyer

 
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Study

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Dining Room

 
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Dining Room

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Kitchen

 
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Kitchen

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Family Room

 
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Rear Porch

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Master Bedroom

 
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Master Bath

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On the Lighter Side

Gary Larson's "The Far Side"

Doug
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Janet ad for newsletter
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Current or former member of the military?

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If you or someone you know is a current or former member of the military I would like to offer my design services at a discounted fee in appreciation for your service to our country. I also would like to extend discounted design rates to policemen and firemen.

God bless you for your service!

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ReStore NCC

Located at 2060 Couch Drive in Southeast McKinney they offer donated merchandise for sale at a discount. The store is open to the public and the proceeds help to fund the various Habitat projects in the area.

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