So many fads have come and gone in the renovation industry — travertine tile, jetted jacuzzi tubs, fuzzy wallpaper (that goes a long way back) — that it is a constant challenge to design something for our clients that will stand the test of time. There are, of course, timeless styles and finishes, but these are often wholly incorporated into the style of the house - like Colonial, for instance, or Mid-Century Farmhouse.

Avoiding faddish finishes and materials is more of a challenge when the home itself is already eclectic, not belonging entirely to any specific architectural style. We recently had the opportunity to complete just such a challenge with a newly designed footbridge by Tindall Architectural Workshop (TAW). The mountain home had a seriously dated (and seriously deteriorated), heavy timber and stone access footbridge that looked so tired. The house itself is mid-century modern, and the lines are clean and sleek throughout…..except for the old footbridge.

“Avoiding faddish finishes and materials is more of a challenge when the home itself is already eclectic.”

TAW designed a multi-media composition bridge that mixed wood with metal with the clean and sleek lines that coordinate perfectly with the house. For longevity, Ipe tropical wood was used for the deck boards; for openness, stainless steel cable railing was used for safety. The bridge cover is vaulted with clear coated alder pine and exposed steel beams to give the roof a forward, welcoming look accentuated by the angled support columns. Dimmable LED strip lights were installed under the railing banisters for accent lighting at night. The result is a stunning entrance that coordinates perfectly with the house itself - a footbridge now as timeless as the architecture of the house, and as durable, too.

My how time flies!

Designed for Downtown, LLC is celebrating its tenth anniversary in June of 2026, just a year after AJH Renovations, LLC celebrated its twentieth! With these milestones passed and passing, it seemed like a good idea to talk about the Design/Build model for residential renovation and expansion projects. That's how we got started in 2005 - offering full design packages for our clients ahead of their renovation project. The model filled a niche in the Greenville downtown market, so we incorporated our design studio in 2016 in order better organize both our client presentations and our in-house systems under the Design/Build model. But even after a decade of designing beautiful home renovations and custom homes, there are still some questions and misconceptions out there. Perhaps this article will answer yours.

“The Design/Build model provides... a full-service design team that feeds directly into the construction team.”

The main question we hear, which also reveals the primary misconception, is whether a licensed architect is required for residential plans and construction. The simple answer is: No. [Full Disclosure: we are not licensed architects (we are licensed builders) but a staff of trained and experienced designers incorporating residential structural design, interior design & finishes, and even landscape design into our build projects]. However, none of the jurisdictions in which we work in the Upstate require an architect's stamp on the residential design package. Now that doesn't mean you shouldn't get an architect to do your design package - we work with several local architects and very much enjoy the relationships we have developed there. But we also think the Design/Build process is an improvement on the Architect-then-Builder model.

The Design/Build model provides a one-stop shop for the homeowner, with a full-service design team that feeds directly into the construction team. This allows very quick turnaround on design iterations during the design phase as well as in the midst of the construction phase. With our construction estimating department only one door away from our design studio, we are able to provide our clients with almost instantaneous (as that word applies to construction!) cost impacts for various design options. On the reverse side of this, we also provide excellent value engineering in order to tailor a project scope to the client's budget. With the field team involved early in the design phase, and our designers continuing with the project during construction, our residential projects are virtually seamless.

Designed for Downtown, LLC has been around for a pretty long time now, and we have many satisfied (and a fair number of repeat) customers in the downtown Greenville area. Our clients have found the Design/Build model to be efficient and responsive, which generally leads to a very successful project and a beautiful renovation. Give us a call today to start the conversation for your Design/Build renovation project in 2026.

Why we love them? AJH Custom Homes recommend Leviton devices to its clients because they provide safe, stylish, and comprehensive lighting control and power source across all residential tasks.

There are over 23,700 electrical device related fires every year in the US. AJH relies on Leviton devices to ensure our customer’s homes are not included in this statistic. Leviton is a leader in load centers, the heart of your home’s electric supply. Their load centers can be paired with Arc and/or ground fault breakers as well as whole-home surge protection and smart breakers that connect via the My Leviton app. With Leviton’s system in place the AJH team can be confident our clients are safe and sound while also tailoring their control of the system.

Most customers don’t interact with their home’s load center much, but they certainly plug in to it daily. Whether to blend up cake batter, or charge a device, Leviton has devices for each need. A popular product line, Decora, gives customers a consistent and low profile product across all device uses from plugs to switches to low-volt charging ports in colors to fit any design. An especially nice product is the combination outlet and USB charging port. It makes a great addition in almost every room from the kitchen or home office to kid’s bedrooms. No more dead devices or ugly charging blocks!

Lighting control by Leviton is equally thoughtful. Their Decora line can be upgraded to include smart Wi-Fi enabled switches for lighting and device control from your phone. Additionally dimmer switches and timer switches let our customers regulate their lighting to fit the event, time of year or weather.

Check out their products to see why AJH Custom Homes trusts Leviton for its clients and the options they can provide your new home!

This article is for the grandparents among us, the so-called empty-nesters: Does that phrase still apply? Did it ever really apply? The idea was nice: the children are grown and have moved out, so it's time to 'down size' to a smaller home, smaller yard, smaller responsibilities, leaving more time for extra-curricular activities like travel. But that scenario doesn't always play out in real life. Children grow and leave, and marry and have families, and return to visit - hopefully often.

The down-sized house no longer accommodates not only the children and their spouses, but also their children and all the energy and paraphernalia they bring. Sometimes family considerations mean 'up-sizing' rather than downsizing. And with a new generation of children in the house, one of the most important features of the architectural design becomes the playroom.

The open floorplan so popular over the past couple of decades is wonderful for dynamic communication between the kitchen and living room, but that can be turned into chaos with just a few toddlers and small children running and playing through the area. Have you considered where the grandchildren can go and 'be themselves' while the adults talk?

That's, of course, the playroom and it should be a central consideration in your custom home design, even if you are downsizing. Maybe it's in the basement, maybe above the garage, or maybe a second living room upstairs or even an unused bedroom with a small, finished attic nook as a 'secret hideaway.' A special room with custom bunk beds can become a cherished memory for the grandchildren when they spend the night with their grandparents. Not only will the children have more fun among themselves, but the adults will preserve their sanity. The playroom was a marvelous invention indeed.

We at Designed for Downtown, LLC incorporate our clients' family dynamics - both current and future - into our renovation and custom home designs. Give us a call today to start the conversation about how to make your home both more child-friendly and more peaceful.