Architect, residential architecture, Westchester County, NY, Fairfield County, Ct architect, architectural design East Coast Home + Designl

East Coast Home + Design magazine has asked again to profile Westchester residential architect Michael McCann AIA in an article of before and after pictures showcasing exteriors.
Michael chose to submit a project built in Pocantico Hills NY (Mt. Pleasant) for which he was both architect and builder. The Cotswold styled residence was originally the caretaker's cottage as part of a larger estate. The estate was broken up a number of years ago and the cottage became a free-standing property, still of substantial size. The cottage, large by most standards, lacked some modern amenities like a spacious master bedroom suite, family room and updated kitchen. The exterior of the residence had the stone and wood roof features reminiscent of Cotswold architecture found in the area of England of the same name. Michael included features such as eyebrow windows with bent wood shingles and detailed stone work in keeping with the original architecture of the residence. The goal was to present a finished product which looked seamless between the original structure and the substantial additions. The article in the July issue of East Coast Home + Design will feature this project, with before and after pictures (the pictures above are the "after" photos.) The owners, both writers, have enjoyed the secluded quiet of their home while being able to recreate at bit of Old England right in Westchester County.

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Check out the article on Pools and Pool houses in the June issue of East Coast Home + Design.

Kitchens in Fairfield county Ct, kitchens in Westchester county ny

Kitchens in Westchester and Fairfield counties con't

Kitchens in Fairfield county Ct, kitchens in Westchester county ny

Heart of the Home - Kitchens! Here are some examples different kitchen designs based upon the needs of the clients.

Home Offices, Michael McCann architect, architects in Westchester ny, architects in Fairfield county ct

Home offices have evolved from a luxury to a necessity in today's economic climate. More and more people are working at home, either for their employer, for themselves or sometimes both. As recently as a decade ago, homes were not both shelter and workplace, but computers have changed things whereby most individuals now perform some work functions at home. In addition, today's job picture has many people seeking entrepreneurial opportunities if their previous employment either disappeared or was out-sourced or scaled back.
Rather than work in a space such as the kitchen that is also shared with other family functions and members, the home office devoted to just working provides a quiet space to focus on the task at hand, speak to clients and vendors without interruption and establish a separation between work and home. As such, a home office can pay for itself by providing a dedicated space where the employee/business owner can work more efficiently and productively. The kitchen counter or a card table set up in the basement playroom cannot provide those intangible benefits. As someone who has worked out of the home for 30 years, it has been imperative to have a dedicated space out of the fray of daily home life, especially with children.

Also, with today's push for a "greener" environment and the desire to save time and money not commuting to some far away office, telecommuting and working out of the home fits the definition perfectly of a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

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Pool house, architect Westchester County, NY, Fairfield County, Ct

East Coast Home + Design magazine is about to be published with an article regarding pools and pool houses featuring Michael McCann, architect. In addition to the pool house featured in the article, the article also includes pictures of the outdoor fireplace situated at the head of the pool. The fireplace, shown here, used fieldstone, which lent a woodsy feeling to the landscape. The pool house is in a woodland like setting. The owners had requested the addition of a fireplace to the site when planning the pool house and pool to extend the outdoor use of the area to include cool spring and fall nights.

Architect with Residential building experience

In attending seminars and meeting with other architects, I often discuss the fact that I have been both an architect and a builder, contrary to the experience of most architects. In addition, architects will assume that I have just supervised the building of a project. What really astounds them is that I have actually build many of my projects. Yes, I have wielded a hammer! In spending the beginning of my architectural career not only designing my work, but also physically building it, I got an intimate knowledge of construction methods and procedures. So often there is a disconnect between the the architect's design and the ability to actually get the project built. In addition, when you also build what you have designed, the architect must order every board and nail and has first hand experience with construction costs. As the builder you then understand that projects cannot be easily broken down by cost per square foot in generalized terms. Having to pay for the materials, the subcontractors and the attending overhead such as liability and workers comp insurance provides an invaluable education as to construction costs. The combined experience as both architect and builder has provided a unique prospective that most architects never understand.