Male House Finch Looking Back at the Camera

Not to get too philosophical, but I think we all have a tendency to overlook the wonderful things right in our own backyards. I know I do. Over the past year or so, I’ve found myself paying much more attention to the birds that visit our feeders. I started with a bird feeder that has a built-in camera, but before long I set up one of my more sophisticated cameras with a remote-controlled shutter. What surprised me most was not just the incredible detail I was able to capture, but the distinct personality that seemed to come through in each bird. After photographing them through the seasons, I began to appreciate just how much beauty and character had been there all along, waiting to be noticed.

Red-Headed Woodpecker

White-throated Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow in Flight

Mourning Dove at Digital Bird Feeder

Black-Eyed Junco

Snowy Woodpecker

Male and Female House Finch

Black-capped Chickadee in Flight

Northern Cardinal

White-Breasted Nuthatch

Behind the Scenes

SLR Camera With Remote Control Shutter

I was amazed at how close I could set up my camera to the bird feeder without disturbing the birds. Within a few hours, they were back to their usual routines, enjoying a meal as though the camera had always been there.

Seestar S 50 Digital Telescope

I took one photo with a digital telescope from about 30 yards away. Even though it was not the best tool for bird photography, I was very happy with the photograph.

Redheaded Woodpecker

Bird photography usually requires very fast shutter speeds because birds are constantly on the move, always alert to potential predators. I got lucky using a digital telescope, which is designed for longer exposures rather than capturing quick movements.

M 51 Whirlpool Galaxy 23 Million Light Years Away

The Seestar S50 is much better suited to its main purpose: photographing faint, distant galaxies and nebulae. It has opened up another amazing view from our backyard, one I plan to explore even more in the future. From birds just a few feet away to galaxies millions of light-years away, there is so much beauty to discover right in our own backyards.

Just to be clear, I have no connection to Seestar or Nikon other than being a happy customer of both. The photographs in this blog have been enhanced and sharpened using Photoshop and other photo-editing software.

Millbrook Garage, Yoga Studio

It has been a great summer for construction. We have a wide variety of projects, some nearby and others far afield. We have quite a few projects that will break ground before the first frost.

Millbrook Garage/ Yoga Studio

Basement Soundproof Jamming Studio

Basement Soundproof Jamming Studio

Basement Soundproof Jamming Studio

Boothbay Maine Foundation Started

Boothbay Maine Foundation Started

Boothbay Maine Foundation Started

Boothbay Maine Foundation Started

Interior Renovation-Kitchen

Interior Renovation-Living Room

Interior Renovation-Bathroom

Interior Renovation-Living Room

Ulster County Major Renovation

Ulster County Major Renovation

Berkshire Antique Home Addition-In Design

Westchester Family Compound-In Design

Photos by Jimmy Crisp, Jessica Senatore, and María McGuiggan    Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

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Otto Washing the Sheep

We have five nephews living within two miles of us, and they all share our love of sheep. Our three children grew up raising and showing sheep at the local county fair as well as larger shows in the Northeast and Midwest. My wife and I both grew up on farms and found raising animals to be a great life lesson.

An enormous amount of work goes into showing a sheep. That work starts months before the first show and does not stop until the last show is finished. Walking the sheep every day starts the relationship between the sheep and the shepherd.

Cole Walking the Sheep

Learning the Ropes

My wife, Alicia, is the shepherd of the family. Most mornings in the spring and summer, when I look up towards the barn, I see my wife and two of my nephews walking the sheep. Showing sheep involves walking around an arena and presenting the sheep to a judge. That judge looks at the quality of the sheep, the professionalism of the shepherd, and the way the two of them work together.

Cooper and Tucker Working with the Sheep

Cole Preparing to Show

My Son Jackson Helping His Cousin Otto

Cooper and His Sheep Being Judged

Tucker Listening to the Judge

Our Youngest Nephew, Finn Thinking About Future Fairs

We start training the sheep and shepherds early.

Photos by Alicia Crisp, Justin Randall, and Katie Hynes    Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

To get my monthly newsletter, On The Drawing Board, click here.  Jimmy Crisp

New Kitchen in Historic Home

1. New Kitchen

Few changes to a home make as big a difference as a new kitchen. When we moved into our 1790s home, one of the first renovations we made was to put in a new kitchen. It made a world of difference. Since then, it has been the hub of our home, the place where friends and family hang out.

Kitchen with Comfortable Breakfast Bay

2. New Pantry

Another game-changer is a generous pantry. It is so convenient to have a place that is easily accessable to store all the things that you need but don’t use every day. That includes everything from bread flour to grandma’s china. From the pasta maker to the canning supplies.

Pantry With a Desk and a View

Laundry Room

3. New Laundry Room

Another convenience that many old homes need is a modern laundry room. It becomes even more useful when you add a dog wash.

Laundry Room with Dog Wash

4. New Mud Room

To help keep the whole house clean, a mudroom can make a big difference. Few old homes come with as much storage as we might like.

Generous Mudroom

New Primary Bathroom

5. New Primary Bathroom

One of the last additions we made to our home included a primary bathroom. It became the favorite bathroom in the house, so much so that we had to restrict the times our kids could use it just so we got a chance.

New Primary Bedroom

6. New Primary Bedroom

A new primary bedroom affords the opportunity to design in plenty of light, views, and space. At the same time, you can add a sitting room or TV room for the spouse who isn’t ready to go to sleep.

Guest Quarters

7. New Guest Quarters

It is great to have family and friends over to stay, but everyone still needs their own space.

Guest Living Room

Guest Bedroom

Photos by Rob Karosis   Styling by Anna Molvik   Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

To get my monthly newsletter, On The Drawing Board, click here.  Jimmy Crisp

View From the Back Yard

Our clients asked us to renovate and expand their family home while making it exceptionally energy efficient. We designed a Net Zero home that preserves and enhances the beauty and character of a cherished family heirloom.

Net Zero

Net zero is often described as a checklist, but that misses the point. An airtight envelope, triple-glazed windows, and right-sized systems may define the spec sheet, but none of them tells you what the house actually feels like to live in. This home was completed this year, and perhaps the best way to describe the difference is by what you no longer notice.

Family Room

Most houses have some rooms that never feel quite right—too cold by the windows in winter, too warm upstairs in August, or a corner near the front door that never seems to catch up with the rest of the house. This one doesn’t.

The Temperature You Stop Noticing

Walk through the front door and the first thing you notice is not a room, but the temperature. It is remarkably even from the moment you cross the threshold, through the open living room, kitchen, and dining area, and up the stairs to the bedrooms. Nothing changes as you move through the house. In winter, the warmth doesn’t come from a vent suddenly kicking on; it feels more like a blanket you don’t remember putting on. In summer, the house is just as effortless—comfortable enough that a polo shirt and shorts feel exactly right and stay that way all afternoon.

Butler’s Pantry

The Quiet

The house sits on a quiet street in a rural setting, but once you step inside, even that quiet becomes more noticeable. A plane overhead, a helicopter passing nearby—the kinds of sounds that usually work their way into a house almost unnoticed—barely register here. The wall assembly was designed deliberately for acoustics as well as energy efficiency. Sound often travels along the same pathways as air, so when the building envelope is exceptionally tight, much of the outside noise stays outside as well.

Primary Bedroom

What Wasn’t Sacrificed

The easy assumption about net zero design is that comfort must be sacrificed for performance, or that the finished house will somehow look like a science project. This house proves otherwise.

The project was an exercise in doing two things that are often treated as incompatible: pushing contemporary building science far enough to achieve net zero performance while preserving a traditional character that gives nothing away. The compromises people tend to expect—thick walls that steal usable space, mechanical equipment crowding the mudroom, vents appearing where you do not want to see them—simply never materialized. The house reads as traditional first. Its performance is something you would have to go looking for.

Dining Room

Why It Matters More Than the Bill

Clients often ask about net zero because of the utility bills, and that is a perfectly good reason to ask. But once the house is finished and you are standing in the rooms, the energy savings may be the least interesting part of what net zero delivers.

What stays with you is how consistently comfortable the house feels. Every room feels right—no adjusting the thermostat, no waiting for one space to warm up or cool down, no part of the house falling behind the rest. That kind of comfort is harder to achieve than a low utility bill, and in many ways, it is the part most worth building for.

If you are weighing what a net zero home asks of you in design decisions against what it gives back, the technical details are here. But this is what all of that building science adds up to once you are actually living inside it.

Entry Side

Article by Troy Curry Photos by Rob Karosis.  Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

To get my monthly newsletter, On The Drawing Board, click here.  Jimmy Crisp

Breaking Ground in Boothbay, Maine

Digging the foundation had begun and then immediately stopped because we hit granite. Our contractor, Derek Chapman, expected as much since most foundations around Boothbay require blasting. We visited the site on a beautiful summer day. Of course, this February, a different scene will be presenting itself. By then the house should be ‘dried-in’ with windows, roofing, and temporary heat going. I look forward to taking the same picture then.

Model on Site

Corner View

Future Front Door View

View Facing the Water

Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

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Bold Laundry  Interior Designer: Marla Walker  Photo: Andrew Frasz

We are very lucky to work with creative interior designers and clients who are not afraid of bold colors. I am very timid when choosing colors and lean into off-white. Sometimes when I see a shockingly bold color going up on a wall, I think I will hate it, but then when it is done, I become a believer.

These days, there are a lot of tools from paint companies and AI that allow you to visualize the room painted on a computer screen. Those renderings can be deceiving since it is remarkably hard to reproduce the experience of standing in a painted room with furniture and natural and artificial light applied to each wall differently throughout the day. That is where experience and talent bridge the gap and allow for bold choices.

Bold Music Room Interior Designer:  Rob Bowen Design Group Photo: Rob Karosis

Green Butler’s Pantry Interior Designer: Studio 251 Interiors Photo: Rob Karosis

Green Butler’s Pantry Interior Designer: Studio 251 Interiors Photo: Rob Karosis

Blue Bathroom Interior Designer: Rob Bowen Design Group Photo: Rob Karosis

Red and White Bathroom Interior Designer: Chango and Co Photo: Rob Karosis

Bold Dining Room  Interior Designer:  Valerie Grant Interiors Photo: Andrew Frasz

Blue Pantry Interior Designer: KATE IVES DESIGN Photo: Rob Karosis

Photos as Noted     Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

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New Home in Boothbay, Maine–Entry Side

I know I am bending the rules a little, since this home is not yet under construction. But with groundbreaking just around the corner, I could not resist sharing a preview of how this Maine home will sit within its landscape, with that remarkable view stretching out beyond it.

New Home in Boothbay, Maine–View Toward the Water

Garage, Mudroom, and Studio Addition

Elephant Weathervane

One thing most of our under-construction projects have in common is metal roofs. Whether as an accent, the whole roof, or painted steel or copper, metal roofs are durable, attractive, and perfectly suited to our climate.

Major Renovation Almost Finished

Major Renovation Almost Finished

Major Renovation Almost Finished Living Room

Major Renovation Almost Finished Kitchen

Major Renovation Almost Finished Home Office

Major Renovation Almost Finished Bathroom

Ulster County Addition/Renovation

Ulster County Addition/Renovation

Ulster County Addition/Renovation

Renovation in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey

Renovation in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey

 Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

To get my monthly newsletter, On The Drawing Board, click here.  Jimmy Crisp

Home After Complete Makeover

Renovation vs. New Construction: How to Decide. It is one of the first questions clients bring to us, and it rarely has a simple answer. Should we renovate the house we have, or build something new?

Home Before Complete Makeover

The first thing we look at is the structure itself. Some older homes have real value in their bones: solid framing, a sound foundation, a floor plan that can be worked with, original materials and details that can’t be reproduced. Those things are worth building around, and a renovation that preserves them is usually money well spent.

Other houses have none of those qualities. The framing is undersized by current standards; the foundation has problems; the electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems are at or past the end of their useful life; and the layout doesn’t work for how anyone lives today. When all of those conditions stack up together, the renovation estimate tends to climb toward what new construction would cost anyway.

Most houses fall somewhere in between. Some elements are worth preserving, while others need to be removed entirely. The challenge is determining which is which before the budget is established.

Brick Home Renovation After

You can renovate a house. You can’t renovate a location. If the property has a good view, mature trees, established landscaping, or sits in a neighborhood the family doesn’t want to leave, that matters as much as anything about the building itself. In the above brick home, the existing landscaping and patios were a deciding factor in keeping the first floor of a ranch house rather than taking it down. The grounds were worth too much to disturb.

If the lot itself is the problem, renovation won’t solve it. Poor drainage, difficult topography, an orientation that gets no useful light: none of that changes when the house does. Sometimes the right answer is a different piece of land.

Brick Home Renovation Before

Renovation is not always less expensive than new construction. Most clients come in thinking it will be. Often it isn’t. Keeping walls standing saves money when the structure is sound and the scope is contained. It doesn’t save money when the project requires opening nearly everything to bring systems up to code, reconfigure the layout, and deal with conditions that weren’t visible at the start.

Renovation work is also harder to price than new construction. Unknown conditions behind walls, code compliance requirements triggered by the extent of the work, the coordination required to build around an existing structure: all of it adds cost that doesn’t show up in early estimates. A major renovation of an older home can reach the same cost per square foot as building new. Sometimes higher.

It’s worth running that comparison honestly before any decision is made. The numbers usually tell a clearer story than the gut feeling does.

Westchester Renovation/Addition After

There is no single right answer, and anyone who claims otherwise probably has not worked through enough projects. We have renovated houses that initially seemed destined for demolition and transformed them into homes capable of lasting another hundred years. We have also advised clients, candidly, that the renovation they were considering would cost more and achieve less than building a new home on the same property.

Part of what we bring to that early conversation is an eye for what an older house actually has. Traditional detailing, well-made millwork, original hardware, genuine craftsmanship in the framing and finish work: these things have real value and are worth building around. They also can’t be faked convincingly in new construction. Knowing the difference is a big part of what makes the early evaluation worth doing.

What we can offer is a straight read of the specific situation: what the house is worth saving, what the lot offers, what the budget will realistically support, and which path is most likely to get you where you actually want to go.

Westchester Renovation/Addition Before

Article by Troy Curry. Photos by Rob Karosis. Before Photos: J. Crisp.  Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

To get my monthly newsletter, On The Drawing Board, click here.  Jimmy Crisp

Pool House/Guest House

Some pool houses are a functional extension of the main house on the property. It is a place for family and friends to gather, a place to ‘get away’, and an additional living space for anyone who needs to stay a short or long time. Some of the pool houses we design are fully functional homes on a small scale, and others are simply a place to have a drink and a snack and get out of the sun for a while.

We have designed pool houses that serve as temporary homes for owners while their main homes are being built or their existing homes are being renovated. Those pool houses are easily turned into comfortable guest quarters when they are not being used as a home base for a pool party.

Outdoor Living Space

Pool houses can match the details and the character of the main house, or be a totally different, unique structure in style and detail.

Pool House and Year-round Guest House

Simple Pool house

This Pool House provides a restroom and changing room, a place to get out of the sun both inside and out, and a mini kitchen for snacks and drinks. It is the perfect place to spend a summer day.

View From Simple Pool House Porch

Pool House with Details that Match the Main House

In this case, the pool house came first. While the main house was under construction, it gave the owners a comfortable place to stay on weekends and begin enjoying the property right away. We designed it with the future main house in mind, carrying through the same architectural details and materials so the two buildings would feel like parts of a cohesive compound rather than separate, unrelated structures.

View From the Pool

Pool House Kitchen

Main House

Pool Pavilion

Sometimes all that is needed is an oasis. This family had changing and bathroom facilities nearby, and only needed shelter from the sun.

View From the Pavilion

Pool Destination (Photo by Andrew Frasz)

Sometimes, the only thing you want is to get the pool in the ground and start enjoying it as soon as possible. After the kind of hot summer days we have been having lately, that impulse is easy to understand. Still, a little foresight can make a big difference. Thoughtful pool owners leave room for the future, making sure there is a natural place for a pool house, pavilion, or other structure should they decide to add one someday.

Pool Destination (Photo by Andrew Frasz)

Photos by Rob Karosis unless otherwise labeled    Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

To get my monthly newsletter, On The Drawing Board, click here.  Jimmy Crisp

New Entry Doors

We are primarily known for our new homes that respect the region’s vernacular architecture and tasteful additions, which often meld seamlessly with old homes and feel like they have always been there. When our client in the Berkshires asked us to design an addition that would contrast with her Classical Revival brick home, we were happy to accommodate her. We were asked to create a kitchen and butler’s pantry, a living room, a dining room, and a breakfast bay on the first floor, with a primary bath, family room, and spare room on the second floor.

The distinction between old and new is unmistakable, yet each seems to accentuate the character of the other.

New Addition in the Berkshires

Overall View

Kitchen

Butler’s Pantry

View From Dining to Living Without Lights

View From Dining to Living With Lights

Living Room

Mudroom

Family Room

Balcony

Primary Bath

Primary Bath

View Showing Balcony

Photos by Rob Karosis   Styling by Anna Molvik   Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

To get my monthly newsletter, On The Drawing Board, click here.  Jimmy Crisp

One Lamb

One of the best movies I have seen in years was The Sheep Detectives. This is the description from the filmmaker’s page: Every night, a shepherd reads aloud a murder mystery to his sheep, pretending they can understand. When he is found dead, the sheep realize at once that it was a murder and think they know everything about how to go about solving it. But it turns out the human world isn’t as simple as it appears in books.

I would like to thank everyone who has urged me to see the movie, especially my friend and former client, Denise Buchanan, who never misses one of my blogs about our sheep and gave me the last nudge to get a ticket.

Aside from being an edge-of-your-seat thriller you can take the whole family to, I was astounded by how perfectly they captured the sheep’s mannerisms, fears, and personalities. I then saw a BBC clip that interviewed the sheep farmer who had allowed the CGI crew and other members of the creative team to study and pattern their sheep for the movie. They studied 40 of their sheep, and when the shepherds went to the movie, they said they could pick out their individual sheep and lambs.

In The Sheep Detectives, “winter lambs” are described as lambs born before the valued spring lambs and are shunned by the flock, so the term becomes a symbol of rejection, prejudice, and the outsider who later matters deeply. On our little farm, all the lambs are winter lambs because we show them at the Dutchess County Fair and other fairs and exhibitions across the country; they must be a certain age and weight by summer.

We do occasionally have bottle lambs who are rejected by their mothers and therefore need to be fed with a bottle. If they are particularly small and fragile, we sometimes put a diaper on them and let them live in our kitchen for a while. The rest of the sheep are fine to have them back when they are strong enough.

Two Lambs and Two Chickens

Curious Lambs

Lamb Close Up

Ewe and Lamb

Bottle Lamb Who Was Rejected by Her Mother

Cute Lamb

Black Lamb

Black and White Lambs

Lamb Sandwich

Two Lambs Feeding

Four Lambs, Two Just Born

Three Lambs

Two Lambs

Sheep and Lambs and Chickens

Photos by Alicia and Jimmy Crisp    Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

To get my monthly newsletter, On The Drawing Board, click here.  Jimmy Crisp

Rob and Anna at Photo Shoot

Photographing a home is a team effort. Rob, our photographer, Anna, our stylist, and Mary, her assistant, began their day early. Rob drove down from Maine with all his equipment, while Anna and Mary shopped at a wholesale flower market for the best natural props available. They will work non-stop until dark to get those great indoor shots and stunning dusk exterior photos we have loved over the years.

Mary and Anna Moving Furniture and Arranging the Table

To capture a room at its best, we often make small changes that help the design read clearly on camera. Depending on the shot, stylists sometimes need to add furniture and other times they need to remove it.

Rob and Anna are reviewing an Image On the iPad.

Since the quality of digital images has met or exceeded the detail of film cameras, we have been able to see the images and make adjustments in the field rather than waiting for film to be developed.

Rob Getting Ready for Some Dusk Shots

House Prepared for Night Shot

Side Entry

Photos by Troy Curry   Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

To get my monthly newsletter, On The Drawing Board, click here.  Jimmy Crisp

Sheep Sandwich

The baby lambs we had this winter have grown up quickly. Our little farm was quite loud when we had to wean them from their mothers. I’m not sure who bleated louder, the ewes or the lambs. Since the weather went from very chilly to brutally hot in a matter of days, we quickly asked our favorite sheep shearer, Donald Kading, to visit and give the sheep a respite from the heat.

Molly Before Being Sheared

Donald Shearing a Sheep

Even though it looks pretty uncomfortable for the sheep, shearing is very quick and painless, and the sheep don’t seem to mind. They certainly enjoy the lack of a thick winter coat.

Shorn Sheep

Three Lambs

The lambs’ fleece was not as thick as the older sheep’s, so they got to keep their coat. They are very precocious and love to dance around and chase each other. They are also very curious and will sniff the dogs and strangers.

Two Lambs

One Lamb

Photos by Alicia Crisp,     Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

To get my monthly newsletter, On The Drawing Board, click here.  Jimmy Crisp

Three-Season Porch

There are some design ideas that, for a while, are the latest trend, but come and go quickly. Many of our renovation projects include undoing the latest trend of 10, 20, 30, or more years ago and replacing it with designs that are meant to last. Below are a few ideas that we feel are timeless.

Porches That Feel Like Outdoor Rooms With Seasonal Flexibility

The best porches are not treated as leftover exterior space. We design them more intentionally — with furniture groupings, lighting, fireplaces, ceiling details, rugs, and materials that encourage people to linger.

A good porch should feel like a room without walls. Especially in the Northeast, screened porches continue to evolve into true three-season living spaces. Retractable screens, removable panels, infrared heaters, fireplaces, and tighter detailing allow porches to remain comfortable well into fall, and sometimes winter, and ready for early spring.

Three Season Porch With Glass Panels

Well-Designed Laundry Rooms

Laundry/Mudroom

Laundry rooms are no longer relegated to the back corner of a damp basement. They are bright, attractive spaces that make a family chore a little more fun.

Laundry/Dogwash

Home Office in Stately Home

Darker, Moodier Rooms in the Right Places

Libraries, studies, dining rooms, powder rooms, and bedrooms often benefit from deeper colors and lower light levels. Although we love bright, open rooms, sometimes the contrast of a dark, brooding room can bring out the best in both.

Dining Room with A Tempest Mural

Basement Pub

Mudrooms That are Good at Welcoming Guests and Hiding the Chaos

In the Northeast, we rely on our mudrooms to handle our muddy or snowy boots and to welcome all comers to our home. Kids, dogs, and grandparents all pass through this well-used space many times a day. Paying attention to its design makes sense for such an important part of the home.

Lake Home Mudroom

Primary Bathroom with Tub as Focal Point

Primary Bathrooms that Feel Both Personal and Timeless

No two bathrooms designed for a homeowner are the same. It is a place to splurge because we have earned it. That bathroom is the first place we visit in the morning and the last place we visit at night before bed. In our case, when the kids were growing up, it was the favorite bathroom in the house. There were times I wished it wasn’t so nice.

Primary Bathroom with Natural Stained Cabinets

Covered Entry

Front Doors That Let You Know You Have Arrived

One of the most common requests we receive from homeowners is to create an entry to their home that guests can actually find. The need is brought home when I go to the wrong door on my first visit. When we design a new home, creating a strong entry is pretty straightforward. The same task on an existing home can be challenging

New Entry Porch

Breakfast Nook

Sunny Breakfast Nooks

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why not enjoy it in one of most beautiful places in the house. The sun and the views wake us up and help take us through even the toughest days. A sunny breakfast nook will never go out of style.

Litchfield County Breakfast Nook

Photos by Rob Karosis     Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

To get my monthly newsletter, On The Drawing Board, click here.  Jimmy Crisp