Where does the time go? /  by Ben Nicholson

It has been a busy several years since I’ve last posted an update to the page. I moved my home and office in 2020 from Philadelphia to Yeadon/Lansdowne, my practice’s production capacity became enhanced by the addition of full-time employees, the pandemic came and went, and the projects resumed thereafter, steadily. That said, in the interim, most of the project updates / teaser image posting activity moved to my Facebook or Instagram pages ; I hope you can have a look there too! But here on the website and blog, I have a bevy of draft project galleries featuring a backlog of more recent projects to upload to here over the next couple months… so, more freshies soon, I promise. But not to leave the reader/peruser without a glimpse of these, I’ll post a limited gallery below of snapshots of some of the recent work (ahem… albeit deliberately bereft of wordy/time-consuming captions)

April is Rhododendron schlippenbachii time @ the office door.


2019 Q1 Update & 2018 year in Review /  by Ben Nicholson

2018 has been a very busy year and now 2019 is off to a good start; several new projects are on the boards. Here are some of the highlights:

In Havertown, JBNai is planning a “Pop-Top” 2nd floor addition and kitchen renovation for a flat-topped Mid Century Modern ranch house. We studied two different roof design solutions; Initially a smaller flat-roofed solution blended very well with the existing house’s design, but ultimately a sloped roof solution was advanced to the construction drawings phase, it being projected to cost slightly more but afford a much better $ to space ratio. Permits have been applied for and this project should break ground early this spring. Look to see a new gallery on the JBNai Facebook page soon; tracking construction progress for this project.

In the Pocono Mountains, JBNai is planning the renovation and expansion of a lakeside cabin constructed in the late 1960s. The design solution for this house makes the interior spaces much more commodious and light filled, adding a separate den/study, a new stairway connecting all levels (the previous stair was a narrow loft stair connecting only the 1st and 2nd floors), an expanded screened porch, and affording the house more views of the lake and passive ventilation through the addition of several new windows in new 2nd floor dormers.

Meanwhile, a large addition project at a lakefront community in the Pocono mountains is under construction. This project will radically transform and expand a lake-front home with a new Library, Master Suite, Recreation Room, and an enlarged kitchen and Dining room. Anns Construction of Greentown, PA, is the general contractor. A gallery of this project is below:

Closer to home, JBNai continues its consulting arrangement with R.A. Hoffman Architects Inc., working on custom home designs and a bevy of conceptual design renderings and models for both commercial and residential projects.

Lastly, construction finished up this past summer on a ground-up custom residence that JBNai designed in conjunction with and consulting for R.A. Hoffman Architects. A more comprehensive photoshoot should be in the near future.

JBNai is looking forward to sharing more updates as 2019 progresses. Signing off for now on a snowy February Monday.

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Q1 2017 Update /  by Ben Nicholson

The past year has been quite busy as there have been several new projects and a few progressing through construction. An update here is overdue. FYI, if you are a Facebook user, I tend to drag and drop more photos to my J.B. Nicholson Architecture Facebook page simply for the ease and casual format of the Facebook interface.

So I'll kick off the update with a gallery of this new country-Tudor kitchen designed for an English Arts and Crafts styled house (Designed by renowned Philadelphia Architect William Price around the turn of the 19th to 20th centuries). This kitchen is currently under construction.

Next up, an expansive addition I designed for a home in Malvern has been under construction from the the later half of 2016 to present. The addition is all closed-in now and interior finish work has commenced.

The Chesapeake Eastern Shore home that I have been working on for several years is nearing completion; the owner is starting-in on the interior woodwork which will feature many exciting custom elements including this bridge and loft:

Another project underway is a custom garage designed to complement a beautiful early 20th century farmhouse in the Pocono mountains. Some of the special features for this garage are its roof lantern / cupola over the storage loft, Greek-Revival inspired corner pilasters, true slate roof, and side patio with access to built-in firewood and refuse can storage.  

Lastly, I have had the privilege to assist R.A. Hoffman Architects Inc. with some consulting design, construction detailing/documentation, and illustration services. Examples below:

JBNai Project Featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer /  by Ben Nicholson

This past weekend I was pleased to find that a past project of mine had been featured in the real estate section of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The author, Sally Downey, tells the story of how my clients have made their early 20th century arts and crafts house their home and how their recent mudroom, bar, and porch addition helped to complete their vision.  Many thanks to Sally Downey and to Mark and Margi for the exposure.

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20160626__Sideways__still__a_house_now_touches_the_outdoors_and_suits_the_family_within.html

http://www.jbnicholson.com/carpe-diem/

2nd Quarter 2016 Update /  by Ben Nicholson

Here's a brief look at some of the projects @ JBNai in the 2nd Quarter of 2016.