We get this question a lot!
There’s definitely not a “one-size-fits-all” answer!
Founder and designer, Jake is also a licensed Realtor.
We understand how complicated the decision can be! Our goal is your best possible outcome - or as they say in real estate, “highest and best use”
Should you renovate or move?
We’ve developed a pre-construction process that helps you make that decision. It walks you through all of the options, potential outcomes, phasing - everything.
This way you make a decision with clarity. Understanding what’s possible with where you’re at.
If this is a question you’ve been thinking about - give us a call. We’d be honored to meet you, hear your story, and dream of what’s possible together!
Saying it better than we ever could!
Our friends recently finished a large renovation with us. Not only were they dream clients, with an awesome project - they were kind enough to sit down and share some thoughts about the experience.
We are grateful for every project we get to participate in, and every client willing to trust us with their home.
We are Authentic Carpentry. Louisville’s Luxury Renovation team.
We are always looking for new friends and fresh projects! Now booking 2026!
NEW EPISODE!! So good to sit down with Nicole of Blend Design. I loved learning from her perspectives around design, harmony, and what makes a space feel rest-filled.
Nicole is a talented artist, trained designer, and outdoor enthusiast. Bringing her unique love for beauty and living in outdoor spaces.
I loved hearing about her ideas for breathing intention and life into outdoor spaces in really important ways.
Don’t miss this episode. Before the Build - episode 6
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If you are an architect or designer I would love to meet and learn more about you and your work! If you just love design we would love your support! A follow and smashing that 5 star rating button on your favorite podcast streaming service would be super helpful.
Don’t be a stranger!
We recently had clients host their Derby party in a space that wasn't quite finished yet.
They loved it. There is something about meeting the feeling that you've been imagining in real life.
When everything is right you usually just summarize a space with a big smile and "I love it!"
"I love it" could mean it feels huge. Or intimate. Hidden or seen. A place just for you, or an event venue that recreates the feeling of being courtside at the Knicks. I love it can mean a lot of different things.
What I hear is "the limitation is gone". The thing that was frustrating or limiting is gone. Now you get to enjoy the space in a way that feels uniquely you.
Which is exactly what home should be.
This renovation had been in the plans since they purchased the house.
An unfinished basement offered the promise of family gatherings, activity space - mostly a place to be together as a family and with friends.
Days turned into months, months into years. And all of the sudden the kids are considering colleges.
Suddenly it was now or never.
For the kitchen the goal was togetherness, doing what you love with family and friends.
One of their favorite things are the amazing confectionaries that Dad cooks up - especially around holidays. So they needed a full kitchen, but it needed to feel like it shared in the festivities instead of being a place isolated from everyone and everything else.
Original ideas had a peninsula. This maximized the number of cabinets but isolated Dad from the rest of the space and would have had his back to all of the activities.
Now Dad can bake and while watching the same show they are.
Kids can sit at the back of the island and watch, talk, or work on their laptops.
Here’s to many happy days baking and being together.
Her mom had just gone through a renovation.
The work was fine. The result was fine. Nothing to complain about. But living in the space, there was nothing to celebrate either. Not joy. Just meh. She didn't want that. So when it was her turn, she slowed down. She spent time in the design phase - longer than she expected. When she saw everything come together there may have been some tears. Not because it was beautiful, though it was. Because it finally felt like hers. That was before a single wall came down.
We've had the chance to do several projects together now. The best outcome isn't a kitchen that looks right. It's the feeling you were hoping for when you decided to start.
Reviewing footage - I can’t be the ONLY hands talker out there…
But it’s possible that if you tied my hands behind my back… I’d be unable to talk. 🤦♂️
Wrapping up this years Tour of Remodeled Homes entry and couldn’t be more grateful to have been included in this incredible project.
Awesome projects are cool. But awesome projects with awesome people? Even cooler.
#thankful
Details are the only things you feel 6 months later, and one of the easiest things to forget in planning.
We are getting ready for photos at our Tour of Remodeled Homes entry.
I love photo day. The photos that look similar, but more human than our renders.
The furniture that suddenly brings the room to life. A photo really is worth 1000 words.
Photos are usually where you start. You'll bring us a photo, an inspiration. Something that is different than what you have. At first you'll think you want a recreation - but as we go through the design you'll realize that what you want is the feeling you got looking at that picture - you want to live inside the feeling.
And that experience is what photos miss. Because the truth is, 6 months after the project is finished, when your getting your coffee in the morning, what you'll notice isn't the pictures we staged - it'll be the way you physically interact with all of the details.
When you settle into a chair to read, how the light surrounds you.
when you go to start a cup of coffee, if it's seamless or an adventure.
When you go to host, does the space start to feel claustrophobic?
When the early and late sunshine rakes across the room - does it illumine or scorch?
These are what you feel.
Details will be what you feel 6 months from now.
Some good friends of ours came to us to finish their basement.
Towards the end of design there was just one room left - an activity room - that needed to serve both their tennis-loving son as well as their dance party daughter.
The room was large enough to comfortably fit a ping-pong table, but not large enough that it could house both a paddle party and a dance party at the same time.
After some scheming we created a closet in the back corner that partially extended into the adjoining room and partially extended into the activity room. This small extrusion into the activity room gave us a bump out - perfectly sized for a bartop.
Now when the boys are in town, the friends have a place to observe the paddle battles while eating pizza and watching the game.
For the girls, in less than 5 minutes, the ping-pong table can disappear and the DJ light - centered on the ceiling of the room - becomes the only light. Transforming the space into an entirely different vibe.
Now he can still dominate the court and she can still own the floor.
All in the same room.
It always about the outcome. Going through the right steps in the right order is the secret to an outcome that exceeds your expectations
We’re constantly investing and improving in our process.
1. Start with understanding
2. Collect ALL data
3. Iterate your way to a design that solves the most problems in the best way
4. Document, organize, document, communicate, document
5. Develop a scope that best fits you at this time, where you are and what you need.
It’s worth following the steps - the outcome is that much better.
We are committed to our TradesWalk.
To us a TradesWalk is the intersection of intent and execution.
What is it?
We have already established a design that you love, we've collected data, found the perfect layout, created selection sheets and construction documents. Before we move to give you your final proposal we want to bring in the experts. Professionals who have dedicated their lives to a specific fields.
* Electricians
* Plumbers
* HVAC
* Engineers
* Framers
* Finishers
* Tile Setters
* A/V & Low Voltage experts
These and so many more - there is no way any single person could absorb all that there is to know about each of these fields. So we bring them in. Get their feedback. Discuss our intent and goals. Let them collaborate and get clarity.
The result is better outcomes.
And that's a result worth fighting for.
Rachel is an incredible architect and an asset to the Louisville design scene.
During her early college days she recalls a professor who encouraged her to drop out.
Thankfully she did not listen.
In this episode we cover values, the human part of design, and protecting what’s important. A great conversation- you can catch the entire conversation on any major streaming platform
Before the Build - Episode 5
