Creating a more sustainable world - one project at a time

The First United Methodist Church needs additional fellowship space right outside their Sanctuary to welcome guests and build community among congregants. In addition, the facility needed to be upgraded to be fully compliant with handicap access regulations with the addition of an elevator, various ramps, and many other upgrades throughout the building. MHA created a new entry sequence that slopes up from the parking lot to the main first floor, allowing a fully accessible entry at the main floor and now the church can decommission their exterior chair lift with all of its costly maintenance. MHA has also designed a new sprinkler system for fire protection and a new fire alarm system. MHA created a SketchUp model and Power Point presentations that communicates the preliminary design to the Building Committee and then transformed the model into a movie to work with the client in fundraising. The $2.6 million project is expected to break ground in the Summer of 2019.

Private Residence - Renovation/Addition

A family of 6 is busting the seams of their tired & worn Craftsman Bungalow. We have provided a design for renovation and additions to increase living space, while also restoring and enhancing the Craftsman aesthetic. Our SketchUp model allows us to fly the client through every room and all around the outside of their proposed home before we even start construction documents.

MHA was asked to renovate a garage/shed/studio complex at a historic house located in the historic district of town. We built a detailed virtual existing conditions model that we could fly the Historic District Commission around alongside the proposed design model. This communicates all kinds of items from materials and massing, to proportions and trim details, very efficiently. Town commissions love the ease of understanding the existing and new designs. We will follow up with construction documents and 2019 construction.

MHA has created a master plan for future renovations and additions including renovating the kitchen and opening it up to an eating area with a bar, renovating the family room with exposed wood trusses and a stone-faced fireplace, adding a bonus room on top of the garage for office and kids play space, and expanding the master bedroom suite with a walk-in closet and larger bathroom. The front of the house has been warmed up with a large welcoming porch and a new mudroom with places for everything, even a shower the dog. After preliminary pricing from a General Contractor, the client will select which parts are to be included in an initial construction phase.

The clients of this house were looking to open up the cramped kitchen and add extra room. MHA has come up with a design that includes a mudroom leading from the house that connects to a garage. The kitchen design is now much more open and includes skylights for a much more airy feeling. A deck has been added to the design so the clients as well as their guest can enjoy the outdoors more than they were able to before.

MHA has designed a bright, airy family room with great daylighting inside this ranch’s existing garage that will also open to the adjacent kitchen.  We are removing the garage ceiling to create a sky-lit vaulted space with large windows and sliding glass doors to enjoy the views of the Sudbury River Valley behind the home.  MHA is also creating an energy efficient finished basement to include play space, an office, and a new bathroom.  

MHA designed a renovation to this 1670’s house for the Master Bedroom suite upstairs and the kitchen/eating/sitting areas down stairs.  We also created a rustic mudroom out of a currently unfinished shed as part of reconceiving the everyday entry. 


This horse barn, built in 1900 and renovated into a home in 1970, is oozing original charm but lacking basic insulation.  The new home buyers want to upgrade the exterior envelope to make it cost effective to heat and cool as well as comfortable – no more drafts and cold feet.  They are also looking forward to an ice-dam free winter this year. 
       

The new design will replace all the materials on the outside of the exterior wall including shingles, trim and windows.  Insulation and sheathing will be added, while the original aesthetics will be maintained with red cedar shingles and white PVC trim. The project will include super-insulated roof, walls, new windows with south-side shading and a new right-sized mechanical system.  The old shed and porch will be removed and an addition built with mudroom, laundry and work shop.  The interior work will be left for the homeowner to work on over time. Energy savings of over 70% are expected. 
       

The project has been designed to meet requirements of NGRID’s Deep Energy Retrofit program that will allow the owners to receive approximately $42,000 of additional funding from their natural gas utility company, as well as an extra $10,000 if they meet the requirements of the Thousand Home Challenge.