Abbey Road Homes

Whenever someone asks about my personal home design preference, I always say craftsman style. I love all the gables, covered front porch and timber posts! How about you, what's your favourite style of house?

I want to serve you better! I created a survey that will help me do that. I would if you could take 5 minutes to fill it out. Click the link below. Thanks!

Feedback Survey Thanks so much for filling out this short survey! It is 1 page. All questions are optional & the survey is anonymous. Your responses will help me better understand what information to talk about on my website and on social media.

Always make sure to hire a great designer that knows the building bylaws for your specific property. That way your house doesn't have to be torn down because it's way past where it's allowed to built.

Homeowner must demolish $3M Gatineau luxury home built too close to road: Quebec court The judge placed the blame squarely on the city, saying Patrick Molla was given no reason to believe his project would face problems

Meet Sadie!

On Friday we added a furry little addition to the Abbey Road Homes family. She's a 3.5 year old Corgi mix rescued from the China meat trade. Sadie has endured a difficult journey to get home. Once rescued by she was still in China for a while before flying to LA and then bussing to Calgary to the shelter. Despite going through so much, she is such a gentle little lady. Already following me around everywhere I go and getting super excited when I get home. I've wanted a dog my entire life and I'm so glad she chose us to be her forever family.

Tell me about your pet in the comments or if you don't have a pet, what kind of pet you would want.

Design your home specific to your needs.

Homeowner P's priority was with the garage. They have a large fifth wheel RV and wanted to have a covered space to store it. We started the design conversation by discussing the garage and designed the house basically around it.

What's your number 1 priority in a house?

It's been a while...

In case we haven't met before I'm Nicole! Owner and designer behind Abbey Road Homes. I'm a west coast girl still trying to get used to Calgary winters. I'm addicted to tea and cute mugs and I'm okay with that. When I'm not designing houses I can be found designing and creating other things, such as furniture and decor pieces.
Drop a fact about yourself below and let's get to know each other!

Merry Christmas from my family to yours! This year has been a strange one thats for sure. This was the first Christmas that my husband and I have not been able to travel to BC to be with our families for the holidays. I'm thankful for technology that still allowed us to video call our loved ones and celebrate even a little bit with them. Most of all I'm thankful for the greatest gift of all, God sending his son to save us from our sins many years ago.

Designers will typically ask you how you want your home to feel. Answers like cozy, warm and inviting are usually said. But a lot of the design is how the space works together. You can have a beautiful house, but if it doesn't work for you the design is useless. A good designer keeps both of these in mind.

Thinking about renovating or building a new home? Head to my profile to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a free custom designed floor plan!

CONTEST CLOSED!!

As my 1st year in business anniversary is coming up I thought I would do a giveaway. I am giving away to 1 lucky homeowner a free custom design of their new home or renovation!! This includes a design consultation, bylaw check, preliminary plans & preliminary elevations. Value of over $1500 all for FREE!!!

TO ENTER:
1. Follow/Like
2. Comment 1 thing you would want in your new design
3. Share this post (if you are a private account DM me a screenshot)
Bonus entry: Visit the link in my bio for a bonus entry.

Giveaway ends on November 30 at 11:59pm MST. Winner will be chosen randomly and contacted directly December 1.

**Must be 19 or older and a resident of Alberta or BC to enter
**Does not include construction drawings

Are you living small or living large? You can still live large in a tiny home. I designed this tiny home as a fun project for my cousin and I can do the same for you. Whether you want a 3000 sqft home or a 300 sqft home we can design it for you.

DM me or hit the email button to get started!

This quote makes me think about the show "This Old House" Growing up my dad would watch it every Sunday after church and I would join him a lot. Have you seen the show?

I can't believe it's been 6 years already! 6 years ago I started my first day as an Architectural Technologist at a small company in Abbotsford, BC. The owner took a chance on me, a recent grad with no work experience, and helped shape me into the designer I am today. I am so thankful to that boss for risking hiring me over someone with more experience. Everyone needs to start somewhere!

Have you had someone take a chance on you? Tag them below!

I'm not an Interior Designer. You'd probably be surprised how often I get asked what I actually do.

Me: "I design houses"

Them: "So...do you design the interior or the exterior?"

There is overlap when it comes to Interior and Architectural Designers, so I understand the question. But here's the answer.

Are you ready?

I do both. Now I don't pick tiles or paint color, but I do plan where the interior walls go and how the rooms flow together. I draw up the floor plans you need to get your permit, the plans that your builder needs to build your house. Without the plans that I provide, well, your house would never get built. Hiring an architectural designer and getting your floor plans is the 1st step in the process.

What questions about what I do for work do you want to know? I'll answer in the comments!

Anybody who has done a renovation knows that it can get a bit chaotic in the home, especially if you're living in the house during it. I would know, my parents renovated our houses a few times. But it can be really cool to see the daily progress. During one reno when I was a teen, everytime I came home from work I would find something else my dad had done to move the reno along. Such as a big hole in the wall. 🤣

Do you have any crazy renovation stories? Let me know in the comments!

With fall right around the corner, do you have a nice covered porch where you can curl up with a cup of hot tea and watch the leaves change color? I love when my clients not only want a backyard patio to entertain, but they also value the welcoming feel a beautiful front porch can have. The way a house makes your guest feels starts with the exterior front entrance. Are you wanting to spruce up your porch or maybe you don't have one and you would like to create one? DM and I would love to help you out!

If you have a cluttered life, it's difficult to grow. But if you have space in your life, you can have more room to grow into the person you want to be. The same goes for your home, a cluttered home is difficult to grow into. Do you have room to grow in your house? If not, send me a DM and we can get started brainstorming ways to renovate your home so you can continue to grow.

I can't believe today is the last day of August already! And I guess that means it's also the end of summer. It's time for the final summer pool parties and campfires. And if I had this amazing pool and poolside fire table, you would definetly find me here. Are you ready for fall? Does this coming fall look drastically differnet from last fall? Let me know in the comments!

Abbey Road Homes is expanding into British Columbia!

I'm originally from the Fraser Valley and only moved away last summer. Since November I have been waiting for a few obstacles to be removed so I could launch my company into BC. Those obstacles are finally gone as of August 1!

I am still operating out of Calgary, but if you or anyone you know needs custom floor plans for a new home or a renovation in Alberta or BC send me a DM or email. I would love to design you your dream home!

Designing a new home or renovation can be overwhelming and stressful. That's why hiring a designer can be such a big help. We are here to come alongside you during this process and make it as easy as possible. Want to get your custom new home or renovation started? Send me a DM!

"The year of [our (approximately) 1870's log dovetail house] original construction remains a mystery, as well as the builder itself. As we dig further in to the bones of this house we are finding more and more clues, and hope that with further digging we will reveal some answers. The unbelievable craftsmanship, together with its size and age, of this hand hewn dovetailed log building is incredibly rare in Western Canada. We have an immense appreciation for the craftsmanship and history (though mostly unknown) of this building and our priority is to preserve it, and its character, while turning it in to the home we raise our family in. All doing so with our own two hands, as we raise our kids, run our family farm, and successful art business."
-Leanne, Wild Horse Mountain Farms

Over the next several weeks I'll be posting their progress and show you where they currently are in construction. Be sure to tap the follow button so you don't miss out on this epic transformation. @ Loon Lake, British Columbia

Growing up I loved playing basketball. I was a part of Athletes in Action for a few years, and played on my middle school team in grade 7. I wasn't the best, but I loved playing. My dad put up a hoop on our driveway, but it wasn't anywhere near as cool as this backyard court. Maybe I would've played longer if this had been my setup? 🤷‍♀️ Tag someone in the comments who needs or needed this in their backyard.

📸 : Pinterest

As a teenager did you rearrange your room a lot? Did you want a change, or see if you liked a different arrangement better or some other reason? As adults we do that with design as well. Now that doesn't necessarily mean that every few months or once a year we do a full renovation to our homes, but changing this up can give new life to your home. Does your house feel blah? Try a new paint color. Change out the kitchen hardware for something better. Or maybe it is time to give your house a full upgrade with a renovation. If that's the case send me a DM and we can get started today!

This is so cool! My cousin and her husband are transforming this (approximately) 1870's log dovetail house into the home they will raise their family in. They started demoing the existing building (pictured) to bring it to their property about 2-3 years ago. Since then it has undergone a huge transformation. Over the next several weeks I'll be posting their progress and show you where they currently are in construction. Be sure to tap the follow button so you don't miss out on this epic transformation.

📸:Wild Horse Mountain Farms

Sometimes you might feel like no one's there for you, but you know who's always there for you?

Laundry

Laundry will always be there for you.

That wouldn't be so bad if this was my laundry room. Are you able to stay on top of your laundry?

Home is where you are loved as you are and your dreams are supported and encouraged. Fun fact: when I was around 2 or 4 years old my career choice was to be a french fry...🤷‍♀️ My parents may have been supportive of that dream then, but I'm sure they're very happy I changed career choices. What was a really strange/unrealistic dream you had as a child?

Happy Canada Day! I'm so blessed to live in the country I live in. The celebrations around the country may look a bit different this year, but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate our wonderful nation! What's your favourite place to travel/visit in Canada?

It's been a very productive morning for me today. Everything from finishing my laundry, cleaning the bathroom to attending a webinar and working on an online course. This afternoon is for drafting and baking cookies 🤤.

What are you up to today? Comment below!

What I wouldn't give to have a sundeck like this one. With the sunny days ahead of us, I would be up there everyday. Do you have a space like this to enjoy the sun?

This right here. Home is where you can be 100% you and that should be reflected in your house itself. What does your home say about you?

Recently I got to sit down with Hannah Cheng, an Interior Designer and Owner of .design in Vancouver, BC, and talk about being an Interior Designer and owning her own business. After completing the Interior Design program at British Columbia Institute of Technology, Hannah stepped into her new career as an Interior Designer. Not long after that she started her own company. Fun fact, she was my roommate while we both attended BCIT.

Click the link below to read the full interview

https://www.abbeyroadhomes.com/blog/interior-design-interview