Plumbing Nightmare: My Adventure with Polybutylene Piping
Updating the plumbing on a 40+ year old home
Keep reading9 Basic Principles for Your Forever Home
Retirement is on the horizon. Are you ready? Is your home ready?
Keep readingHurricane Season: Protecting Your Home from Storm Surges
Learn to live with Mother Nature.
Keep readingRebuilding after a Hurricane: Read This First
Successful rebuilding begins with a Homeowner who is aware of the challenges and the regulations
Keep readingHome Repairs after a Hurricane: Architect Recommendations
Consider some upgrades while you make repairs.
Keep readingHurricane Season: Recommended Choices for Upgrading Your Home
Hurricanes and flooding or storm surge are a fact of life in Florida. But there are some proactive choices you can make now. Pinellas County contains 233,888 single-family houses *,…
Keep readingCold Hot Cold Days: Upgrading Your Florida Home’s Insulation
Temperature swings. Otherwise known as Springtime (and Autumn) in Florida. Cold nights that require you to cover or bring inside your sensitive plants and wrap yourself in a sweater and…
Keep readingFlat Roof Considerations: What Homeowners Should Know
Have you ever stopped to wonder why almost every house has a sloped roof – gable, hip, etc – and almost every business has a flat roof – often hidden…
Keep readingUp-set and Dropped Beams: Remodeling Options
No, this isn’t a post about the emotional intelligence of structural beams. Instead, let’s consider the different options for removing a wall, and how those choices look and feel in…
Keep readingVisitability: Benefits to Both You and Your Visitors
None of us are getting any younger. Some of us have trouble maneuvering steps or seeing in dim lighting. Kids and grandkids come in strollers. An injury or surgery can…
Keep readingDesign Lines is a blog focusing on Your Forever Home. We think that bigger is not necessarily better, and quality wins over quantity. When you plan to stay in your home for a long time, you consider green or energy efficiency, low maintenance, durability, and aging-gracefully-in-place. If you like our content, don’t forget to subscribe below.

About Me
Cathy Svercl is a licensed Architect in Florida and Virginia. She loves homes, photography, travel, and gardening!
Design Freedom, inc. is a full-service boutique architectural firm promoting sustainable Florida-friendly residential designs including universal accessibility. We value quality materials, modern details, and vernacular design. Serving mainly Tampa Bay, Central Florida & Southwest Florida, and Northern Virginia.
Architectural Licenses FL#AR93491 VA#0407-005832
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