Hiner Home Designs

What were some of your favorite moments or components of this project?

This is the second home I designed for this homeowner and there were many things about their last home that they loved and wanted to replicate in this new home – specifically the layout of the kitchen, dining, and great room. So, with a few minor modifications, that space is a duplicate of the other house right down to the great room vaulted ceiling and wall of windows. Therefore, the rest of the house was really designed around this core area.

Since their kids are older now, the homeowners opted for the master bedroom and kids’ bedrooms on opposite ends of the house for privacy with the master walk-in closet connected to the laundry room adjacent to the mud room.

The layout of the house is planned for future empty nest living, where the homeowner areas are situated entirely on one end of the house with guest spaces on the other end.

If you were to give any advice to other homeowners planning to take on a build such as this, what would you say?

I can always tell when a homeowner has built a home before, because their thoughts and wish list tend to be very concise, which was the case with this homeowner. They showed me images of their preferred “Craftsman” style, and I designed the exterior to bring in these style elements such as steeper roof peaks, a combination of horizontal and vertical siding and stone, wide trim, and wood gable accents.

My suggestion to anyone thinking of building is to spend time creating an image gallery, since this is very helpful to the designer to clearly understand their style likes and dislikes. to maximize the space, making changes during the build to add additional storage on this level as well.

In conclusion

When asked if they would ever build again, the Carlsons did not hesitate to say yes.

“You know what makes that decision easy is that Jason and I have very similar styles,” Missy said. “It's not bad, we had a great time!”

When asked what is their most favorite part of the home, Jason said, “I like our kitchen, I do a lot of the cooking … and when you are in the kitchen cooking you can see and hear everything. It's always a gathering spot. Everyone always converges to the kitchen.”

“The windows are my favorite,” Missy said. “The wall in the kitchen is where I look out back and feel like one with the woods. I am always looking for animals! This is our home, our favorite place to be. I am so grateful for Jason. He has put in a lot of work and he has saved us a lot of money. It's great to live in a home that he has contributed so much to.” D

Mulled Wine Glazed Ham

This is a very simple yet flavorful and aromatic recipe.

1 Applewood ham scored in diamond pattern (size depends on the # of guests: ⅓-½lb per guest)

½ bottle Red wine

12 oz. Orange marmalade

1 Fresno chile, sliced

1 Orange, zested and cut into ¼’’ slices

1 Star anise

3 Bay leaves

4 Cloves plus extra for pinning the pineapple on the ham

4 Pineapple slices from a can Juice from the pineapple can

Place all ingredients in the pan except for ham and pineapple slices and bring to a simmer. Once the liquid has been reduced by half, add the ham to the pan with the pineapple pinned with 4 cloves each and ladle the glaze over the entire ham.

Place into a preheated oven set at 225 degrees. VERY IMPORTANT: Smoked hams are already cooked and only need to reach an internal temp of 140 degree. They do not and should not be over cooked. Nobody wants a dry ham.

Open the oven door and re-glaze the