Zimmerman Architects

05/27/2026

A new project is underway! The two, small, first floor additions are going to totally transform this house.

05/20/2026

You already know this is your “forever” home, but none of us can possibly know what the future will bring, so it’s wise to add some mobility features when you’re already planning a renovation or addition. We want to illustrate how aging in place looks far different in 2026 than it did years ago. Say good bye to “hospital” looking accommodations and browse through modern and attractive features to consider for your forever home.

05/12/2026

“We want to grow old here. We don’t need help getting around now, but we want to be prepared for when we get there”.

Designing a home that allows you to age in place comfortably (and beautifully) is a desire commonly brought up by our clients - before it becomes a need.

When this request comes up, it’s typically part of a project they already wanted – so adding aging in place features and considerations to the wish list just makes sense.

We work with you to include future considerations for mobility, loss of eyesight and thinking creatively about your room locations and features.

Are your stairs safe and your doorways wide enough? Can your bedroom be located on the first floor and is there enough lighting throughout your home? We'll guide you through this and more.

03/19/2026

The owners of this 1970’s colonial wanted a house “to grow old in”. The house didn’t even meet their needs for today, never mind their future needs. They did, however, like its location on a nice dead-end street.

Before they came to us, they feared they couldn’t get what they wanted unless they “started from scratch”. Together, we helped them weigh their options – renovating and adding to the house, or knocking it down and building a new home in the same location.

During our conversations, we came to the conclusion that there was no need for knocking down the house – a renovation and addition would do the trick. We knew we could get them everything on their list with a renovation and addition. As often happens, our clients “couldn’t see it happening”. But we could!

03/02/2026

What a shame that we missed out on last week's blizzard while off-grid in Costa Rica for a much needed unplug and recharge. Hoping some of that sun and warm weather will have followed us home!

02/23/2026

During this blizzard, let's look forward to enjoying our homes in beautiful warm weather with a stunning transformation porch! Besides enjoying the view of your property, a beautiful porch really brings the WOW factor to your home.

01/31/2026

As you might guess, if you live in a lake community, the view to the lake from your home is a highly desirable feature. Therefore, some clients ask for renovations that create a view that hadn’t even been considered in the original house plan.

For example, a lakefront porch had a great view of the lake but the house itself did not. Eventually the porch may have been enclosed for year-round use, but only that one room (not the entire house) enjoyed the view to the lake. So the renovation may be to open up the wall between the “porch” and the “bungalow” to create a spectacular view. In some homes, the porch is still an outdoor room, so then we open the back wall with large windows to create a view of the lake from the house itself.

01/29/2026

We love working with families to create their “forever” homes. Recently we noticed that a significant number of our projects have been lake house residences. ”. Lake communities offer their residents use of the lake, and also typically a clubhouse, a beach, and all of the social activities, sports teams and clubs that come with “life by the lake”.

Kids who grew up there wanted to stay there as adults. They knew they wanted their own kids to grow up in one of the lake communities, as they appreciated the strong emphasis on family and social connectedness. When they were ready, they often found another house in the same community.

Therefore, some clients ask for renovations that create a view that hadn’t even been considered in the original house plan.

01/02/2026

Another client who "came back for more" started with the first project, which was renovating their kitchen. We added a cathedral ceiling, skylights and lots of cabinets. They came back for a second project, to refinish their basement. Our design turned the unfinished basement into a new family room with a built in bar (and decorated with a fun cowboy theme).

Why They Came For More: Mom's Apartment, Artist Studio, Dream Kitchen
Several years later, the 3rd project was a large addition to create an apartment for the homeowner’s aging mom: it had a kitchen and small sitting area, a bedroom for mom, and another bedroom for the caregiver. Atop a portion of this new addition we created a roof deck, with access from the main part of the house.

And our most recent project for this client was an artist’s kitchen. Now was their chance to make the kitchen even larger so they could entertain in a big way. It was their dream project – they went for everything they wanted because they could now afford to do so. And even though it was ‘big’ there was nothing pretentious about it. It was spectacular without being ostentatious.

Where You’ve Seen it Before:

The Artists' Kitchen Customizing Your Forever Home While recent design trends have kitchen remodeling projects looking a little “predictable” and standard, we’re all in favor of customizing your “forever” home to your own needs and desires. So this month, we’ll showcase a home where the ...

01/02/2026

For many of our clients, a home renovation project is a huge undertaking in many respects. Once that first project was complete, they realized what a huge impact it had on their daily lives, so they came back to us for more.

Often that first project is an outdated kitchen, or a too-small starter home; or perhaps they’re making space for extended family to move in. And before you know it, we hear, “that part of the house is so nice… now we want this part of the house to be as nice”.

One such example: Expanding an Older Colonial. How It Started: Kitchen Renovation, Addition

It started out a center hall colonial, with an outdated kitchen shut off from the other rooms. We designed an addition out the back, made the kitchen bigger, and created an open floor plan. The exterior got a bit of a facelift with a new front porch and additional craftsman detailing on the interior.

Why They Came For More: 4-Car Garage, Workshop, Multi-purpose Room
The second project was an addition with a 4-car garage that doubled as a workshop. Above the garage we created a large multipurpose room, which had separate areas that were used as a music room, an office and a gym. A new mudroom was added that connected the new garage to the house. From outside, you can enter the mudroom from the driveway and also from the backyard. Additionally, we created a staircase so you can get up to the new multi-purpose room, and to the second floor of the original house.

Check out the photos:

Renovations EXPANDING AN OLDER COLONIAL WEST CALDWELL, NJ Setting the sizeable addition back from the existing modest sized colonial allowed the older original section of the house to remain as the dominant form. From the street, it still appears fairly modest and in keeping with the surrounding nei...