Legal Nonconformity Hoffmans Architecture recently received a Shorewood Board of Appeals (BOA) approval, to remodel and expand an existing nonconforming structure located in three zoning, side and back, setback areas including a lot line demising wall. The approval utilized the Special Exception criteria under the Village’s ordinance [...]

Ad Hoc Residential Teardown/Rebuild Review Committee On December 18, 2017, the Whitefish Bay Village board approved the creation of an Ad Hoc Residential Teardown/Rebuild Review Committee. The first meeting will be on January 15 at 5pm before the Village board meeting at 6pm. The impetus to create this committee came from citizen concerns [...]

IS YOUR HOUSE PROPERLY INSULATED? Over the last year, I’ve been asked by several do-it-yourselfers how to prevent either interior condensation or external ice damming from occurring at their homes. Most of these issues are located around second-floor bathrooms, which are rooms that have elevated concentrations of interior moisture and Wintertime heat. Inevitably, [...]

Large Kitchen Island The kitchen island is now ubiquitous in the contemporary kitchen. Yet, its roots go back at least as far as the 18th century, when the island was typically a worktable but also served as a gathering space, similar to today’s kitchens. With the emergence of the [...]

Whitefish Bay Architectural Review Commission Approval Hoffmans Architecture recently received a Whitefish Bay Architectural Review Commission (ARC) approval, without conditions of approval, for an exterior addition to an existing 1920’s duplex. The approval followed our guidelines for a successful ARC approval. Our guidelines at can be found in the Home Building Resources section of our [...]