Your home is, first and foremost, a house -- that is, a building. But your home also includes such elements as the site on which the house is built, the location of that site, the way the architecture suits the site and relates to other homes in the area, and the way this architecture suits family life. Fernwood Design builds custom homes and does fine remodeling for country settings and they never abandon these larger issues as they chase down all the details of a well-constructed building. 

Michelle Sousa and Terry Murtha, the designer-builders who are the husband-wife team and partners of Fernwood Design, are individuals with the talent and integrity to build homes that have lasting value, beauty and comfort. All of their homes and remodeling projects are custom designs, with everything that implies. Terry and Michelle are happy to participate with you in the full project - from land search through interior concepts to garden design. Working with a powerful 3D drafting program allows full visualization of proposed design options that can be transmitted via email for full client participation and understanding of how their new home, remodel or renovation might look in finished form. 

Fernwood Design has been building homes, remodeling and enhancing the exteriors of existing homes in the Bolton and Harvard area for over 25 years. They work with local subcontractors of similar experience and work carefully with them to provide a finished product of which all can be proud. When you tour a Fernwood house, look closely at the basics — you won't see all the strength and quality that is built into the house, but ask your home inspector what he or she thinks. Home inspectors uniformly give Fernwood Design houses the highest marks.  

The Fernwood Design process includes the following steps:

• Place the house on its site so that outdoor light flows into the house appropriately.
• Design the house to fit gracefully into the land and contour the land to provide a handsome, naturalized setting for the house.
• Carefully plan the flow of the living space, the practical and aesthetic relationships between living spaces, the refinement of the detail work, and the amenities that turn spaces into functional and comfortable living.
• Plan a new addition so that it blends perfectly with the architecture of the existing house.
• Plan renovations of spaces within an existing house to better suit your family's life style.
• Plan for outdoor living spaces and install the elements of a naturalistic, country landscape design.
• Approach the design/build process knowing that it allows you to design a house or kitchen makeover or master suite addition that you can actually afford, as pricing and design are equally important.
• Guide you through the selection process with individualized, accompanied shopping specifically tailored to your personal family style.

Michelle and Terry are experienced in the complete range of construction phases -- house framing, finish carpentry, interior and kitchen design, remodeling design, and landscape design.

• They use the highest quality subcontractors and building materials.
• They search for alternative building materials with enhanced design, maintenance and economy features.

When you work with builders to produce your new home or alter an existing home, people issues become quite important. Here are some of the people issues that provide reasons to select these builders:

• Terry and Michelle are not only proud of their work, they enjoy it and personally spend many hours working on all phases of each house.
• They have a mutually respectful relationship with local town boards and building officials.
• They engage in continuous communication with you through frequent updates on your home building project.
• There are never unexpected cost over-runs. All pricing changes are carefully tracked with customer authorized, signed change orders.
• They expect to maintain a long-term relationship with each of their customers and have returned to Fernwood homes years later to enlarge a deck, to build a patio and stonewalls, to add a 3-season porch, or to finish the basement.
• The partnership brings a balance of masculine and feminine viewpoints to design decisions. 

Building your "dream house" is a monumentally personal undertaking that requires you to put your faith in the builder you select. Altering your present home requires the same trust and often a more intimate involvement with the building process. Above all, either project requires that you have confidence in your builder's integrity and ability. Fernwood Design is worthy of that trust.