• I Love My House.

    The location is perfect, I’ve got lots of land…and Vive did a lot of the work. After living out west, and loving it, I wanted to bring some of that spirit back with me to the Midwest. Vive was able to create the vision I was hoping for, and even added some elements that I never would have thought of to really make it all come together.

Our clients’ story told in their own words:

Vive is the expert. 

That’s why I asked them to take on this project. All their work for me has been incredible. I trust them to get what I want done.

That’s pretty much why I come back to Vive; I have a vision in my imagination. And when Vive is done, it’s better than what was in my imagination!

Anyway, this project was about my patio. It was way too small and awkward for any kind of entertaining. It was barely big enough to be a sitting area.

Home addition porch before in WI
Home addition in WI exterior

The back of the house prior to renovation.

Home addition in WI in progress

A shot of the “during” stage.

I asked Vive to make it awesome.

There were quite a few things I wanted to make it perfect!

I love my house, so I wanted this patio to be part of it, to be one with it, to fit in architecturally, stylistically and emotionally.

Vive’s designer did a stunning job tying the addition into the existing house. First, they connected the addition to the house by matching the house’s roofline. It looks like it was an original part of the house! Then they carried lots of the unique, rustic design elements from the interior through to the addition, like the type of stonework in the house was carried through to the cooking area of the addition.

  • This Space Had to be Multi-Purpose, Multi-Use, Multi-Season and Flexible.

    I wanted to be able to use it most of the year. I wanted to entertain, and I wanted to do it outside.

This required some imagination. 

I assumed Vive would come up with a portable fireplace, but they blew me away with their ingenuity — a custom-built fire table. This is my favorite piece of the entire build!

Vive used these cool retractable vinyl walls and screens. So if the weather’s really nice, the patio can be completely open. If it’s pretty nice outside, it can be a screened-in porch, open but protected. And if it’s rough — summer humidity or cold winds — I can close it up and entertain in comfort, but still feel like we’re outside.

I wanted all the convenience I have inside brought through to out here.

House additions Wisconsin glass floor

Vive designed the patio to preserve my landscaping. In a move I can only describe as “brilliant,” they used glass floors (!) and low walls to let the outside be seen from inside. Everyone who sees it just goes, “Whoa!”

Kitchen remodel wooden cabinets in WI

The kitchen area is perfectly suited for entertaining.

The appliances and cooking area are as good out here in the addition as they are inside. Vive even found a dishwasher that’s rated for Wisconsin winters!

Interior kitchen remodel with saddles in WI

The kitchen and, of course, the saddle bar seating.

I spent time in Montana.

I had fallen in love with the look, the feel, the Big Sky vibe. So much so that I had most of the outdoor areas designed to reflect the High Plains landscape. And I wanted to bring that to this project.

I also wanted to make a statement, add some grandeur. Out West, they go big, if you know what I mean.

Outdoor fires, like a fire pit, are a long-time tradition out west. (It started in the old days, when westerners cooked outside over an open fire whenever they could because it was easier than cooking in a fireplace.) I have an outdoor firepit, but wanted something in the addition if we had to put the walls up.

  • Lastly, I Wanted To Cowboy it Up Another Notch.

    I had a saddle collection. The Vive designer took one look at them and made them bar seating! Can you beat that?!? Even my friends out in Montana don’t have this!

Vive made this addition grand!

I wanted a vaulted ceiling, so I got a vaulted ceiling. But Vive went a step further. It’s super tall, and it’s made of stunning deep-figured walnut in a chevron pattern.  Then, Vive added special lighting so at night, it becomes a focal point. It’s prettier than most furniture!

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455 S. Junction Rd., Madison, WI 53719 | (608) 437-6181 | Vive Home Transformations and New Home. Same Address. are registered trademarks of JG Development, Inc.