Architect completes HGTV project

Lambert
Sara Lambert was thrilled when the director of Home And Garden TV (HGTV) asked her to be the architect for a master suite renovation project in San Francisco. Even though Lambert and her family had recently moved to Shepherdstown from Sonoma, Calif., she couldn’t turn down the challenge.
The HGTV renovation project was quite an opportunity. The owner currently had three small bedrooms and a bathroom. She wanted a master bedroom with a walk-in closet and en suite bathroom. Lambert, the problem solver, went to the drawing board. She also went to San Francisco’s city hall to find out what would be permitted.
The customer was so pleased with the master bedroom renovation that she hired Lambert and her team to do the rest of her house.
“Row house renovations take some creativity because window space is so limited,” Lambert said.
For example, Lambert saw that moving the utility room from the back of the house to the center would then open up a space to put a sunny breakfast nook in the kitchen.
Lambert, a graduate of Carnegie-Melon University, combined a love of engineering and her creative flare for problem solving into the perfect career as an architect.
Lambert helps her customers “look at their situation with fresh eyes.”
Projects have ranged in scale from finding the perfect site on an expanse of land and then building to minor alterations. Lambert carefully studies the challenges of the existing structure and then researches possible solutions.
A Texas customer wanted to have large windows to maximize the view of the nearby lake, but the severe sun and heat would have been too much to tolerate. Lambert suggested adding an enormous patio with a second-story awning. The view remained in tact, and the awning kept the heat at bay.
Lambert realizes that often times when renovating an older home “you have to spend a lot of money on things you cannot see, like wiring, insulation or plumbing.” She also said that it is acceptable to do things that are “not period-exact, yet in keeping with character.”
Lambert and her family moved to Shepherdstown in 2009 after her husband decided to relocate his company here.
The Lambert family is happy they moved to Shepherdstown. They have two daughters and are enjoying their Cress Creek neighborhood.
“Great new friends have truly made this cross country move bearable,” Lambert said.
View Lambert’s before and after photos on her website www.saralambert.com or call 707-326-6443 to book an appointment.
You can see Lambert’s work on HGTV’s “Bang for your Buck” Nov. 21 at 3 p.m.