STYLEMAKERS | Q&A ALAIR H O MES BUCKHEAD Frank Wickstead is a partner in the Buckhead office of Alair Homes, a custom home building and renovation company with more than 100 locations throughout North America. With de-grees in both architecture and building construction and more than 30 years in the business, he has the qualifications and experience to oversee virtually any home renovation project. Since 2016, he has also been an adjunct professor at Georgia Tech’s College of Design, where he teaches graduate students the de-sign-build principles that he has learned in both the classroom and the field. We recently talked with Frank about home renovation, including trends, value, and sustainability and asked for his best advice for a successful renova-tion project. renovation trends you’re seeing in Georgia right now? FRANK WICKSTEAD: Anything that has to do with outdoor living is popular—from pools, cabanas, and outdoor kitchens to decks, patios, and even pickleball courts. Accessories like operable sun shades and gas heaters help create year-round living areas, and we now have attractive outdoor heating that recesses into the ceiling and fits in with the high-end look everyone wants. Another trend we’re seeing is the addition of Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, which offer homeowners a flexible housing solution for parents, adult children, or a nanny. In Atlanta, these structures are limited to 750 square feet. Sometimes we’re converting garages, and sometimes we’re building apartments in backyards. GEORGIA DESIGN: Which renovations GEORGIA DESIGN: What are the top FRANK WICKSTEAD BY FRAN WORRALL | PORTRAIT BY AUDREY ALEXANDER PHOTOGRAPHY DESIGN Q&A buck in terms of both satisfaction and increase in property value? FRANK: Generally speaking, it’s best to spread your budget across the entire home rather than putting everything into one room. When people spend a lot of money on a single space, it can make the rest of the house look dated. With that said, a great basement or a big out-door environment gives homeowners a lot of personal satisfaction, which I call a return on lifestyle, as well as a good return on investment. GEORGIA DESIGN: Let’s talk about renovating versus relocating. Are there any tipping points? In other words, when does it make sense to move rather than renovate? FRANK: A lot of it has to do with lifestyle. If you love your neighborhood and your neighbors and you enjoy being able to walk to your favorite restaurant, for example, you should probably ren-ovate. But be realistic. Combine your renovation costs with the fair market value of your home “as is” and then spend a couple of weekends seeing what kind of house that amount will buy you. You owe it to yourself to do that. GEORGIA DESIGN: You have a great rep-utation in the area of sustainability, which has been a buzzword in recent years. Tell us what that means and how homeowners can incorporate sustainable design into their renovation projects. FRANK: The word “sustainability” has become polarizing and politicized, but it really has to do with building a good home. Sustainable design is about a tighter building envelope, which is something that can’t be upgraded later. At its core, it means utilizing high-per-formance wall assemblies, more efficient insulation, and materials that won’t rot or age prematurely. Although sustain-able design is more expensive on the front end, its byproducts include lower utility bills, improved indoor air quality, and higher comfort levels. It’s incredibly important. GEORGIA DESIGN: What is your best give homeowners the most bang for the advice for a successful renovation? FRANK: The most important thing is planning and collaboration on the front end. One of the biggest differences in commercial and residential design is planning. In commercial design, ev-erything is selected and decided before the process begins, as opposed to the residential world, where homeowners are often given allowances and then find out that the materials they want cost more or have longer lead times. From day one, the entire team should be on board—from the architect and interior designer to the general contractor and landscape designer. A collaborative approach is always the way to go. That way, you build the budget together, and there are no big surprises. 32 GEORGIA DESIGN | SUMMER 2025