DESIGN CHALLENGES

There were several, both in planning and in construction. The original front door and front hall had been converted to a half bath and closets, so the house didn’t have an entrance visible from the street. After studying several alternatives, we landed on a solution which completely reorganized the main floor of the house and allowed us to create a new entry.

 

In creating the open entertainment space desired by the homeowners we had to remove some existing bearing walls and relocate the kitchen. Doing so required that we support the second floor independently from the clay block exterior walls, which were discovered to be too brittle to carry any additional loads. The structure now utilizes steel beams and columns that are supported from additional footings in the basement.

 

Another challenge was also structural in nature as we discovered the second floor had settlement issues. The entire floor had been shimmed in an earlier renovation to hide this problem. Proper correction required removing the roof to allow the floors to be properly leveled. The floor now utilizes the steel structure that was installed on the main floor and the roof was reestablished over the existing second floor.

 

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

Our client had always admired this house while growing up and was excited to finally have the opportunity to live in it.  We are most proud to have worked closely with the contractor and owner to carry the original craftsman detailing of the home into the new living room and garage additions. We focused on creating an environment which supports modern living, but also feels as though it could have always been as it is.  

 

DON’T MISS THIS

A cool design feature that should be noticed is the cantilevered bay window / desk that wraps the front corner of the home that opens up the interior to the surrounding views.  It becomes a visual focal point for Central Street.

 

DESIGN INSPIRATION

We intended to capture the look and feel of the original craftsman details and farmhouse style in the design of this home renovation.

 

TAKE AWAY

The extra attention to detail in this home often kept us in close collaboration with the homeowners and contractor. There were a lot of considerations made during the construction process that allowed for the design to be best modified for the existing conditions.