Indoor/Outdoor Connection with great views & play of light and shadow

We added a mere 70 square feet to this 1930’s Tudor revival but dramatically increased the livable space and its connection to the outside.  The house is in Silver Spring, MD – a neighborhood that’s just a mile from the border with Washington, DC with a great neighborhood feel – where everyone knows everyone else and get-togethers are frequent. 

Seamless Blend of Old & New:  Previously the home had a tiny foyer – you basically walked right into the kitchen.  A tiny coat closet wasn’t even deep enough to hang coats – hooks were all that was available.  Now when you walk in you have a welcoming foyer with large coat closet and desk area.  Divided Lite Glass Pocket doors provide a view straight through to the garden but also let you visually divide the foyer from the kitchen.  The 1980’s kitchen we removed was of a style that was at odds with the original Tudor revival home.  In this remodel, we took pains to make the remodeled areas blend seamlessly into the original home.  But we lightened the space with less stained wood and more painted wood.  The images below are “After” and “Before” images from approximately the same viewpoint.

View From the Front Door Through House to Back Garden

"Before" From Same Camera Position

View of Remodeled Foyer

"Before" View of Foyer From Same Camera Position

Additional View of Foyer - Including a Place to Place Mail and Packages.

Kitchen as the Center of the Home: 

A Centralized Kitchen for Multiple Cooks

 
The original kitchen was cut-off from the rest of the home and cut-off from the outside.  The new kitchen acts as a central hub for both everyday living and entertaining.  We added 70 sqft of new space by extending the enclosed porch to the original garage (converted several decades ago to a large storage area).  This allowed us to change the traffic patterns and view lines connecting the porch to the kitchen and the kitchen to the outdoors. 

We also annexed a portion of the old garage into the kitchen.  The very old boiler and hot water heater were both replaced allowing us to remove the chimney serving these appliances to dramatically open up the space.  Gable windows added to the old garage area bring in abundant light and a wonderful play of light and shadow. 
[See before and after floor plans at the end of the article.]

While we used cabinetry and hardware that coordinates well with the original style of the home it is more modern in line and style.  For example, the stain colors match almost exactly but the original wood is pine while the cabinets are cherry.  The use of glass tile for the backsplash clearly modernizes and brightens the kitchen.  So while the style blends with the original it is also distinctly modern.

The new kitchen provides prep areas for multiple cooks – which occurs during large family gatherings while still working well for a single cook.  Note that the ovens are out of the main work area. 

Kitchen - A Blend of Original Stains & New Touches Like Glass Tile

 
Large, Stylish pantry:  Notice the frosted glass doors to the right of the gable windows.  Inside is a wide, shallow pantry that provides a tremendous amount of storage. 

Stylish Frosted Glass Doors Hide Hard-Working Pantry

Hard-working Pantry Behind Frosted Glass Doors

 
Indoor/Outdoor Connection:  Before the remodel, the family spent a lot of time on the drafty enclosed porch.  One of the main goals of the remodel was to make the porch more comfortable and better integrated into the flow of the home but to also retain the original feel of an outdoor space.  The next 2 images – After & Before – are taken from the same point.  You can see the small area that we added – the brick wall you see in both images is the same wall – the outside of the original garage.    We raised the floor to the same height as the rest of the house and used the same oak as used throughout.  We also added hydronic radiant heat to the floor, vaulted the ceiling and added skylights.  We thought about replacing the old steel windows with new steel windows but the price was prohibitive.  Instead we used stained wood. 

Expanded All-Season Porch

"Before": Porch - From Same Camera Point - Brick Wall in Background Now Enclosed in Porch

Remodeled Porch - Another View

The furniture arrangements are still evolving and the client is waiting for some new furniture.  The placement of the table moved from the design phase and we will either move the pendant light or replace it with a swag light that can be centered over the table. 

Porch Details:  Notice the foundation wall that we left exposed inside the porch.  The custom stained glass window “looks” into the storage area of the garage.  To give a sense of light, we installed a mirror about 3” behind the window. 

Stone Foundation Wall Exposed as Interesting Detail

Stained Glass Window with Mirror Backing Looks Like View to Outside

Formal Dining Room:  The client wanted to retain the formal dining room – in part because of their lifestyle and in part to retain the original formality of the home.  The further that aim, we designed and installed a new coffered ceiling stained to main the original molding. 

Coffered Ceiling in Formal Dining Room

“BEFORE” & “AFTER” Floorplans:

Floor Plan - BEFORE

Floor Plan - AFTER

Attic Bedroom Returns Value

Last week I reported that adding an attic bedroom returned a higher value than almost any other remodeling investment.  I suspect that other functions in the attic are also sound investments such as an attic home office or playroom.  While some of my clients think about putting a home gym in the attic, I usually advice against it simply because heat rises and, for me, it would be too warm in an attic to exercise.
Here are some things to think about if you want to expand your living space into the attic.
1.    Structure: Most older homes – like the ones I work on – have an open “A-Frame” structure in the attic.  If the height is sufficient (see below), this I the right structure to start with.  If, instead, you see a network of W-shape trusses supporting your roof, don’t think about using this space – it would be cost prohibitive to open up this structure for living. You may also need to reinforce the floor joists to support living space in the attic.  A contractor or engineer can help you figure out whether the floor joists require reinforcement.

2.    Staircase: You’re going to need to comfortably and safely get up and down from  your new living space.  Most existing staircases into an attic won’t meet today’s code.  The tread depth needs to be at least 10”; the rise needs to be less than 7-3/4”; the width of the staircase needs to be at least 36”.  Enlarging an existing stairway or adding a new one will affect spaces below. A straight-run stair will consume 10 to 14 feet of floor space; a stair designed with an intermediate landing and two runs needs about 8 feet on the lower level. (This is based on the International Residential Code; check your local building codes to see if your jurisdiction requires something different.)

Attic Bedroom - 50% of Ceiling Area Must Be 7 Ft of Higher

3.    Ceiling Height: For a habitable attic room with sloped ceilings at least 50% of the ceiling must be at 84” or higher (This is based on the International Residential Code; check your local building codes to see if your jurisdiction requires something different.)  Remember to calculate the thickness of the finish materials when you calculate headroom.  Notice how these different attic bedrooms use different strategies for handling the ceiling – from open collar ties to closed ceilings.

4.    Use windows, roof windows & skylights to achieve daylight and natural ventilation.  I find the slanted roof windows almost irresistible in an attic bedroom.  They provide a sense of coziness that can’t be replicated anywhere else.  The Washington DC area has hot summers so I avoid skylights on the southern and western roof exposures because they just bring in too much sun and heat.  On a northern and eastern roof exposures, they bring in soft, wonderful cool light.  A bedroom also needs a means of egress in case of fire or other emergency.  So work with your contractor or skylight supplier to make sure that whatever you install meets code for your area.

Attic Bedroom - Use Windows, Doors to Decks & Skylights for natural light and ventilation

In This Attic Office We Borrowed Light from the Stairway

Also consider borrowing light from adjacent areas.  We used French doors on this attic office space to borrow light from the large windows in the stairwell.

5.    Consider Adding One or More Dormers — these small additions that raise the roof over a portion of the attic will boost usable space and create the feeling of living in the treetops.

Attic Bedroom - Use Dormers for Added Ceiling Height & Living Space

6.    Attic Bath – To keep costs in check, you’ll want to locate the toilet directly above a toilet on lower levels.  This will also put you above water supply lines.  You’ll have to work with your plumber to discuss how to get hot and cold water up and waste down without too much disruption on lower floors.

An Attic Bedroom with Bath Adds Considerable Value

7.    Heating and Cooling Your Attic Bedroom. Remember that hot air rises.  This can make attics particularly hot in the summer (and delightfully warm in the winter).  For those of us who like to sleep in particularly cold room, an attic bedroom can pose challenges.  I sleep in an attic bedroom and put in a multi-zone furnace/air conditioning system that allows me to set the temperature as low as I want.  But since hot air rises, the only way I can keep the attic bedroom cool in the summer is to also have a physical barrier (a weather stripped door) that keeps the hot air from rising in my bedroom.  Consult a heating and air-conditioning contractor to evaluate the cost adjusting your system to accommodate living space in the attic.

8.    Be creative about storage. The space under the eaves that are too low to walk under are perfect places for built-in storage.

Attic Bedroom Storage Can Be Open or Closed or a Mix

Use the Space Under the Eaves for Storage

Back to School Storage in the Front Foyer

My clients, in close-in Silver Spring, MD are looking to improve the space usage of their home.  One of the problems is the lack of a mud room entry or a foyer with room for a closet or other places to store the back packs, coats, boots and everything else that comes along with pre-teen and teenage children.  Today, everything gets piles into one corner of the living room.  The living room, is also awkward – long and narrow – making it difficult to find a comfortable seating arrangement.  In fact, even though the house is very small and they are quite cramped, the living room is rarely used.  And, like most of us, they are on a tight budget.

I proposed a simple, relatively low-cost solution that solves both problems.  I proposed moving the non-load-bearing wall between the tiny foyer and the long, narrow living room about 3 ft into the living room.  Thus creating a spacious foyer with a wall well suited to a low storage bench for seating and cubbies and hooks for coats above.  Changing the swing of the front door, helps with a more natural flow.   If the homeowners wanted, they could also switch the entry flooring to porcelain, stone or ceramic tile.  But simply patching and refinishing the oak floor would be less expensive.

This family is informal and the tight budget suggests the use of cubbies.  The ones drawn here are custom but stock components from IKEA or The Container Store would also work well.

For a family with a larger budget or that do more formal entertaining, the solution below provides a more formal approach to combining the mud room with a main entrance.

By Using Built-in Storage You can Combine a Mud Room with the Foyer

And if you want a greater sense of openness, you can eliminate the wall altogether and create a visual connection to the living room like the option below.

Removing the Wall and Adding Open Shelves Creates a Connection with the Living Room

To visualize in greater detail the room changes, I’ve included after and before floor plans, below.  Notice that the “after” plan also proposes solutions to issues with the kitchen, family room and indoor/outdoor connection.   I’m currently working the family to think through what improvements are most important at this point with the idea of phasing in the other improvements as finances allow.

Floor Plan "After" - A gracious Foyer with Mud Room Storage

Floor Plan "Before" - A Tiny Foyer with No Storage

After – The background arch is seen in the Before Picture Below. The foreground arch is new.

Before – Same View. In the after view you can see that we divided & raised one section of the living room to make it feel larger and more connected to the outside

Before - Another Before View Showing How the Windows felt separated from the living area

My client lives in a delightful late-1920’s art-deco building close to Rock Creek Park and the National Zoo — in the neighborhood known as Woodley Park.  The building was converted to condos in 1973 and offers high ceilings and classic details. 

While my client loves the building and her unit, the living room was awkward – long and narrow.  The only natural light comes from windows at one end of the room.  The windows felt seperated from the living area because that section was raised on a platform — probably a former porch.  While Rock Creek Park was right outside, my client felt cut off from it.  She also wanted more built-in bookcases and storage.  She showed me pictures of window seats and built-ins clipped from magazines that she liked. 

During the conceptual design phase, I developed 5 different options for the living area – most of the options – including the one she selected — broke the living room into 2 areas.  The floor height of the area furthest from the foyer and closest to the large windows was raised to the height of the old porch platform.  Raising the floor 5” is hardly noticeable with original 9’ 3” ceilings.  This allowed us to incorporate the natural light into the main living area.  The area closest to the foyer was converted into a “piano” room.  A new arch – that matches the arches original to the unit – divides the reconfigured living room from the newly created piano room. 

All options included a window seat and my client selected my favorite — an asymmetrical window seat that invites you to lounge with a view out the window while still being engaged in conversation within the room.  It also provides additional storage and display space.  The design also has a less formal feel.  The homeowner can sit on the window seat to watch TV or use it as a cozy reading nook with lots of natural light.  And with this summer’s excessive heat, she often sat on the window seat reading and watching the park.  The original design was for a curved seat.  We changed it to straight lines to save a bit of money.   Also to save money, we made the back of the window seat square and plumb and specified the back cushion to be wedge shaped for comfort.  The top of the window seat and surrounding cabinetry became the window sill for a clean look and for function.  The casings around the windows were in bad shape so we replaced them but kept the same profile. 

The asymetrical window seat encourages lounging while looking out the window and still being engaged in conversation

The window sill becomes the top of the window seat & cabinet.

Window Seat with Adjacent Storage & Built-ins

Built-ins surround the window seat plus we designed an additional full wall of built-ins in the reconfigured living room.  Crown molding was added throughout the living room, piano room and foyer adding additional architectural detail to an already rich unit.  The large flat-panel TV plus hidden components were selected before designing the built-ins so they fit-in well.  A perforated metal panel keeps the components out of sight but still allows line of sight for remote controls to operate.  We used a square grid that looks a bit more modern.  We also replaced the metal panel on the radiator to match.  We left the brushed aluminum unpainted. 

Custom Designed Built-ins

We also updated the paint, fixed lighting and art arrangements throughout the unit.  Originally the living room and foyer were painted in antique white because the homeowner was afraid the unit would feel too dark otherwise.  Even though we used quite saturated colors in the new palette, the unit feels larger and brighter.  The deep reddish brown in the foyer really sets off the living and dining rooms.  The semi-gloss paint of the built-ins – particularly the window seat — reflects light into the room.  The matte finish on the walls and ceiling absorb the reflected light.  As I do for almost all my clients, we used deeper tones in the center of the unit and moved toward lighter tones as you move toward natural light.  This helps make the whole unit feel larger and brighter than when it was painted a single light color. 

My client has a lot of artwork but didn’t have most of it displayed.  To display all the work, we grouped lots of different artworks into large groupings on several walls.  As additional cost-savings measures, we kept the existing frames and deliberately created interesting mixes of art and framing.  We also put a threshold between the foyer and the new piano room, this eliminated the need to refinish the floors in the rest of the unit. 

The New Color Palette Makes Home Feel Larger

Groupings of Artwork with mis-matched frames lend detail and character

Another Grouping of Artwork

Foyer After - Notice How it Welcomes You Either from the Living Room or as You Enter

Foyer Before

The Deep Reddish-Brown was used in the hallway as well as the Foyer Resulting in a Feeling of Expansion as you Enter the Lighter Colored Rooms

My client says she feels happy each time she opens the door to enter her remodeled unit.  “I just can’t believe how great everything looks.  I especially like how the outdoors feels so much closer.  I can’t wait until autumn arrives so I can sit on the window seat and watch the leaves change color.” 

Floor Plan After

Floor Plan Before

A Front Porch with Acid-Stained Concrete Floor

I love to sit on my front porch at the end of the day or on the weekend with a book and a cup of coffee.  Almost always my neighbors stop to chat.  Sometimes it’s just for a minute and sometimes it morphs into dinner or drinks on the porch.  And then other neighbors stop by… and I catch up on what’s going on without leaving the shade and comfy chairs of my front porch.

Adding a front porch or other outdoor garden room is one of the most dramatic and cost-effective changes you can make to your home.  Here are 2 porches I’ve done in the past few years where my clients report benefits much like I’ve observed with my own porch. 

Cigars on the Concrete Front Porch

The Porch is Close to the Ground without Intervening Railings Which Further Connects to the Neighborhood

The husband, Dan, was initially reluctant to add a porch.  Now he wonders “why didn’t we build it sooner?  We never used our front yard. It was just a way to get into the house. Our porch has given us a place we sit, meet neighbors, and enjoy our street”.  Their Porch has two sitting area – one very open to the neighborhood (above) and one more secluded and private (below).  When they want to interact with the neighbors they sit on the side that’s more open to the street.  The acid-stained concrete porch is very close to the ground so there are no railings to separate them from the yard and the street. 

Shrubbery and a Higher Elevation Separates This Side From the Street

The other side, above, is more sheltered by landscaping and — while railing is still not needed — the porch is higher off the ground providing more separation from the street.  Arlene laughs about sending Dan and his friends to the porch to smoke cigars after dinner.  The ceiling fans on both sides keep both the cigar smoke and the mosquitoes away.  The central wood bench hides the gas and electric services and Arlene reports that she often sits on the bench to go through the mail while their cat lounges on the sun-heated stone insert.

A Side Porch That Acts As a Front Porch

A More Traditional House Needs a More Traditional Porch

A Ground-Level Porch Grounds the House to the Neighborhood

The remodel of the home, above, won an award from the local historic preservation group for reconnecting the home to the neighborhood.  The house is situated on a corner and the front entry was steep (see before picture, below).  We added the porch to the right side of the house.  Now friends and family always enter from the more level alternate street side.  Again, note that the porch is low to the ground – without railings – which welcomes the neighbors to say hello and stop and visit.  The porch also helps balance the addition built on the left side of the house.  Many neighbors commented on how much better balanced the house now feels. 

Before - Without Porch & Before Remodel

So what’s the value of a front porch?

New Rooms To Live In: An expansive, shady front porch offers a delightful retreat. Add ceiling fans, comfortable chairs and tables and you’ve just added alot more square footage to your home! Not to mention, a special place to unwind and watch the rest of the world whirl by.

Neighborhood Integration:  You’ll meet and talk with neighbors you’ve only nodded to before.  Your kid’s friends will prefer your place to others for playing on the porch.  Nothing beats a covered front porch for entertaining! It’s a wonderful place to socialize, catch up on the latest news or just relax and enjoy the company.

Curb Appeal: The front entry sets the stage for your home.  First impressions make a huge difference in how your family, friends and neighbors view your home.  A dramatic transformation happens when a “flat-faced” home receives a new, covered front porch.

Added Value: Enhanced curb appeal can translate into a higher selling price and faster sale for your home down the road.

Protection from the Elements: A front entry with no covering exposes your guests and home to damaging sun and rain. A porch or portico provides great protection for your front door, hardware, trim, lighting—and even, foyer. And your guests will truly appreciate it on rainy or hot, sunny day. It can even help lower your summer energy bills.

So now back to my porch (below).  It is in desperate need of repair – like the cobbler’s children going barefoot.  But the general disrepair doesn’t in any way detract from my use of the porch as an extension of my living room and an extension of my studio.  One side is for enjoying informal interactions with my neighbors.  I think of the other side as part of my studio with a work table where I do dirty work I don’t want in inside.  Both sides are wonderful places to watch the world go by. 

My Front Porch

 And here’s one of my favorite Porches:

One of My Favorite Porches

To read more about these front porches:
http://www.braitmandesign.com/design-solutions/curbappeal-2week-makeover/
http://www.braitmandesign.com/home-remodeling/a-sense-of-place/
http://www.braitmandesign.com/home-remodeling/remodeling-within-the-existing-footprint-case-study/

The New Hall Bath

My client’s home in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington DC is a 1970’s “modern” home with a vaulted living room ceiling and great views.  But it basically hasn’t been updated since it was built.  The bathrooms were 1970’s generic with cultured marble countertop and shower surrounds that were typical of the period.  This bath measuring 5 ft by 8 ft is slightly larger than the generic 5’ x 7’ boxes found in earlier homes allowing for a slightly larger vanity.  But the vanity was largely useless for storage.

The wife uses it as her main bathroom – leaving the Master Bath – for the husband.  But she was frustrated at the lack on storage and the aging fixtures. 

What Makes The Remodeled Bath Work Better:  I’ve listed, below, the features we added to make the same space work much, much better.

Bath tub to Shower:  Few adults take baths on a regular basis.  For daily use, a 30 x 60 shower – replacing the standard tub – is a much more useful option when space is limited.  Multiple shelves plus a soap dish keep the shower organized and shampoo and body wash at hand. 

Extended Countertop:  We extended the new Crema Marfil Marble countertop over the toilet.  This is often called a banjo countertop because of its shape.  It makes the bath both feel and function larger. 

Custom Vanity for Extra Storage:  For a few hundred dollars more, we custom specified the vanity for lots of additional storage.  The central door leaves space to access the plumbing and for cleaning supplies.  The side drawers are shallow and great for make-up items.  The bottom drawers are more than large enough to store extra towels.

35 Cubic Feet of Additional Storage – Recessed into the Adjacent Room:  The adjacent room wasn’t used much especially in the front corner adjacent to the bath.  So we stole some space from that room and recessed a 24” Deep, 30” wide Full height cabinet into the adjacent room.  Drawers on bottom act as dresser space and shelving above is more than adequate for additional clothes or for linens or other storage.  We placed a GFI outlet in the cabinet perfect for keeping the hairdryer and electric toothbrush recharger close at hand but out of sight. 

Lot’s of Energy-Efficient Light:  The sconces installed on a wall of mirrors feature warm-white fluorescent bulbs with instant-on and non-buzzing electronic ballasts.  At 18 watts each, they are the equivalent of 75 watt incandescent bulbs.  The light bounces off the mirror magnifying the brightness.  A medicine cabinet is recessed into the wall with its mirrored door flush with the surrounding wall mirrors.  A small stainless steel disk over the magnetic push latch provides unobtrusive instruction about how to open the door. 

A 2nd Medicine Cabinet:  We mounted a 2nd medicine cabinet on the adjacent wall.  By adjusting both doors, you can view your back to check your hair or clothing.  It, of course, also provides conveniently located storage for makeup and toiletries.

Luxury of Some Spa Features at a Small Price and with Water Efficiency in Mind:  We located a rain shower head on the ceiling.  It’s designed to provide a drenching light rain at reduced water flow.  A multi-function hand-held on a bar is mounted where you might normally find the main shower head.  It can be lowered  and set to massage your back while also using the overhead fixtures.  Both fixtures can be operated at the same time or separately and both temperature and flow can be set independently. 

Heater:  Rather than go to the expense of in-floor heat, we opted for an exhaust fan/heater/light combination.

Few Grout Lines:  We used 12” x 24” oversized tile for a clean look and fewer grout lines.  This client wanted a monochromatic, serene feel.  I might have used a darker grout in other circumstances to highlight the vertical feel of the tiles and to add a little definition.

Tactile Enjoyment:  We replace the hollow-core doors and brass doorknobs with a single recessed panel solid wood door that reflects the cabinetry and has a nice feel of solidity with greater sound-proofing.  We used stainless steel lever handles by Omnia.

We borrrowed 35 Cubic Feet of Storage From an Adjacent Room

Spa-Like Features Without the Expense

A Wall of Mirrors Adds Depth & Light - The Medicine Cabinet is Mounted Flush with the Mirrors

We Added Tactile Pleasures Like a Solid Wood Door & Stainless Door Levers

BEFORE The Remodel

Use Barndoor Hardware to Hide A Pocket Home Office - Courtesy of Sunset Magazine

A home office is almost a requirement today.  As with all design projects, start with objectives and needs.  Too often, homeowners jump to thinking through available space.  When you start with the solution instead of defining the goal, you can miss important opportunities.  Write down the answers to the following questions: 

1. Is this your primary work space or secondary?
2. How often will you use your office (all day, a few hours a day, a few hours a week?)
3. Will you have clients visit?
4. Do you need visual or acoustic privacy from other members of your household?
5. What equipment do you need?
6. How much storage do you need and does all it need to be proximate? 

Then answer some questions about your work habits:

1. Do you need everything at your fingertips?
2. Do you want to be able to hide everything away either so you can put work out of your mind or to hide it from visitors?
3. Do you need distraction or need to block it?
4. Do you need a certain aesthetic environment to work?
5. What do you need to feel connected to … (the family, the garden, your colleagues …)?  
6. Do you need to multi-task while working?  And if so, what other tasks do you handle at the same time – maybe child care or cooking?

The answers to both sets of questions will help you figure out where in your home you should locate your home office.  Don’t rule anything out.  Thinking through your objectives can also help you see you way clear to realizing that space you originally thought was unavailable can be made available. 

For example, if you need to meet with clients, you’ll absolutely need to find space near an outside door so your clients don’t need to traipse through your messy kitchen.  If your “formal” living room is never used, consider using it for your office.  You can separate it from your living space with French doors – either etched or clear – that say this is private.  Putting storage on the walls adjacent to your living space will also provide an acoustic barrier to make meetings with clients private – or to just separate yourself from the family activities.  And when you need connection, open the French doors to invite the family inside.
 

Convert Your Living Room For a Client-Focused Home Office

As another example, if you need to multi-task but also need to create “out of sight / out of mind”, you’ll need a location centrally located but that can be easily closed off – like creating or converting a closet space.  In the image at the top of the article, a project by Greene Partners,  the homeowner uses barndoor hardware to create a large door that will completely conceal the workspace – and the clutter – when not in use.  In another example, below, an office is built-into a modern cabinetry right off the living room.  It’s completely hidden when not in use. 

Built-in Pocket Home Office - courtesy of BHG

 These are but 3 examples of using space in unusual ways to create an effective home-office.   Are you having trouble figuring out how to make a home office work?  Contact me with your problem and I’ll try to help find a solution.  It might become the topic of another article.  Like the recent one on creating privacy for a home office with an arched doorway.

“When is a bump out no longer a bump out but rather an addition?  And when doing a cost estimate, is the cost of a bump out the same as an addition, approximately $200 per square foot?”

The short answer is that, for all practical purposes, a bump-out might cost even more than $200/sf.  This is because the bumped out area still requires support and roofing and might require HVAC and other systems.  For example bumping out a wall to create a dining nook might only be 3’ deep and 10’ wide – or 30 square feet.  It might cost $10,000 to properly support and roof the system plus to add windows and lighting.  This would be over $300/sf.

This is the problem with ballpark pricing — without knowing the details it’s hard to provide guidance.  In general, very small areas and areas requiring specialized systems or materials (baths, kitchens, etc.) cost more than the average.

The term “bump-out” is, at best, a term of art.  Generally, bump-outs refer to situations when a single wall or portion of a wall is extended a few feet.  While the space gain might be negligible, the effect can be powerful.  A bump-out can transform a flat wall into one of great architectural interest — for example, giving focus to a dining nook.  The whole table need not fit in the bump-out but by the pattern of windows or even just by the existing of a slight off-set, the dining nook can take center stage (see rendering below).

Bumped Out Dining Nook

In the kitchen, below, one wall was bumped out 5 ft which allowed us to greatly improve the traffic flow and to include a u-shaped kitchen off the family room.

5' Deep Kitchen Bump-out

However, both of these “bump-out” are in fact additions.  They require foundations or other support, roofs, HVAC and all the other systems required by an addition – albeit a small one.

Here are 4 solutions to the problem.

Solution 1: Select one side of the house to open up and create a foyer and study on the other side

Solution 1: Take Room for the non-public side

Floor Plan of Solution 1 - After

Existing Floor Plan for Solutions 1 & 2

Solution 2: Create an open “center hall” with Views Straight Through to the Back.  The load-bearing center wall is replaced with a wooden beam and columns that echo the columns on the front porch.

Solutions: Create an open hallway with columns

Solution 2 - View from Front Door Thru to Back Garden/Deck

Floor Plan for Solution 2

Solution 3: For a 1950’s post-war construction home, modern built-ins and a re-faced fireplace create a functional and welcoming entry and living room.  The built-ins provide views into the living room and a place to display sculpture as well as hanging space and drawers

Solution 3: Custom Build-ins

Solution 4: Add a powder room and closet to bound a new foyer.

Solution 4: Use Soffit & Flooring with New Closet & Powder Room

Solution 4: Floor Plan

Solution 4: Existing Floor Plan

When the projects are finished, I’ll be sure to add images of the remodels.

All computer renderings courtesy of Braitman Design/Build.

Laminate Countertops

One of the readers of my newsletter asked me to pull together some thoughts about ways to keep kitchen remodeling costs down — So here they are:

1. New Cabinets are one of the highest costs in kitchen remodeling.  So the first thing I do with clients is to assess the existing cabinets.  If the boxes are solid and in good shape – I think first about replacing the doors and drawer fronts instead of replacing the whole cabinet.  If it’s primarily the color that you don’t like – think about staining the doors, drawer fronts and frames instead of replacing the cabinets.  That’s what we did in the kitchen, above.
2. I hate using cabinet bases that have doors instead of drawers – but if you’re keeping the old cabinets and staining them, you can use after-market organizers if you want greater access to old door front base cabinets.
3. Mix & Match.  If you can keep some but not all of the cabinets or need additional cabinets – for all but the most modern of design themes, you can very successfully mix and match different designs and woods.  In fact, an un-fitted kitchen can make today’s kitchen feel more like the center of the home that we all crave.
4. Another major expense is construction labor.  You can keep those costs lower by eliminating complexity – create rhythm and interest by use of materials instead of using lots of levels or soffits.
5. Keep plumbing costs lower by leaving the sink where it is (or close to where it is) and any gas appliances close to their current locations.
6. Appliances & Plumbing Extras are a 3rd major expense item.
   -    Use a 30″-36” Range instead of separate cooktop and ovens
   -    Plan for Single Sink — unless you usually have more than one cook in the kitchen
   -    Forego the Pot Filler — you’re going to have to carry the heavy pot full of hot water when you need to drain the pasta anyway
   -    Design for a stand-alone Refrigerator – make it look built-in instead of going for the built-in model
7. Use Laminates!  I know that granite is all the rage – but laminates have come a long way since the 1950’s!  Laminates are used extensively in European-style modern cabinetry and countertops.  Using laminates can save thousands of dollars.  If you can’t live without an undermount sink, use stone just around the sink area.  Use a large stone trivet near the range.
8. Lighting  – Fluorescents have also come a long way in terms of color and function.  We can now design in quite attractive and functional fluorescent fixtures at a fraction of the cost of large areas of recessed can lights.  Similarly, fluorescent under-cabinet lights keep cabinets cooler and save money over halogen or xenon lights.  Save money by finding unusual, but lower cost, pendants for a design accent.

Use the money you save to open the kitchen to the rest of the house and to the outdoors.  Create eating and sitting areas on either side of the kitchen so family and guests along with the cook visit together in comfort.  The un-fitted, lower cost kitchen remodel can make the kitchen blend seamlessly with the rest of your casual, comfortable home.  And you can relax knowing you haven’t mortgaged your soul.

Stain Cabinets Instead of Replacing Them