A Compact, Elegant Kitchen

This is a continuation of the previous article describing how we reconfigured my client’s home for a new life with creative friends and music in Silver Spring, MD.

Re-Sculpted for Function and Light

We radically re-sculpted her home within the existing footprint starting with the kitchen.  By moving the kitchen into the old dining room we created a light-filled kitchen with a much better connection to both the outdoors and to the music and living rooms.  (View before and after floor plans in the first article.)

Kitchen is Well Connected to the Garden & Flooded With Light

And Also Well Connected to the Rest of the Home

Efficient, if Somewhat limited, Storage

The kitchen is very small but better configured than its darker, cut-off predecessor.  Valuable storage space was sacrificed for even more important windows and doors.  The cabinets we used, though, were configured for maximum storage and utility.  The base cabinets are all drawer cabinets (not easily seen in the photos).  While my preference is for 30” wide drawer cabinets, for this project, we had to compromise and accept several narrower base cabinets to maintain counter space where needed.   One 30” base cabinet, one 33” base cabinet and one 30” pantry cabinet provide great flexibility for storing everything from pots and pans to dishes and platters.  We gained valuable drawer space in the work area by using a cooktop with drawers below instead of a range.  The single oven is placed out of the main work area.  We gained a little additional storage space – and saved money – by using a single oven instead of two ovens often found in higher-end kitchens.   A smaller microwave sits on a shelf above the single oven.  Putting the oven in a cabinet with a drawer below also puts the over at a better height for our aging bodies. 

Using a Single Oven Plus Microwave Instead of Double Ovens Saved Money & Space

We made up for the lack of storage space in the kitchen proper by building a long pantry closet in the music room between the kitchen and living room.  The Pantry is only 18” deep – deep enough to hold small appliances and big platters but shallow enough that nothing gets lost.  A light in the pantry makes sure items can be located quickly.  The bypass doors don’t take up floor space in the passageway. 

A Shallow, Long Pantry Closet Supplements Kitchen Storage

The Pantry (White Bypass Doors) is Tucked Into Music Room and Conveniently Located Alongside Kitchen

 Eating Nook

We even fit an eating nook into this small kitchen.  It’s perfect for my client when she is without guests.  It also makes an intimate setting with one to three guests and provides space for a buffet for larger gatherings.  The backless bench to the left is on casters and can be rolled out of the way for additional seating in the living room or to provide a wider passageway during large gatherings. 

We even fit a cozy eating nook in this compact kitchen

Design Decisions to Lower Costs

There were a myriad of design decisions that kept costs down including 3 primary decisions:

1. Working within the existing footprint.  The decision to work within the existing footprint means that the window over the sink looks across the areaway to the basement at the brick wall that forms the original L wing housing what’s now the master suite.  In the future, we’ll use stained glass or an art window film to hide the view of the brick while still allowing in light.  This decision, of course, saved tens of thousands of dollars. 
2. Using laminate countertops.  This decision saved at least $3,000.  Everyone wants stone these days.  Personally, I think granite is a bit overdone.  One of the big objections to laminate is the inability to use an under-mount sink.  The sink we used is a micro-edge sink that all but eliminates that objection.
3. The Lighting Scheme.  We used surface-mounted ceiling lights instead of the ubiquitous recessed lights.  Go back to the 2nd photo in this article to see the surface-mounted fluorescent lights that provide ambient light.  These lights are augmented with another surface-mounted light over the sink, undercabinet lights, and a single (large) pendant over the eating nook.  The lighting scheme, again, saved more than $3,000.
4. The selection of appliances.  We used a relatively narrow, full-depth refrigerator that appears built-in.  The 30” width allowed us to recess it into an existing header in the brick wall.  The full-depth results in a lot of storage space.  We sacrificed a little bit of space in the new hall bath and the Pantry to accommodate the full-depth.  As mentioned earlier, we selected one oven instead of two.  The hood, while modern and attractive, was much less expensive than most similar models on the market.  We re-used the relatively new dishwasher. 

The Micro Edge Works Well with a Laminate Countertop While The Large Deep Sink Hides Dirty Dishes & Drying Clean Dishes Helping Keep the Counter clear

A Regular Depth Fridge Looks Built-In And is Recessed Into The Bath & Pantry Behind

Special Design Features:

Even while controlling costs, there were many special features to make the design special. 

Integration between rooms – Note how by integrating the cabinetry with the door jamb separating the kitchen from the music room, we help bring those rooms together.  You can see this in the photos above and below.

Tiled wall – Rather than a simple tiled backsplash we tiled the entire walls behind and beside the counters.  We used large format 12 x 24 concrete-look tile with a brushed aluminum trim.  This maintains a clean, modern look. 

Deep, Wide Sink – The sink, in addition to having a micro-edge, is very deep and wide.  This keeps dirty dishes and drying dishes off the countertop.

Original ceiling beam details – These details were maintained but painted while to keep some of the original feeling that the client liked but made for a less busy treatment. 

Deep Door Jamb Integrated Into Cabinety Helps Integrate Rooms

Large Format Tile Wrapping the Walls Provides a Relatively Low-Cost Wow-Factor

 
Before

"Before" From Same Angle as Picture 2

Original Kitchen "Before"

The Remodeled Kitchen is Well Connected to the Home & the Music Room

My client came to me because she wanted to create the next phase of her life.  She is a relatively recent widow with grown sons — and with the completion of the remodel has retired from her job.  She lives in a post-WWI brick rambler in the Forest Glenn neighborhood of Silver Spring, MD.

Her life has been filled with music, friends and family.  She envisions her new home as a French-style Salon – a place where her creative friends and their friends would meet to share music and discuss art, literature, and politics.  She wants a seamless transition from home to garden to entertainment space in her basement. 

In addition to the grand vision, she also wanted:

• A master suite with an in-suite bath
• A guest bath that is fully wheelchair accessible for when her mother visits
• A new kitchen
• A wider hallway for wheelchair accessibility

And to make the project even more challenging, my client’s budget was quite limited and the lot small so the magic had to be performed within the existing footprint. 

The discussion of this project will cover several articles. 

1.  This article covers the overall plan and the changes to the foyer.
2.  The second one will cover the kitchen.
3.  The third will cover the new guest bath.
4.  The fourth will cover the master suite.
5.  The final will cover the new exterior rooms.

The original room configuration was typical of houses built in the early 1950’s with small rooms and unconnected with each other and unconnected with the out-of-doors.

Floor Plan - BEFORE

As you can see from the floor plan, above, the kitchen – while in the middle of the house – was cut off from everything.  The dining room has a solid door and windows to the back yard but felt unconnected.  The hallway was too narrow for a wheelchair and the single hall bath was small and hard for everyone to use let alone someone with any physical impairment. 

Floor Plan - AFTER

The back wall of the kitchen in the remodeled home is wide open to a new patio and to the music and living rooms.  The now open hallway is wide enough for easy transit and helps make the whole home feel more expansive.  It also offers a more visible connection between the entertainment area of the basement and the first floor.  The old kitchen was reconfigured into a wheelchair accessible bath and a large pantry.  The new master suite – while not fully wheelchair accessible has many universal design features. 

Kitchen is Well Connected to the Outdoors

The Stairway Was Opened On All SidesOpen Floor Plan Connects The Basement to the Living room

Open Floor Plan Connects The Basement to the Living room

 

Read more about the details of this remodel as I post the rest of the series in the next few days. 

 

 The 2 “BEFORE” pictures, below, are from the same camera angle as the first image and the hallway image. 

"BEFORE" From Same Angle as 1st Image

 

"BEFORE" From Same Angle as Hallway Image

 

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

The Glass Countertop is the Centerpiece of the Bath

We just completed an unabashedly modern bath in this 1864 row house in the Dupont Circle neighborhood in Washington, DC.  The bath had been allowed to deteriorate badly (see before image at end). 

Glass Countertop Is A Dramatic Centerpiece:  The centerpiece of this bath remodel is a custom glass countertop with integral glass sink.  The unit is very large – the countertop measures 88” long with a sink formed as part of the countertop that measures 28” x 15” x 6” deep.  The glass — 3/4” thick – has been sandblasted on the back.  The glass is standard float glass – like what you have in your windows.  We don’t see the green tint unless you look at the glass on edge or you sandblast it as we’ve done here.  The glass is raised 1/2 “above the vanity with chrome standoffs (the round discs you can see through the countertop in the image below).

Wall-mounted soap and cup holders help keep clutter off the countertop – as does the large 52” high 8” deep cabinet above the toilet. 

The Custom Sink is Large & Deep

Roomy, Light-Filled Shower:  Large format (12” x 24”) porcelain tile used for the backsplash and for the shower almost perfectly matches the tint in the glass.  The tile has slate blue and grey veining which is repeated in the grout color and the custom grey stained cabinetry. 

Light-Filled Shower

The Shower measures 48” x 36” and features a multi-function shower head and 2 body sprays.  My client can use just the shower head, just the body sprays or both.  A recessed niche has separate shelves for soap and for bottles.  The l-shaped end wall allows the bather to see the window and helps the long, narrow room feel more porous. 

A corner bench and end grab-bar makes it easier for my client to wash her feet or shave her legs.  The shower pan is a solid surface material. 

Well-Fitted Shower

Vanity with lots of drawers for storage. 

The custom vanity is 57” wide with 6 drawers.  It size and spare lines are quite modern – and it certainly pushes the boundaries of what’s feasible.  The top and middle drawer boxes are cut out around the sink basin and plumbing.  The selection of drawer pulls continues the modern lines but also helps make opening these large drawers effortless.  
 

Custom Vanity with Lots of Storage

A Modern Jewel Set in an Historic Home.

Notice the 5” wide original moldings around the door and window.  The scale and details work well with the modern lines of the new bath.  We restored the transom over the bath door but replaced the original flat panel door with a frosted glass door with sticking that matches the sticking in the original flat panel door. 

Modern Lines Within Historic Framework

Several Levels of Lighting

The bath has 5 layers of lighting:
- Two Skylights – one original and one matching new one
- Dimmable Sconces on both sides of the bath
- Low-Voltage Cans to Illuminate the Glass Sink
- Ceiling Lights
- A Dimmable Shower Light

Color Palette

The color palette is at once serene and vibrant.  The main elements of the palette include the green of the glass and the tile, slate from the veining in the tile and flooring and the stain of the cabinetry, white of the fixtures, polished chrome, and red Marmoleum sheet flooring.  The ceiling is a very light violet to complement the greens.  The color palette helps the modern lines blend with the historic home. 

Before Picture - Looking from Doorway

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

Kitchen Remodeling for a Modest Colonial Part 2

This is the 2nd part of a series about how objectives and lifestyle can dramatically affect the configuration of the “right” remodel for the same house.  In the Part 1, we suggested a remodeling configuration for the same house that we’re looking at today.  But in Part 1, the house is owned by a young family that does a lot of entertaining of their extended family.  Today we’re looking at the identical modest 1933 Colonial. 
 
Goal:  Open Kitchen and Dining Area for 2 Adults.  The homeowner in this scenario is a professional couple that spends many of their weekends traveling.  They’ve lived in the home only 6 months and assume that they will be moving within 5 years due to one of their jobs.  They are not planning children in the foreseeable future.  They rarely entertain at home; instead they meet other couples for dinner or at the theatre.  Cooking tends to be simple fare and might only be heating up take-out — but they share the details of their day while they prepare and cleanup after dinner.  They want a place to spread out with two laptops.  They want to be comfortable and to be able to talk while one partner or the other cooks and cleans – jobs that they informally rotate.

Their wish-list is quite short including an expanded kitchen with good counter space, better storage and more modern appliances.  Also on their wish list is a 1st floor powder room.

Below are both the proposed and the existing floor plan.  The existing home it’s a quite modest home with a very small, inefficient kitchen cut off from both the dining room and kitchen.

Floor Plan After - Open Kitchen to Dining Room

BEFORE - Modest Colonial

Modest but Open Kitchen:  Our plan for this homeowner is limited to removing the wall between the existing kitchen and living room and expanding the kitchen into the combined area.  Because the homeowners do limited cooking and even less entertaining, we encouraged them to limit appliances to only those needed and to make space available for counter space and storage. 

A large island allows one partner to work at a laptop or just sit with a glass of wine while reviewing their day with the partner preparing food or cleaning up. 

Limit Costs:  We’ve recommended a number of steps to limit costs including limiting the appliances to a range, counter-depth refrigerator and dishwasher.  This couple doesn’t need separate wall ovens, a built-in refrigerator or multiple sinks.  We never even considered any solution other than staying within the existing footprint.  We’ve left the sink in-place and left the windows and doors in their current configuration.  The couple also decided to forego a 1st floor powder room. 

View 2 - Modest Kitchen Solution

This solution – while actually yielding a larger kitchen than the first configuration – is much less expensive and much more attuned to the needs of this couple than the first family.

The clients – now empty nesters in Washington, DC – want to take advantage of wonderful park-like views – opening their home to the back-yard.   Also on their wish-list is opening the kitchen to the rest of the house and creating a study for him for when he retires in a few years.

Rendering of View From Foyer thru New Addition

The concept calls for replacing an existing deck with a new family room addition and removing the wall between the kitchen and existing dining room.  We’ll leave all the appliances in the existing locations.  It’s a big cost reduction and the work triangle is efficient.  The homeowners – while cooking often – don’t feel the need to put money into fancy appliances or a multiple ovens.  They do want more counter space and mor display storage.  Replacing the dividing wall with an island provides additional work area, storage and a place for guests and family to gather.  Across the extended hallway/gathering space, a large custom hutch provides storage and display space.

Rendering of Newly Opened Kitchen Using Exposed Beams

By using exposed timber beams we create a very appealing effect as well as save money.  The stone veneer – inside and out – on the addition helps tie the home to it’s beautiful park-like setting.  Refacing the fireplace with the same ledgerstone helps tie the old portions of the home with the new.  The wall between the kitchen and living room will be turned into a partial height wall just high enough to hang the upper cabinets.  This change will help bring light into the living room and creates a surface to rest an additional decorative beam.

Rendered Back View of Cape Remodel

You can see from both the interior views and the exterior view that the remodeled home will be now fully integrated with its wooded site with abundant daylight and views.  Because we’re limiting the addition to the area covered by the existing deck, the mature woodland landscape need not be disturbed.  We are extending to the right of the deck only enough to convert the study’s window into a glass door into the new addition.  This space will become the husband’s study with views to the back.

"After" Floor Plan

Existing Floor Plan

Here are the before pictures:

"Before" - Back of House

View from Foyer - Before Remodel

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build

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.

Computer Rendering of Remodeled Ranch

My client owns a typical 1950’s post-war construction 3-bedroom ranch house in Silver Spring.  Virtually the same house can be found in many communities throughout the area including Bethesda, Wheaton, Gaithersburg and Rockville.  It’s a small brick house where the front door opens directly into the living room.  There’s a small living room, a dining room and kitchen plus 3 small bedrooms and a bath on the first floor.  It has a full basement – originally unfinished.  The house has relatively small windows and no connection to the outdoors.

This home is on a very large lot that backs up to park land – creating a private green way in the back yard – a very desirable reason for opening up the house to the outdoors.

We are still in the conceptual design phase but I thought I would share 3 separate approaches I developed for them to think about.  My client’s priorities include:
-    Bringing the outdoors in
-    A modern/open/informal lifestyle
-    Both a  foyer and a mud entrance
-    A Master Suite
-    A Carport with ample closed storage for recreational & outdoor equipment
-    Preserving or replacing the existing attic storage
-    The back of the house has a southern exposure and the client would like to be able to add photovoltaics in the future.

The following are computer renderings of the home after construction for each approach.  Since we’re at the beginning of conceptual design, the drawings are not fully detailed.  There will be many changes in whatever approach (or combination of approaches) they choose.

The options go from big to small and more expensive to less expensive.  All the options maintain the character of house from the street so the house will continue to fit into the neighborhood.

Option 1 – 775 square foot addition in the back of the house.

Option 1: View from Dining to Living, Kitchen & Deck

Option 1: View of Kitchen & Dining through to Entry

Option 1: Floor Plan

This option fulfills the client’s entire wish-list albeit at a fairly steep price of approximately $350,000 to $400,000 which includes refinishing the entire first floor.  The existing living room is transformed into a separate foyer.  From the front door you can see all the way through the house into the deck and gardens in the back.   The dining room, living room, kitchen and new master suite all open onto a large deck.  A new mud entrance off a new carport is close to the kitchen and bath.  The new carport has lots of enclosed storage for outdoor and sports equipment.  The new space has a new roof volume that can take advantage of future photovoltaic arrays and allows for clerestory windows to let soft northern light into the middle of the house.  A large southern roof overhang prevents solar build-up in the summer but promotes passive solar in the winter months.  While drawn here as wood, stone floors would provide further passive solar benefits.  With a generous master suite, 3 additional bedrooms, and an office all on the 1st floor – this home would provide substantial value with relatively small footprint and continued fit within the established neighborhood.

Option 2 – 800 square foot 2nd Floor

Option 2: View From Entry Through to Deck

Option 2: View of Living, Kitchen & Deck

Option 2: First Floor Floor Plan

Option 2: 2nd Floor Floor Plan

The second option involves adding a partial second floor instead of a back addition.  The result is a home that feels more traditional but still feels open.  Because the 2nd floor only spans part of the house, it still fits in with the homes on the block.  In option 2, we added almost exactly the same amount of space and met the full wish-list at a smaller price tag.  It’s often cheaper to build up rather than out.  In this case we’re re-using the existing foundation — investigation shows that the existing foundation and wall will support a 2nd floor.  We’re also saving money because we’re able to tie into the existing waste stack and other plumbing lines.

One small bedroom on the first floor was sacrificed to create an open stairway.  This change creates a large airy foyer with large coat closet and views through the house to the deck and garden.  The 2nd floor contains a master suite and 4th bedroom or study.

Compared with the first option, the kitchen is smaller and we lose a separate mud entrance from the carport – in this option, the mud entrance is incorporated to the side of the kitchen.  The deck is smaller with fewer access points.  We also end up with one less bedroom/study.  But the master suite is larger with killer views of parkland and a larger master bath with his and her sinks.

Option 3 – 290 square foot Back Addition and Remodeled Basement Master Suite

Option 3: View from Dining to Living, Kitchen & Deck

Option 3: View of New Foyer & Thru to Deck

Option 3: Exterior View of New Deck & Basement Master Suite

Option 3: Floor Plan of First Floor

Option 3: Floor Plan of Basement

The house is on a slight hill and so the floor of the basement is only about 3ft below grade at the back.  The basement also enjoys full 8’ ceilings.  It is dry and already conditioned (heating and cooling) but is essentially never used except for some storage.

The least expensive way to fulfill my client’s wish list is to build a small addition in the back – creating a pleasing L-shaped house with good views and access to the outdoor – and to build a new master suite in the under-used basement.  We would excavate a small sunken patio just outside the new master suite with access through French doors.

The remodeled home would be modern in feel – with an airy, open foyer including a skylight over the stairway that brings abundant daylight to the middle of the basement.  A large open foyer and separate large mud entrance off the new carport would serve family and friends well.  The existing living room is turned into a study with a small but adequate open space with dining, living, and kitchen open to the back deck.  Corner windows in the kitchen add significantly to the open feel.  The master suite is large enough for a sitting area, plenty of closet space, his-and-hers sinks in the master bath and a study opposite the new stairway.
This option – at $65,000 to $85,000 less than the first option – still fulfills my client’s wish-list.  I also like this option because the work can be phased – if desired – to spread out the payment over 2 or 3 phases of work.

Conclusion

For me, the real less here is the value of the conceptual design phase.  For less than $5,000 my clients are able to fully visualize and understand their choices before investing in expensive construction documents.  None of these options were options originally conceived of by my client.  They were thinking that they would remove the entire back wall and double the size of the house – an option that yielded fewer benefits at greater cost than any of these options.  The conceptual designs presented to my clients included 2 additional options than presented here and all options contained much greater detail and more internal and external renderings than presented here.  It’s the right way to start thinking about remodeling.

Before Pictures

BEFORE - Dining Room

Front Exterior - Before

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build.

Master Bedroom with Soffit & Cove Lighting

My client’s wish list for a remodeled master suite in the upper Northwest Washington, DC neighborhood of the Palisades included an enlarged bath and dressing area and bumping up the ceiling to create a tray ceiling.  Unlike many clients, they were not particularly looking for increased daylighting, however the wife definitely wanted to lighten up the heavy feel of the Spanish carved furniture and heavy drapes.  Another problem she wanted fixed was the tight and awkward entryway to the bedroom.

As is my practice, unless required, I prefer to work within the existing footprint — which was quite do-able in this home.  The 1950’s split-level had plain vanilla rooms with small baths.  In order to acquire the space for the enlarged master bath and dressing area, we appropriated closets near the existing small master bath and a 1970’s addition that had been used as a sewing room and closet for the husband.  With three daughters now grown and out of the house, a bedroom was re-purposed for the sewing room.

View Toward Hallway & Master Bath

Even though the husband was concerned that the room was small, we actually moved the bath wall 9” into the bedroom.  We also enlarged the doorway and moved it toward the right.  A niche right as you enter, see picture above, will eventually house a small floating valet cabinet and mirror.  We reduced the width of the doorway into the new dressing area and the windows in the dressing area and aligned both with the new entryway.  Rather than bump-up the ceiling into the attic – which would have cost $30,000 to $40,000 because of the extensive structural changes to the joist and rafters – we added a 6” high soffit around the entire room and opened up a tray ceiling in the soffit.  We left the soffit lowered to distinguish the passageway to the bath and dressing area from the bedroom proper.  In the “After” Floor Plan, the dotted lines represent the edges of soffit and the hatched walls indicate the walls that were added or changed.

These combination of changes – that actually reduced the size and volume of the room — created a feeling of greater size and openness.  We also used color to make the bedroom feel larger – the hallway is a dark color which gives a sense of compression in the hallway and expansion as you walk into the room.  The soffit is painted a darker color than either the bedroom walls or ceiling.  Again – a sense of compression and shadow leading to areas of expansion and light.  With the structural changes, the coordinated and deliberate palette helps the space feel larger.

The dressing area provides a quite generous 4 feet clear area between the cabinets.  We provided a mix of hanging and folding space – open cabinets and closed cabinets; shelves and drawers.  While not going overboard, we also provided some customized accessories.  The one that seems to be the biggest hit are the 2 pullout luggage shelves.  When pushed in the overnight bags are stored out of the way.  When pulled out, they are just the right height for packing with clothes conveniently nearby.  We also included valet rods and pull-out tie and belt racks that take up otherwise unused room within the cabinets.

Dressing Room

Custom Pull-Out Luggage Shelf

Custom Pull-out Luggage Shelf - In Use

We paid a lot of attention to lighting throughout the master suite.  We used LED cove lighting in the tray ceiling and low voltage recessed lighting in the soffit – first to highlight further the path to the bath and dressing areas, second for individual reading lights over the bed, and third to highlight artwork and as wall washers.

Row of Low-Voltage Recessed Lights Mark Way to Dressing Room

In the bath was used a combination of ceiling washers and task lighting (see “Enlarging a Master Bath”)

In the dressing area, we used “warm colored” fluorescent lighting at the top of the cabinets and, in a different finish, as sconces on either side of the mirror (see image of dressing room)

Finally, as part of the master suite remodel and additional work at the home, all the windows in the home were switched from double-hung windows to casements.  Casements are much easier to open and given better ventilation.  To get a better proportion but to limit costs, we used replacement windows but with a custom vertical divider so that they look like double casements.  These lines increase the modern feel that the homeowners desired.

Floor Plan "AFTER"

Floor Plan "BEFORE"

Bedroom BEFORE Remodeling

Dressing Room BEFORE Remodeling

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build