Before and Afters: From dated Cape to Modern Craftsman

 

After

Before

This 50's cape cod style home was more than ready for an update. We modernized all the systems, reworked the layout, and installed all new finishes inside and out. Click here to read an eariler blog post about the starting point for this project. 

Open Front Entry and Inglenook Area of Living Room

New Bright Kitchen

The entire interior was gutted and a new floor plan was designed that makes the living and entertaining spaces much more open and connected to each other. Walls were removed and wide openings were created for long interior views. An inglenook was created around the fireplace with built-in bookcases. The formerly enclosed staircase was exposed and given some dressing up with a chunky newel post and radial first step. A space-saving corner dining area was created in an interior space so the kitchen could move to the back and connect to a new screened in porch. Windows were added to let in more light from the south and views to the back yard. 

Inglenook

Opening up the stairway

Corner bench in Dining Area

New window to sunny south in Kitchen

New Screened Porch 

Mud Room/ Everyday entry from Garage

New Street View

The former breezeway was converted into a laundry room and mud room area with lots of storage, and adding 4' of width and a new roof increased the garage size to fit two cars while at the same time taking the opportunity to transform the front look of the house.

Craftsman brackets and gable pediment over front door

This place was totally transformed! (And we didn't even discuss how it now uses no fossil fuel either) I can still recall the "Aha moments" during schematic design when I suggested that a small area in the middle of the house could become a cozy eating nook and when we discussed the concept of an Inglenook to create a featured area around the fireplace in the Living Room. And that the kitchen should move out of the dark middle and toward the back yard. It was such a pleasure to work with the clients to create a home personal to them. And what a team Landers Construction assembled for each step of the work. Kudos to all!

Historic Home gets Everyday Entry

 I had the opportunity to work at this historic brick home to fix a "remuddling" that was done to it and create an appropriate looking side entry porch fitting with the structure.

New Side Porch and New Entry Door & Windows

A one-story shed roof "storage" area had been added to this amazing brick center hall colonial. (scroll down to see before pics) It was so wrong architecturally, with it's short windows and wall height and "horse run-in shed" roof shape. But it was built poorly and connected to the house with low-pitched roofs that leaked and caused a mold issue. The best answer was to remove it and design a better roof shape that complimented the stately home and reoriented the everyday entry for the folks who live there.

Entry with corner bench & wall hooks

This was a not-so-complicated project that make a HUGE difference. Aesthetically and architecturally- this north end of the house now looks "correct" instead of having a shed unceremoniously tacked on to the north end. Functionally, we moved the entry door to face the parking area and added a new covered porch. On the interior, we added storage for coats, hats, and boots with built in cabinets. We used wood wainscoting, walls hooks, and a corner bench to create a pretty and functional mudroom entry that vibes with the modern needs and the age of the home. Windows were also added upstairs and in the powder room, ceilings were raised, and insulation was installed - fixing some of the old house issues of low, dark, cold spaces. And the gray paint color helped hide the electrical panel. :)

Window added to powder room

Simple updates- while keeping much of what existed
(like flooring and interior doors) can still make a big impact

Overall a complete success and a great update, that looks and feels like it's "always been there"!

BEFORE - back

BEFORE - front

BEFORE - person entry door moved,
but cat door stayed in same location

BEFORE - side view

Built-in Bench Seats

Entry bench and cubbies and wall hooks

Built-ins add incredible character and personalization to our home designs, as well as a way to help us be more organized and arrange our stuff beautifully. Built-in benches are close to the easiest thing to build - it could just be a horizontal surface at the correct height- so they can give a big bang for the buck, as opposed to cabinet-style built ins, which can be very pricey.

My previous post was about window seats (cwb-architect.blogspot.com/window-seats), which by my definition are a cozy nook where a person or two can relax and be on the edge of the larger room, skirting the more major function of the room. The bench projects featured here are perhaps more functional than the dreamy window seat. They are located in kitchens, next to a table for eating. They are located in mudrooms or entries as a place to sit and remove shoes or zipper a kid's coat. Since they are usually in working areas they can be surrounded by designed storage.

Mud Room Entry Bench 

The simplest bench is a slab that has open floor space below it. This space can be used for storage of shoes, etc. if the bench is near an entry. (If the bench is at a table, this open space makes a space for the seated person to tuck their feet, adding comfort.) Sometimes we built shelves or cubbies or drawers below or next to a bench seat to organize all the sports/school/outerwear stuff we have near the door. Cubbies can hold bins that act a a more economical "drawer" to hide some of the clutter.

Benches that are not open below should still offer space for one's heels to tuck under for comfort, but the inner area can still be enclosed for storage. Sometimes the lid flips up on a hinge to access the inside space. Sometimes it is noted that that space is not so easily accessible, especially if a cushion is placed atop, and so we keep it simple and just box it in, minimizing the cost by not finishing the interior.

Bench along side of dining table

Corner Banquet Bench in Kitchen

Window Seats

Window Seat is game/reading nook in a casual dining area 

Reading nook window seat on edge of master bedroom

Window seats are special. They are carved from the edge of a room, either bumped in or bumped outward to create a special zone of space unique from the rest of of the room. The nook they create has a smaller scale where a single person can sit, read, think, or just gaze outdoors. It can feel like a room within a room, and can allow a room to feel more comfortable and be used for a greater variety of functions.

Long seat at Dining Room feature window

I love using window seats in my designs, and many clients ask for one. They are space saving and evoke a homey, hygge sense of comfort. I’ve placed them in bedrooms, as a cozy reading nook. I’ve used them in kitchens or casual eating areas as a built-in seat along one side of a table. (Used in this way, the room can be smaller than if chairs, which need space to slide backward, need to be placed all the way around a table.) I’ve used them in large rooms, like living or formal dining spaces, that may not be used daily or often, so that when one is home alone that large space can offer a personal-sized space in which to feel comfortable. I’ve used them in hallways or foyers as a way to make that space more than just a pass-thru area, by creating a place to sit and stay a while.

Built-in bench seat- or display shelf surface- in Farmhouse Kitchen

The design and construction methods for building a window seat can change to fit the space or use of the seat. Sometimes the seat flips up to access storage space inside, sometimes we have cubbies or drawers that are accessed from the front. We can plan for cushions, lighting, and an angled back for comfort. Bookshelves and woodwork and trim and soffits can all be custom designed so that the window seat is a real architectural focus in the space.

Cubbies below seat and bead board wainscotting accent woodwork

Of course to be called a window seat, it has to have a window- or three windows- which is what I tend to do, as you see in my projects featured here! Next blog post I’ll share photos from projects with built-in seats or benches that are not at a window, but are just as functional and beautiful and also add a certain desirable homey quality.

Farmhouse kitchen table designed with built-in bench seating

Historic Home Update- Farmhouse Kitchen

Bright New Farmhouse-style Kitchen

Sometimes a house doesn't need any additional space added. Sometimes enough square footage is there, it just needs halls/doors relocated to create better circulation, windows added for more daylight and views to the outdoors, raised ceilings for a feeling of spaciousness, and updated fixtures and finishes in hardworking rooms like bathrooms and kitchens. That was what we did in this Historic Home Update. Two narrow rooms combined into a generous, sunny kitchen when we removed the dividing wall and added a new beam.

This is the second blog post about this project. To read the first, and see before photos and plans, click the link below:

cwb-architect.blogspot.com/2019/merry-and-bright

Exterior View from backyard

Formerly the house had no windows to the back yard- (And that is the south facing elevation... where the sun is... you want windows there!) So we cut in a pair of double-hung windows, with transom windows above, centered in the existing gable. That set the ideal placement for the kitchen sink, and influenced the cabinet/appliance layout.

The east side of the room had 2 windows; we kept one and closed off the other so our cabinetry and range/hood could wrap around to that wall. We kept the exterior trim and detail of that window, though, and closed it with "shutters". In addition, adding a wide sliding glass door from the sitting area of the room to the back yard allows the homeowner to enter from their parked car area and connects the new room to a stone patio extending the kitchen and eating areas into the back yard.

Windows and historic lighting make the Kitchen bright

 Historically appropriate light fixtures, materials, and details were used thoughtfully throughout the design. Both interior and exterior window and door casing mimics the existing style so things "blend". The existing house exterior was covered with asbestos shingle siding, popular in the 1950's which needed to be dealt with properly. The design allowed for that material to be removed only at the back wall- where the new windows and double door were being cut into the wall- and left untouched at the sides. (That's one reason why we kept the side window trim and used the "closed shutter" detail there.)

New Hardi Shingle on back wall

Existing asbestos shingles on side walls

Cabinetry has flush panel door and drawer fronts with bin pull hardware. Open shelving, glass door cabinets, crown molding, and the tiled back splash means everywhere you look you see something beautiful. The light fixtures are wall and ceiling mounted and correct for this historic home. (no recessed "can" lights were used - Yay!) The new structural beam was wrapped in stained wood trim and lends some warmth, along with the wood flooring, to the painted wood trim and cabinets. The counter tops are quartz that looks like marble and the appliance layout creates an ideal work triangle.

Tall Storage Cabinet next to Refrig

Beautiful Details add Charm

Powder Room -Bead Board Wainscot

Historically Sensitive Lighting

I couldn't be more pleased with this renovation. The new kitchen, half bath and second floor bathroom and laundry area (moved upstairs to be next to the bedrooms) make such an improvement to the house, while complimenting it's historic nature. The flow and function of it is better. It feels so new, so improved, bright and large, that it can be difficult to believe no additional space was created - just rearranged and redesigned to the maximum benefit.

In-Law Apartment Addition

These clients have long distance family who come to visit and stay for a while. The thinking was that as their parents age and move away from living on their own in Vermont, they may stay for the winter, or even move in permanently someday. This separate "apartment" space was designed to allow for extended family visits, where the grandparents, the homeowners, and their children can still have privacy and autonomy. I organized the floor plan in such as way so the grandparents suite, while connected to the main house, has it's own separate entrance off the front door and is far from the owner's bedrooms. With the separate entrance and spaces that are large enough that a kitchenette could be added someday, this homeowner or a future owner could rent out the apartment someday too, since this village location is zoned for it.

Wood Stove and wide glass doors to the back from the new apartment living room

Sitting Area with double pocket doors to the bedroom

New Bedroom with small windows toward the street and vaulted ceiling

Entry Vestibule -enter main house or new apartment from here

The addition is designed with a simple shed roof shape, punctured square windows, and dark vertical siding. The feeling both inside and out is contemporary, clean and spacious with high. sloped ceilings and transom windows. The new grandparent suite includes a sitting room with a wood stove, glass doors to the back yard and pocket doors to a large bedroom with a huge storage closet and bathroom. The other part of the addition is a new vestibule entry space that has medium grey clapboard siding and does the job both visually and functionally of connecting the two living spaces.

A Contemporary aesthetic - high square windows for privacy

This is the second addition I designed for this village ranch. Check out the first addition here:
cwb-architect.blogspot.com/2016/modern-addition&renovation

Making 2 Small Bedrooms into 1 Larger Bedroom

Here is a fun post that shows the same "solution" implemented at two different projects of mine.

Did you ever hear it stated that people used to be smaller? Well, furniture certainly used to be smaller. And people had way less stuff. Houses have grown much larger compared to the average family home of decades years ago. From the Census Bureau:

Over the last 42 years, the average new US house has increased in size by more than 1,000 square feet, from an average size of 1,660 square feet in 1973 (earliest year available from the Census Bureau) to 2,687 square feet last year. (2015)

With our king or queen sized beds, dual dressers, matching nightstands, and perhaps a cozy chair or bench at the bed's foot board, many bedrooms in older homes are simply not large enough to fit us! Add to that the issue that average folks years ago did not have nearly as much clothes and shoes as we often do today- and that means many homes do not have enough closet storage space either.

This was the issue with two different clients of mine. We removed a wall between two small bedrooms to create one larger "master" bedroom.

The first example was originally two really small rooms in an older home. The new room spans from front of house to back of house, 17.5 feet, allowing it windows on 3 sides. A new window was added for balance/symmetry, so there are a total of 6. windows (Six!) two on each wall. The area that used to be hallway to access the back bedroom was taken over to become double closets in the new master bedroom. We kept the windows, doors, and trim matching the rest of the existing home, but the clients personalized the space with more contemporary touches like interesting flooring, mirrored closet doors, and lighting. The carpenter cut back the oak stair rail such that no one can tell we made a change. This is always a design goal of mine: for an addition or renovation, especially in a historic home, to be seamless and harmonious- being sure to not have an abrupt or glaring line between "old" and "new" changes.

New 11'-8" x 17'-6" Master Bedroom

New back window and a whole wall of closets

New abridged handrail & balusters

BEFORE: Hallway was traded for closets

The other project I did this type of renovation on is also an older home, where bedrooms were small and there were almost no closets. One bedroom had already been re-purposed into a more useful second floor laundry room. Below is the before and after floor plans, where you can see how the design created a stair up to the attic, a renovated bathroom with a shower, a second floor laundry room with lots of storage, and a new large master bedroom with a large walk-in closet and many windows toward the river view.

Not everyone can remove a bedroom- some 3 bedroom homes, no matter how small the rooms, need to remain 3 bedrooms. But when it's possible, I find folks who live alone, or whose kids are grown and gone, are very happy to make the layout of the spaces work better for them personally, rather than worrying about re-sale. The  truth is that there are many homeowners who don't have 2 kids or need 3 bedrooms, and so more and more we find that renovating to create a more personalized living environment rather than the "standard" family home makes sense.