The Hardest-Working Room in the House

What's the hardest working room in the house? The Kitchen, of course!

Make it an "eat in" kitchen or use it as the everyday entry, and then the room is forced to do even more.

Newly Renovated Kitchen

This project is a kitchen renovation in an older home. No new square footage was added. Some windows and walls/doorways were moved and some remained exactly as they were. In the 'before' photos you can see this room was built onto the back of the origonal two story; it jutts into the back yard with windows on three sides. The arrangment of 6 windows toward the back/east are this village home's most private view since the side windows look at close-by neighbors. The back is where a table for eating or gathering is located. Having the table looking out the windows to the back yard was something my clients wanted to retain.

The side door from the driveway is the main family entry and comes directly into this room, so in addition to the east-facing eating area, a portion of the space needed to function as a "mud room" with coat hooks and a place for shoes and bags. But design constraints like these can actually help us create a new layout plan!

After - view toward back door

Of course besides the entry and the table area, we need a functioning kitchen for a family! Before our renovation, there was a large old sink, a range, and some open shelving- not much cabinetry or countertop. There was a woodstove and brick chimney in the middle of the room, and a separate 'Pantry' room that provided most of the food storage, including space for the refrigerator. While it did have rustic charm, it was overdue for an update, some real flooring, durable, cleanable work surfaces, and well-thoughtout workspace where one could cook.

Slight window change

Entry Side- Before

In terms of the structure, there were skinny looking rafter ties across the ceiling space that we removed, adding a ridge beam and a new ceiling shape. A wood board finish was added remenicient of the former ceiling. In terms of the way this room connected to the rest of the house, I moved the passageway to the family room over about 20" to allow for a more useful kitchen cabinet/counter top layout and to help align interior views with windows to the back yard. The tall cabintry next the the new refrigerator location fills that wall for abundant storage. (the window moved closer to the door to accomodate this)

Renovated Kitchen looking toward Family Room

In terms of mechanicals: yes, the wood stove is gone. (and that historic cast iron sink was replaced) But efficient fixtures and systems are better. Insulation was added, and a new mini split heat pump was installed for heat and A/C. The lighting and ceiling fan were upgraded to beautiful fixtures, and new insulated windows replaced single-pane types.

New MiniSplit intentially placed center over window

Oh, and that little pantry room got made into a first floor bathroom, which the house did not have. Beautiful finishes and fixtures were selected by the owners, a opaque window was installed in the existing opening for a bit of privacy and a heated towel rack was used for a bit of luxury. If or when someone needs to have single-floor living, this bathroom will be available to help.

Overall, a big change for the day to day quality of life for the folks who live here!

View toward back yard

Updating a Historic Upper Red Hook Home

Front of House keeps its traditional Paltine look

Side View shows the traditional front and the expanded back wing

This project was a fun transformation. The home is an old Palatine home "Stella Farm" from the mid 1800s. My clients loved their weekend retreat but knew that maintanence had been defered and wished for the place to be more up to date and gracious. The design accomplished these updates while maintaining much of the old-world feel inside and toward the street.

Raised Roof over the Back Wing with New Windows

The home had a small, closed off kitchen that we expanded by removing the walled off laundry area and steep back stair. We added a triple french glass door from this beautiful new kitchen to the existing deck. Old timbers were applied to the ceiling to mimic the historic beams and the existing WIDE (really wide) board floors were refinished. The laundry was stacked in a closet and the first floor bathroom, which was akward under the stair, became a pretty wall-papered powder room.

New Expanded Kitchen with Glass Door to Deck

Sitting Area end of Kitchen with Existing Fireplace and doors to Screened Porch

Dining Nook end of Kitchen

The home's second floor was low and chopped up into strange rooms without many windows or privacy and only one bathroom. We raised the floor level and the roof over the back wing, adding height, space and light- and allowing for large windows with a view toward the pond. 

Dormer in small bedroom added height and three windows

New Back Bedroom

Existing Front Bedroom

After the renovation the home now has two large bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and one of the two smaller bedrooms got a dormer and windows added to what was once a short, blank wall. The hall and hall bathroom also received an update.

Hall Bath 

EnSuite Bathroom from Bedroom

Powder Room

   

Kitchen - Before

Kitchen - Before

My clients say it feels like a whole new house! 

It has more connection to the views of the beautiful property and a better functioning floor plan.  And all this was accomplished without any increase in the footprint, just roof changes to gain more area. The home still looks and feels like itself- historic- but in a more thoughtful way. The side and front-facing windows remain double-hung style with divided lites, but for the new windows toward the back larger casement units were used to allow unobstructed views toward the pond. The exterior yellow vinyl siding was removed and white clapboards installed, the existing back screened porch and open front porch remained and were repaired, insulation was added, and the mechanical system was changed to inconspicuous, efficient heat pumps.

Garden and Privacy Fence around Heat Pumps

Before

when the roof was torn off

during construction

Taller Wall/ Dormer adds Windows

Before the dormer

Hallway to New Back Bedroom

Built-in Shower replaces Tub

Updating the Exterior

These clients already had a great location and a pretty great house when they called me, but...

 

    

 

But the cedar shingle siding and wood framed windows were rotting. The living room, especially (with it's four exterior walls) was very cold and drafty in winter and hot in summer. The house was not well insulated or air sealed at all. It also had odd, high window placement toward the front and no windows to the side. They wanted the entire place to look more modern from the exterior, to feel like the interior felt with their minimalist Danish Modern furnishings and lighting. And they wanted a patio off the Dining area on the north side of the house -that area of the yard was never used and felt sort of like an afterthough.

Since they had already purchased and installed "Craftsman Style" doors to the garage, and they were drawn to dark siding colors, I suggested we go for a "Modern Craftsman" vibe. We could use some brackets and gable pediments on some roofs and over doors to add architectural detail. I also suggested if we were removing and replacing all the windows and siding, we really should then also take the time and spend the money to properly airseal and insulate the 70s era construction to be more energy efficient and comfortable.

Here are photos of the project before, during, and after. A total transformation with the "Iron Grey" vertical Hardi siding from the weathered large exposure, dated (and insect-eaten!) shingle siding. New Ebony Marvin Elevate windows and industrial style barn lights lean toward the contemporary. I changed the window layout in the living room and entryway- adding tall windows to the east and south in the living room where there were none before. I added a new sliding glass door to connect the Living Room to the back deck. I added a new sliding glass door to the north, with it's own small roof overhang detail, to connect the dining and kitchen area to a new patio in that under-used area of the yard. I designed some stepped planters to avoid having to add railing that might block the lake and mountaian view from the new decks. And I dressed up the basement door area with a roof overhang that helps direct water away (along with a new drain) from the foundation, offers shade from the harsh western sun, and visually breaks up the tall elevation where the basement is exposed above grade. The fireplace chimney received new stone and a metal chimeny cap- upgrades that made it more energy efficient, safer, and more beautiful, since the bricks were in disrepair. Spiffy new galvanized half-round gutters and leaders were installed so this big roof is ready for the large downpours that happen more and more frequently.

 

In terms of efficency upgraades, once the siding and old windows were removed, a fluid applied flashing and air barrier was applied everywhere. (Yes, the neighbors did wonder aloud if pink was the final house color.) This meticulous work will be well worth it when the winter winds whip off the lake and mountains to the west. This surface is also the WRB, meaning that any water will be excluded from entering the wall, which will protect our new windows from having the same issue as the previous units did. Next a rain screen was created, to allow the siding to stay dry. Then rigid boards of insulation (rockwool) are installed to add much-needed R-value to the walls.  New vertical cementitious board and batten and shingle style siding and trim was installed with mimimal1x2 casing around the windows all in a monocromatic color. The A/C was an old system that is replaced with efficient heat pumps, and the underside of the existing roof deck throughout the home was also insulated.