South Washington Remodel

This limestone ranch was built in 1950 and was in its original condition when we were asked to tackle the design and build of a whole home remodel. While the bones were beautiful and intact, the layout was very dated and much of the home was unusable in its current state. 

The finished area of the home was 1200sf, consisting of a small kitchen, living room, two small bedrooms, and one full bath. However, there was an additional 900sf of mechanical room and garage that represented an opportunity to expand the living area of the home. 

Our redesign of the home consisted of tearing out the mechanical room slab and the garage slab and then repouring those two areas in concrete, which we polished for the finished floor. Doing this allowed us to bring the newly finished floor up to flush with the original hardwood floors in the rest of the house and to create a space that was wheelchair accessible throughout. 

With the flush flooring conditions, we repurposed the old garage as a large primary suite that has a curbless, accessible shower on that polished concrete floor.

Back in the original 1200sf of finished space, we removed the wall between the kitchen and the dining room, creating a more contemporary great room that, while still cozy, allows for an updated kitchen, dining, and living space that is contiguous. To that end, rather than a built-in island, we built a table that doubles as a working island and dining room table and provides a connection between the kitchen and the living room.

We closed off the original two bedrooms and original bathroom from the main living space with a new wall and pocket door. This allowed for some privacy for this bedroom wing, as well as creating additional wall space in the kitchen and dining area for a coffee bar and additional cabinet storage.

Finally, we emulated the original front porch but enlarged it considerably, providing a front porch experience that is in keeping with the majority of the homes along this residential street. We also built a covered redwood pergola next to the side entrance that provides a wonderfully private and intimate space that is off of the main street and sheltered from the elements. It is also right off of the kitchen so provides the potential for grilling and outdoor dining.

The comprehensive impact of this remodel was to take a very dated and poorly laid out space and create a modern home that lives larger than it feels, while fitting well within the context of the neighborhood.