Springdale

This 4 bedroom, 3 ½ bath renovation‐addition, began as do many; a good house in a desirable downtown neighborhood, too small and outdated to function for the modern lifestyle of a young and growing family. The owner’s considered abandoning their beloved 1940’s colonial to build new in an outlying area before ultimately deciding to stay where they were and adapt the house to fit their needs.

The Problem
The existing two story 2000sf wood siding house was in bad repair, energy and spatially inefficient and their daily life force fit into small and ill‐suited rooms. The communal living space was a much‐too‐small room added adjacent to the small eat‐in kitchen, sometime after the original construction. The room originally designed as the living room, although the largest in the house, was away from the kitchen and was not being used. The Dining room was being used for a multitude of art related functions (the woman of the house is an artist) and was rarely used for dining. The unheated side porch, was being used (in good weather) as a jewelry studio. The three bedrooms upstairs shared one full bath and one bath/laundry combination, all badly in need of modernization. The closets were too small. Uncovered Parking was accommodated behind the house a level below the 1st floor.

The Program
The owners requirements included a large contiguous living /kitchen/ dining space, art studio, jewelry studio, small office downstairs, and a large master suite, new laundry, bathrooms and closets upstairs as well as a garage and large screen porch. The design was to re‐purpose as much of the existing house as possible, and add new square footage as required. All new and existing construction was to meet or exceed current building codes as well as qualify under the Energy Star program. All lead based paint was to be removed from the interior of the house. The Front façade was to receive a new covered porch and the existing redwood siding refurbished and repainted.

The Solution
The design included utilizing the existing living room and side porch as an art/jewelry studio, and converting the dining room into an office. Two small double hung windows in the art studio were replaced with one large picture window to provide extra light and views. The existing powder room was relocated to allow double French doors to allow convenient access to the kitchen and living area. The rear of the house was totally demolished and an addition added. The new addition contains a garage and storage at the basement level (grade in the rear), a living/dining/kitchen area and screen porch at the 1st level and a master suite/sun porch and utility room at the 2nd floor level. The existing 2nd floor was redesigned to accommodate two full bathrooms closets.

The construction included all new windows, insulation and air sealing package, HVAC ,plumbing and electrical systems, roof, and stair. Extensive built‐in cabinetry provides ample local storage options and special lighting illuminates the owners extensive art collection.