This beautiful home was originally built in the 1960s and was selected by Better Homes and Gardens readers as their favorite house plan in 1972, Plan 3709-A to be precise. However, the prior owners passed away and the house sat empty and in disrepair for years, to the point where the city finally condemned it. In order to save money and not start from scratch, we chose to demolish one half that wasn’t salvageable and keep the other half for renovation. So let me share with you the secrets we used to transform this former beauty into a modern family home.
The first secret is knowing if the house is a total gut or not from the beginning. A lot of renovations go south, when there’s plans to save portions of the home, only to discover during construction, that it’s built poorly, it’s not up to code, or the old looks terrible against the new, which causes serious problems with the budget. We avoided that issue here and chose builder grade finishes that were easy on the wallet. This includes a standard, easy-to-source quartz counter top that’s widely available. The backsplash is just the 4” countertop, not additional tile. We salvaged a lot of items, such as windows, sinks, and cabinets, which isn’t always possible, but saves tons of money, if you can. An inexpensive, large format tile in the bathroom, saves on material and labor because it’s cheaper to install than the standard subway tile. We painted all the walls and trim the same color, which translates to a better deal from your painter because it makes his life easier. And finally, the existing concrete floors on the main level are refinished and the upstairs receives carpet as it’s mostly bedrooms anyway.
The second secret is listening to what the house wants to be. In this case the entire main floor was previously a 3-car garage, meaning it’s wide open and easy to partition into the necessary spaces. To accomplish this, we add 8-feet to the front of the existing structure, which creates a deeper garage and a nicely protected entry area. The entrance leads you down a hallway between the garage & mud-room on the left and the new stair & half bath on the right, ending up in an open kitchen, dining room, and living area with a built in desks and media center. A new roof the length of the house allows the great room to open up to an expansive covered patio making the whole area feel bigger and brighter. The second floor layout, which from the BH+G plan is 3 bedrooms with a very large master suite, stays almost exactly the same with the exception of adding the stairs and a new laundry room.
The third secret is not to get attached to any one idea of how you think it should look or feel or cost, which I know is hard. And the reason I say, “don’t get attached” is because renovation, in my opinion, is an ever evolving art. You’re more likely to love the final result when you’re going with the flow, reevaluating your options when situations change, and choosing whats best for you and your priorities (like budget and function). I mean, at one point, I had big ideas of keeping this place for myself. Thinking we’d live here for a few years before selling it, and building our dream home. Fortunately, I didn’t get attached because mid-construction I found 10-acres with an existing farmhouse that I instantly fell in love with. Needless to say, I convinced my husband to figure out a way to make this new place ours. So, we bought it and started another renovation journey.
And finally, the fourth secret… try to enjoy the process because everyday of the renovation you’re further along than you’ve ever been before. I know it’s hard to practice, I’m in the midst of it right now. I’m just anxiously waiting to get to the fun stuff when I can start ordering materials and selecting paint colors, but it won’t be like this forever. Remember construction is a very complex process and it offers us a very good lesson in patience, too!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy these photos. If you have any questions about the floor plans or any of the finishes installed, please let me know. I’d be happy to share it with you!