Homeowner’s Objective: Keeping the Original Tuscan Feel of an Existing Home While Adding Space Everywhere

After living in their stucco-style home for seven years, the homeowners knew what worked and what didn’t; and what they had to have added or changed. So we collaborated to determine how to take the bones of the original 1940s split level and give them the new space they wanted.

The home, located on a wooded acre of land in a neighborhood with a variety of upscale homes, had a Tuscan feel that the homeowners wanted to retain. At the same time, they wanted more and larger bedrooms, another bathroom for the children’s bedroom area, a new guest suite, and two new home office spaces. They also wanted to relocate the kitchen and family room to create a larger and centralized living area for this family of five. In addition, they wanted to better utilize their basement, create a mudroom and add a new three car garage. We accomplished all of this while taking their outdated floor plan and turning it into a “Tuscan treasure”.

From our unique “design and build for the way you live” perspective, we divided the house design into four zones. The main level has the “public” spaces. The next zone includes the new bedroom suites. The third zone is the top floor office and guest bedroom area. The fourth zone is the lower basement level (which was expanded by digging out the space under the existing garage, while stabilizing the owners’ suite above it by underpinning the structure). We then created “entertainment corners” in the basement, including a putting green, a billiards room, a table tennis area, and a wine cellar. A new mudroom with a second laundry room and job built cubbies connects the lower level with the expanded garage space. Each of these zones needed to fulfill a homeowner need, work independently, but also thematically work with the total karma of the house space. We met or surpassed the client’s needs and as a result, this client has referred more than three high end remodeling projects clients our way…the highest form of flattery.

The BEFORE front elevation shows a 1940’s split level that had been slightly remodeled in the 1980s to look like a small/cozy Tuscan home.

The AFTER front elevation has kept the Tuscan feel the homeowners love, however, behind this façade is an expanded and improved home to meet the client’s needs for increased space and utility.

The BEFORE rear exterior was charming, but the 1980s application of stucco didn’t camouflage the lack of space and utility the homeowner’s wanted.

The AFTER rear elevation demonstrates how the Tuscan look of the home was preserved while expanding the home vertically and horizontally.

The former foyer was narrow and dark. In addition, the first thing you saw when you walked into the home was the kitchen dishwasher.

In the new foyer, the space was widened and the half- flight of stairs to the bedroom suites were relocated. A new staircase to the upper level home office and guest suite was added.

The old kitchen was quaint, note pizza oven in the wall; however, it was small and wouldn’t accommodate more than one person in the cooking area.

The new kitchen is located were the old family room was. The floor was slab on grade. In order to retain the Italian floor tile, we cut a grid pattern in the floor to accommodate new plumbing and then delicately replaced the tile.

The space that the former kitchen occupied was reclaimed as a “meeting space”…a transition from the foyer to the public spaces of the home; the kitchen, dining room, and family rooms.

The living room was the only room not significantly altered. However, to make it work in the renewed home, we created large doorway arches to match the rest of the home.

The former dining room is now one of the home office spaces. As a busy wife and mother of three, the space allows her to stay connected to the family in the public spaces.

The new family room is an addition to the original home. Wood beams, arched windows, and the Italian marble fireplace tie the space to the look of the overall home.

The new master bedroom space in an addition to the home. The original master bedroom was “bumped out” to create room for two large walk in closets. The French doors and iron railings were reused from the original.

The new upper level home office has all the utility of a prized corner office. Lots of space and light make this space a pleasure to be in. The balcony behind the French doors allows Mr. to take a breather from work.

The new guest suite in the upper level is very spacious, but also warm and cozy. A private bath adjoins this space.

The former basement was a collection of the home office, TV area and exercise room…all in one small space..

The new basement occupies the former basement and garage space. We dug out the foundation of the former garage to give the new basement more head height. The stairs lead to the new mud room and three car garage.

This photo demonstrates the underpinning process used to support the master suite above the former garage in order to dig out the foundation and create more head height in the new basement.

This final photo shows the detail and richness of the new front entry way.

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