I was familiar with the model of house in the Park East neighborhood. I had been in other versions over the past 20 years. It was a solidly built home from the 1960’s, albeit with some poor remodeling decisions that had been made during its lifespan. The current owners were ready to give the main level a fresh start. They were frustrated with the isolated kitchen and were hoping for a more open layout so they could entertain more easily. Their ideas lined up well with what the area was begging for. It needed space and volume. The walls were constricting and the ceiling height was low..
We were fortunate enough to have received this home project through a recommendation from a past client, of which we were on their 5th project (client of the decade!). Their kids were friends so it was fun to run into them during the project. One of the challenges of opening up an entire floor is to define the spaces appropriately. It can be difficult to define the living room without any interior walls, same goes for the dining room. How do you give a sense of space when it is entirely open? Our interior designer expanded on our initial designs and really refined the feel of each “room”, even though there was only one. She used lighting and furniture to set apart the rooms.
The owner was a City employee who worked on the Resource project in east Boulder. She had a passion for repurposing materials and made it clear she would like to do so on her own project. One of my favorite pieces were the pantry doors she had found. They were a perfect piece of history that dropped a charming element into her modern kitchen design. Lisa did a seamless job of incorporating these into the plan. We also used some reclaimed barnwood for accent walls near the rear and front entries. They turned out wonderful.
Reusing and reclaiming materials can be a noble and fulfilling endeavor, but it should be noted that this does not save money…only the planet. It takes an excessive amount of labor to refashion and install salvaged materials. This often offsets any cost savings realized when finding the material itself. It is also fair to assume that your contractor cannot warranty any materials or installation regarding reclaimed materials. Which can include things as simple as re-using your washer/dryer or your dishwasher during a project.
Another way they wanted to add more living and entertaining space was blending the outside with the inside. Previously, they had used a vine covered pergola over their picnic table when hanging outside. But they had grander visions. We more than tripled their patio area by adding a firepit, hot tub zone, and outdoor cooking area. We added a large window and sliding doors with easy access inside to outside. We went through several iterations before settling on the final plan.
One of the more subtle investments they made was in the vaulted ceiling. Sometimes it can be hard to promote the value of such an endeavor to a client, since it adds a significant increase to the cost to raise the ceilings in a large room. The impact of this decision, however, is remarkable. It changes the entire feeling of the space. I was glad they understood the benefits of this choice.
Ultimately, the clients had to make some tough decisions through the design phase in order to stay on budget. It can be exhilarating to select a 12-ft glass door to look out on your garden, only to be deflated by its impacts to the budget. They decided that the vaulted ceilings meant more to them than the big back door. We worked with them to find a more budget friendly solution, which kept them on track. The push and pull of the design phase is best executed before the construction starts. It will make your project stay on budget and on schedule.
