Real Families Remodeling Stories
Category: Newsroom » Remodelers ShowcaseSM » Remodelers Featured Stories - September 13, 2011
We asked four families on this fall’s Parade of Homes Remodelers Showcase how they got through the remodeling process while still loving their homes, and even each other!
Four Generations Strong
Jon and Candace, a young retired couple, had lived in this 1950’s two-story home for almost a quarter century. They put a lot of love and sweat into it over the years. Jon’s DIY (Do it Yourself) projects kept the home maintained nicely. And Candace’s green thumb created an outdoor wonderland of cozy gathering spaces set amid a riot of colorful blooms, waving grasses, even a trio of fruiting artichoke plants she’d fooled into thinking they were still rooted in California.
They’ve been happy in their St. Paul neighborhood. It’s close to so much, and has been a great place to raise their daughters, Samantha, Paige (both out on their own) and Zoe (just graduated), and now their teenaged grandson, Iain. “We love this neighborhood,” Jon explained. “It’s like a small town, where neighbors stop to visit when we’re outside.”
Their remodeling project began when they decided they needed to bring Candace’s parents home. For the past several years, Candace had been traveling to Kenosha, Wisconsin, for one week out of every month providing long-distance care to her parents, Daniel and Elaine. “It was last Labor Day when I realized I just couldn’t do this anymore,” Candace explained. Her parents needed full-time caregiving and she and Jon decided they should be the ones giving it.
Their original plan was to add an accessible bathroom to the existing family room on the main level of their home, and create a bedroom out of the space. “That’s when we called Tom,” Candace said.
They found Tom Schiebout, owner of Tomco Company, via internet searches. Candace had also spent some time on caregiving websites and found a consistent theme — that in-home care worked best when living spaces were adapted to suit. So when Tom came out to examine their home and discuss their needs, he helped them see how to best build upon what they had.
“It made so much more sense to rebuild the east side of the house,” Tom said. “They needed space that was safe and accessible for Daniel and Elaine, and by adding a small addition, reconfiguring the existing porch and digging out a full basement, they would be able to provide their parents with a suite that opened directly to the accessible patio with its own front entry, while enlarging their living space for this four-generation family.”
With the plans in place and construction barely started, they couldn’t wait any longer and moved Daniel and Elaine into temporary sleeping quarters with the rest of the family upstairs. “We have four bedrooms but just one bathroom up there,” Candace said with a smile. “It was a little rough.”-≠
Construction took about three months and despite the cramped quarters. “It was fun, I really enjoyed it,” Candace recalls. “I think the reason it was so fun was because of the relationships we had with Tom and all of his guys.”
Part of her enjoyment was in choosing the materials and colors. The new space is filled with light, a little contemporary with an Asian influence. The accessible bath has a window overlooking the back gardens, and closes off through Shoji doors that are usually slid back. A sliding glass door opens directly to the back patio from the bedroom space, and the sitting room is just right for relaxing in front of the flat-screen TV.
Even better, “It’s really solid and quiet in there,” said Candace. “Tom had us put in materials we’d never have used if we were doing it ourselves. It’s a whole different quality that makes a real difference.”
Serendipitous Next Stage
Planning for a modern retirement lifestyle, Marybeth and Dennis found the perfect palette right around the corner. This soon to be retired couple was transitioning from more than 30 years of small town life in Redwood Falls to condo living in Centennial Lakes of Edina.
“We were looking for an easy-maintenance home that was big enough for out-of-town guests and to gather our large extended family together.” Another requirement, “location!” says Marybeth. They wanted to be close to their daughter in the cities, and to the airport for quick trips to Los Angeles to visit their second daughter.
Edinborough condominiums in Edina fit the bill. They loved the location, and purchased a unit there when their daughter was in graduate school and they were caring for their ailing parents. It had views of Centennial Lake and great neighbors, but it was simply too small. Then fate stepped in. An unusual unit in the same building complex went up for sale. “It was literally two mirror-image units with the separating wall removed. The space still had double everything including two kitchens and an odd rambling layout,” recalls Marybeth.
Once they decided to purchase the unit they started interviewing remodeling contractors. They were most comfortable with College City Design/Build. “What a great team,” says Dennis. “They listened and worked with us on all the details. We always felt very well taken care of.”
With over 2,100 square feet to redesign, they had a lot to take into account. Given that all major plumbing had to stay in place, you can imagine the complexity of the design phase. Marybeth also really appreciated how the company took care of presenting the plans and engineer's reports to their condo association and city inspectors for approval.
“We got new everything: flooring, appliances, fixtures, a walk-in shower, widened corridors, plus a really open kitchen and great room. The remodelers also utilized Universal Design to help us plan for living in this home for a long time to come,” explains Marybeth. Tying it all together was another member of the College City team, designer Bonnie Anderson.
During the demolition phase, one of the workers accidentally hit a sprinkler and set off the water system. “This turned out to be proof positive of how well College City works as a team. I was there about six hours later. The water was gone and they had dryers and fans going everywhere. They were really aggressive in tearing out, and removing sheet rock and repairing any possible damage as well,” remembers Marybeth.
“We've already had our neighbors over for an open house to thank them for their patience and putting up with the construction process, plus hosted a family gathering. It's been great to see the planning being put to use. We entertained 30 people comfortably,” says Marybeth. “It really feels like home with so many loved ones in the same spot.”
“The entire space will be lived in,” says Dennis. “We're really pleased with the results and looking forward to the next stage together.”
From One Generation to the Next
Jen and Todd were already looking for a house to buy in the popular Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul when Todd’s parents approached them. Todd’s paternal grandparents had recently passed away, and the house that they had built new for the family in 1946 would soon be up for sale. “When we were given the opportunity to buy the house, we decided we wanted to keep it in the family,” says Todd. He and Jen, who were living in Brooklyn Park at the time, loved the idea of taking over the family house with its memories and ideal location. The house was on a scenic block, close to parks and shops and centrally located for their daughter’s schooling.
While the home provided a perfect location for Todd and Jen, it offered little else to meet their modern family needs. The 960-square-foot rambler with its green carpeting, dark paneled walls, and 1950’s finishes was long overdue for an update. Except for one room in the basement that housed memorabilia and an impressive toy train set, everything else was available to be changed. Remodeling a house was a new experience for Todd and Jen, who first needed to find the best remodeler to suit their needs and one who could completely transform the home.
Chad and Andy, owners of Bluejack Builders, stood out with their skill and ability, as well as their willingness to work with Todd and Jen from the beginning. Bluejack Builders was able to take control and guide the busy parents and career professionals through every part of the design process, from the ideas stage to making the final selections. “We started with a basic design, but the plan changed several times,” says Jen. “The amount of time Bluejack Builders put into the project blows us away. Due to our busy work schedule, Bluejack Builders helped us with every design element selection to create the home of our dreams.”
Bluejack completely gutted the existing main level and raised the roof to add a second level, enlarging the house to about 2,200 square feet of living space, which does not include the unfinished basement. Bluejack also designed the home’s exterior to blend beautifully with existing homes in the neighborhood, offering a timeless yet modern appearance with traditional materials and craftsmanship.
The main level now has an open floor plan that includes a grand two-story entryway, an office with two custom-built workstations, a dining room with beautifully enameled paneling, and a large kitchen with a granite-topped island and oil-bronzed appliances. “We wanted something different than stainless steel,” says Jen. The powder room is also a standout with its wall-mounted faucet and clear-glass sink bowl that sits on top of a distinctive marble countertop. The new second-level addition has three bedrooms, one custom painted for three-year-old Taylor, a laundry, a full bathroom, plus a fabulous owners’ suite with a large bath.
Throughout the transformation, Bluejack took extra care to protect and preserve the train set that had great sentimental value for Todd and Jen. “The train was part of the house, and we wanted to keep some mementos of the grandparents,” says Jen. “It makes us feel as if they are still with us and that they are okay with our decision to redo the house.”
The remodeled house gives the family plenty of room to grow in comfort and style, preserving Todd and Jen's wish to transform and maintain their family treasure for long into the future, while still retaining some of the fun family history.
Changing Course Midstream
With three kids under the age of five and her husband away on a business trip, Karel, an emergency room physician, signed a purchase agreement for a house that was, well, not exactly her dream home. “We thought in this market buying would be easy and selling would be hard,” Karel says. But that’s not how the couple’s experience played out.
Karel and Doug’s previous home had two flaws. First, it wasn’t located in a school district that met the couple’s standards; Everett and Stella would soon be heading to kindergarten and Karel and Doug wanted the twins to begin their education careers in Edina. And second, it wasn’t handicapped accessible for Karel and Doug’s brother-in-law Dave, whose multiple sclerosis had progressed to the point where he now depends on a wheelchair.
Shortly after beginning their home search, Doug and Karel signed a purchase agreement on a house in Edina that had just about everything they wanted, or so they thought. “There were unexpected problems with the inspection, and we couldn’t come to an agreement with the owners,” Karel explains. By the time the purchase fell through, Doug, an international grain trader, was already in China on business, and the family’s previous home was sold. Karel, the twins, and three-year-old Lucy would have to shop for a new home without him.
Having exhausted the Edina listings within the couple’s price range, Karel and Doug’s realtor suggested they buy a home to remodel and recommended J & J Remodelers, based in White Bear Lake. The team zeroed in on two houses, then chose the one offering the most potential.
Still in China, Doug relied on his wife’s recommendation, agreed to buy the home, signed the paperwork remotely, and returned it by fax. When he returned to the states and saw the home for the first time, however, he wasn’t sure he had made the right decision. “It was a classic 1950’s rambler. The bedrooms were cut off from the living areas. There were lots of rectangles in the house,” says Karel. “It took Doug a minute to come around; he had to see the potential.”
After five months in the home, the couple and their three young children moved out for the remodel, splitting their time between their cabin in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, Karel’s parents’ house near Madison, Wisconsin, Doug’s sister’s place in Woodbury, and their new home whenever possible. “We had to brace for some hassles,” says Karel. “There was some concern when we were at the cabin that the snow removal people would get the snow plow to our driveway in time for me to get to the hospital.”
But everything worked out fine. Instead of tearing down the house and replacing it with a “McMansion,” Doug and Karel opted to retain the mid-century style and architecture of the home, while modernizing it. J & J Remodelers finished the job ahead of schedule in less than 14 weeks, transforming the five-bedroom, three-bath, compartmentalized home into a five-bedroom, four-bath home with a modern floor plan, and constructed a powder room large enough for Dave’s wheelchair.
“J & J Remodelers’ focus on quality and on customizing the job to meet our needs converted our house into our home,” says Karel. “We recommend them without reservation.”
Throughout the transformation, Bluejack took extra care to protect and preserve the train set that had great sentimental value for Todd and Jen. “The train was part of the hourse, and we wanted to keep some mementos of the grandparetns,” says Jen. “It makes us feel as if they are still with us and that they are okay with our decision to redo the house.”
The remodeled house gives the family plenty of room to grow in comfort and style, preserving Todd and Jen’s wish to transform and maintain their family treasure for long into the future, while still retaining some of the fun family history.