ALTADENA FOREST REMODEL | VESTAVIA, AL | COMPLETED 2017
2018 Alabama Remodeling Excellence Awards Finalist | Under $250,000 Whole House Remodel Category
This home tucked in the forest was the perfect blank slate for this designer/builder couple to renovate into their dream home. Mostly untouched since it was built in the 1960’s, it begged to be brought up to today’s standards. Working within the original footprint of the home, the main design parameters were established. Opening up the floor plan was the top priority, as there were seven separate spaces to navigate through on the public side of the home once entering the front door. The only bathroom the original floor plan gave guests access to was the master bath, so a powder room was a needed addition. The master bathroom had the only tub in the home while the jack-and-jill bathroom had a small stall shower that was impractical for young kids to use. The original master bedroom had a beautiful floor to ceiling window facing the front of the house, but that window created an awkward furniture layout causing the room to feel unbalanced and was too small for a king bed. The original stairs had been moved by a previous owner from the center of the home to the side wall in the den in order to create a long and skinny pantry for the existing kitchen. While this move did allow for a more open and usable basement rec room, it also further complicated the design as it was impossible to accommodate some of the desired changes with the stairs in this location.
The new floor plan layout eliminated most of the dividing walls in the living areas and vaulted the ceilings over the living room. This created connection between the spaces and brought in an abundance of light from the back of the house to the front. After much debate during the design phase, the first light bulb moment came with proposing a new location for the stairs to the basement rec room. Positioning them as a switchback stairwell off the hallway to the bedrooms allowed the rest of the design plan to be organized around this strategic decision. An entry foyer anchored one wall of the stairs and helped create a place for pause upon entering the home. Moving the stairs also afforded the space needed for a pantry and powder room core to be added off the hallway. The width of this core was kept to a minimum so the new dining room could tuck in behind. This move helps further define the dining room space and provides a bit of visual privacy from the front entry of the house. The dining room table now centers perfectly under the three picture windows overlooking the forest in the backyard.
The new kitchen layout extended cabinets into the former breakfast nook bay windows which also overlook the backyard. The bay windows were replaced with a new Low-E fixed picture window over the sink and out-swinging casement windows flanking each side to allow for the cabinets to run along the beneath the windows. Angling the cabinets along the bay window mitigates the need for blind corner cabinets and allows easy front access to all the cabinets in the kitchen. It also positions anyone using the sink out of the circulation path so other people can freely move through the kitchen without being blocked. An existing window was removed and the refrigerator and stove were positioned to anchor the main wall of the kitchen. Continuous counters along the perimeter increased the amount of usable countertop space for the cooks in the home. A huge, square island provides two additional prep areas facing the kitchen as well as two sides for bar stools. Positioning multiple chairs on each side of the island allows for a more conversational seating arrangement than the typical 3-4 bar stools in a single row layout found in most homes. All the appliances were carefully selected and purchased for the home.
In their new location, the stairs create a much more direct circulation path to the basement rec room which serves this family with small kids very well. This connection between the levels makes the space feel even bigger by utilizing more of it for everyday living. Once this side of the home was laid out, it became apparent that moving the Master Bathroom towards the Living Room would not only make up for a little bit of extra space left over in the Living Room, it would also resolve the space problems in the Master Bedroom by gaining about 6’ of additional width in the room and another floor to ceiling window as well! The size of the windows on the front of the house made switching the location of the front door with an adjacent window possible since it wouldn’t require a significant brick patch as a result. The entry steps were shifted to align with the new front door location which provided the opportunity to rebuild them to code with proper handrails. Bricks from the demolished entry steps were carefully saved for reuse in the areas that needed to be patched. The original brick on the house was reclaimed from an old warehouse in Bessemer that was demolished in the 60’s. There are even bricks where you can see colorful paint from a mural on that old warehouse building. Given its one of a kind nature, saving as many bricks as possible for reuse was a top priority during construction. Because of the care taken during construction, this front door and window switch blends seamlessly into the existing architecture of the home and looks as though it has always been this way.
The new Master Bathroom layout accommodated a 15SF walk-in shower with marble hex floor tile, floor to ceiling subway tile and a floating marble shower bench seat. The toilet is screened behind a knee wall and new shaker-style bright white vanity cabinets were added with a full-height storage unit, double sinks and a drawer stack between. Slate was selected for the new Master Bath floor, but was cut into thirds from a 12” x 12” piece of tile and laid in a herringbone pattern. The slate was left in its natural state (unsealed) so the color remained in a mid-gray tone and the natural tactile qualities of the stone could be enjoyed. If that makes it sound like they pet the floors, make no mistake, they probably do.
The Kid’s Bathroom was updated with a new tub, subway tile surround and new ceramic floor tile to accommodate the needs of this young family with durable and low maintenance materials. A full bath was also added on the basement level to provide a private bathroom for overnight guests.
Both red and white oak 1 ¼” hardwoods existed in the house in different areas - some preserved under carpet since install and others well-worn with around 50 years of exposure and use. Care was taken to match the existing hardwoods and lace-in so that new joins old in an undetectable way. The hardwoods in the entire house were refinished and stained a medium brown to get rid of the dreaded, dated orange floors for good.
LED can lights were used throughout with the bedrooms and living room on dimmers to be able to adjust the lights. A vanity sconce over each sink in the bathrooms and a LED shower can in the master shower provide secondary light in addition to the overhead can lights in the room. In the kitchen, under cabinet lighting was installed beneath the new upper cabinets and a new 5-light pedant brought plenty of warm glow over the island. The dining room received a double drum pendant light, also adjustable on dimmer for perfect brightness every time.
An elongated white tile in a custom pattern was installed on the backsplash of the kitchen to elevate that space beyond the customary white subway in a running bond. The custom hood was built using reclaimed red oak and boasts mitered corners for a sleek, wrapped edge detail. All the existing flat panel hollow core doors in the home were replaced with new two-panel door with dark door hardware and hinges throughout.
One of the biggest challenges on this project was marrying new and old since that condition occurred throughout the house – in very prominent places. Everyone working on this project did a superb job when met with this condition. The home now feels very bright and new, but doesn’t give away the secret of what it used to be!