“Not So Big” Renovation + Addition
Initial Description
Bungalow Style, Built 1950, 2 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom
Changes
Addition to rear of home, new kitchen, new exterior deck, new attic storage space, new building systems and new finishes.
Narrative
This home is the end unit in a government housing development built in 1950. They’ve been sold as individual units and many owners have made modest additions to the rear of their unit.
The units are just two blocks from the downtown area of the town in which they were built. There are a significant number of amenities within walking distance (a few blocks): large grocery store, drug store, restaurants, bank, town hall, library, community center, etc.
The original floor plan is a common room, two small bedrooms, one bathroom and a kitchen. There’s not enough space to have a dining table, there’s hardly any storage and the units can be very dark due to the lack of natural light in the units. Adding a room across the back of the building and creating attic storage gave this owner much more function and flexibility.
The captioned images below will give you a sense of the journey for this project…
BEFORE: This end unit is arranged with public spaces on the left, at the front door, and two bedrooms on the right, with exterior windows.
BEFORE: The existing deck on the back of the home is a pleasant space yet it was poorly constructed and doesn't help solve any interior issues.
BEFORE: These homes were never meant to be more than modest though they don't offer much storage and have very little natural light.
BEFORE: The crawl space beneath the house had falling insulation, debris and openings to the conditioned space above.
BEFORE: The insulation in the attic was compressed and did very little to save energy or keep the house comfortable.
BEFORE: We had to obtain a variance to expand out the back of the building so we prepared/filed the paperwork and testified before the zoning board to get the variance.
BEFORE: The Owner had a collection of salvaged wood planks and beams in a storage area so we inventoried the contents and found uses for them in the new construction.
BEFORE: The Owner had also saved kitchen cabinets from a previous house so we inventoried those also and used them in the new kitchen.
DURING: The home owners association dictates a limited palette of materials so we do our best to match the existing conditions and submit samples with product data to the HOA for approval.
DURING: The existing deck is demolished and excavation begins for the foundation and piers to support the new addition.
DURING: You never know what you'll find when excavating. The utilities required us to modify the design for the footings and dig deeper to build beneath the pipes.
DURING: Excavating pipes removes the soil pressure that keep slow leaks from growing. It's common to have sections that need to be repaired or replaced.
DURING: The addition is built before the back wall is opened to protect the contents of the home. We carefully matched the brick on the new pilasters and piers.
DURING: Demolition of the kitchen revealed significant water damage beneath the sink and dishwasher. Repairs and new plumbing lines will prevent further issues.
DURING: Here the salvaged cabinets are built out to hide a washer & dryer.
DURING: We used thin metal studs to cover the existing load bearing masonry wall before covering it with gypsum board. The wood framing will support a wall-mounted television.
AFTER: The crawl space was cleaned out, missing insulation was replaced and a rigid foam board was installed throughout. The foam board seals the spaces above and offers more insulation.
AFTER: A solid attic stair is installed though there's also a very large opening to the attic in the addition.
AFTER: The new attic is a semi-conditioned space insulated at the roof to create a tremendous amount of storage space and protect the new air conditioning system.
DURING: The new, dimmable recessed lights warm the room with even light - no more glare from the light kit on the bottom of the fan.
DURING: The addition at the back of the house creates just enough space to get the house organized: there's enough space for all the expected functions.
DURING: There's significantly more storage beneath the addition to secure the owner's gardening and other equipment.
A Brief Walk Through
The original plan was four rooms and a bathroom. There wasn’t space for a table and the interior was very dark. This short video will give you a sense of the more functional space, additional storage and significant improvements in natural light.