January 24, 2017 By Dreams2Reality Leave a Comment

Same Place but a Different Space!

We were asked to take this kitchen from oak cabinets with little storage and a cramped work area to a bright and spacious, storage packed center of the home. This meant completely starting over and no (real) kitchen for our courageous clients for longer than they want to remember. This was not the only room we transformed, but it definitely has the biggest impact. (The flooring was replaced in a large portion of the main level and a powder room was also renovated.)

The cabinets go to the ceiling for a classic look and to avoid the dilemma of what to do with the space between the ceiling and the top of the cabinets.

After all the traces of the existing kitchen had been hauled out to the dumpster or sold on Craig’s List, the task of getting a larger window above the sink and moving plumbing and heating ducts around to accommodate a larger pantry began. The original Kitchen included a small desk on the left, air ducts and plumbing in a chase and a small closet pantry. This layout is fairly common in this area.

The wood floors tie the Kitchen, Dining and Living Rooms together. This is an engineered wood product that will not move and crack as much as a solid hard wood with changes in humidity.

The bigger window above the sink lets in lots of light and makes this room feel light and open. We almost doubled the size of the opening.

Before

During

After

This hood was used for a classic look.

The microwave is located in the island. Convenient and out of site. (it opens like an oven)

The back splash is a honed marble. (Daltile – Vein Cut – Silver Screen) It is the perfect complement to the granite counters. (Delicatus Brown) We went for maximum impact and did the entire wall around the window.

The island can be used for seating or kitchen prep when the stools are tucked under the counter.

Guests can chat with the cook while seated at the island.

The pantry wall provides much needed storage. The air ducts and plumbing are tucked behind one of the cabinets.

Roll-out shelves make it easier to access items in the back of the cabinet.

Before (Pantry Wall is to the right)

During

After (of course the clock on the right never moved during the entire project)

The lanterns and bar stools are the dark contrast and pop against the white cabinets. (Lanterns – Ballard Designs)

Before

During

After

The distance between the island and perimeter cabinets is something that makes or breaks a kitchen. 42″ is my absolute minimum. I prefer 48″-54″ if possible.

Removing the railing between the Family Room and Breakfast area gives the space a more open feel.

Before

After

Under-counter lighting allows for a variety of moods.

If your cabinets are in good shape you can try selling them on Craig’s List. Someone bought the original cabinets, granite and a few appliances as a package deal from this kitchen.

Are you dreaming of more storage and a new look for your space? Stop dreaming, make it happen!

November 26, 2015 By Dreams2Reality Leave a Comment

Good Bones Make All the Difference

Sometimes there is a space in your house that functions fairly well, but it feels…boring, outdated or worn out. The plan does not need to change, but an update would make a big impact. This was the situation for our latest project. The bathroom was dated with a jacuzzi tub that took up a lot of space that could be better used for a larger shower and more circulation space. The plan functioned well for the owners except they wanted a larger shower and an updated, less “vanilla” look. So off to the tile shop we went!

Before…

After!

The owner liked slate tile, but did not want to go crazy with it. So we went with a larger neutral field tile on the walls and the floor. (Rox Dust in 12″x24″) Slate is on the floor of the shower and used as an accent stripe around the entire bathroom. (Copper Rust Slate 1×1 and 2×2)

Before…

After!

We kept the original cabinets for budget reasons, so they were in the mix when we were selecting the granite (Alaskan White) and tile. We also used the original mirror because it makes the space look even larger. A frame was added to the mirror to give it more weight.

The sinks give the vanity a totally different feel from the original under counter fixtures that were removed.

Before…

After!

The lantern is just what the space over the tub needed to complete the composition. Removing the Jacuzzi tub and its surrounding enclosure made a big impact by allowing us to enlarge the shower and reduce the area needed for a tub.

Shelving in the shower is also slate.

Before…

Goodbye 90’s brass…

A glass door is the finishing touch.

We also replaced the counters, sink and added back splash in the kitchen.

Tile that goes from counter to ceiling makes a dramatic change in the feel of this space.

Sometimes and update is the game changer. Do you have a dated, boring worn out space in the home you love?

November 13, 2015 By Dreams2Reality 2 Comments

Changing Places – How the Living Room Saved the Day

Most of us have a Living Room in our home if it was built before the millennium. What do we use Living Rooms for? For most of the families we work with, most of the living goes on in other parts of the house and the Living Room is a place where the kids are not allowed because it is used only for special occasions or it is a collection place for everything that does not have a home.

When our clients were asked what their vision was for this project they had the following goals:

1. Update the Kitchen

2. Relocate the Laundry Room. The Laundry Room was blocking a great view from the back of the house and was between the Family Room and the Kitchen.

3. Add a Mud Room to their home – and were willing to give up part of the garage to do it.

That sounded logical… Then we started to look around the main level of their home and realized that no addition was needed. We would put the Mud Room and Laundry Room in the Dining Room…of course!

The current plan had an addition that served as the Family Room but it was separated from the Kitchen by a Laundry Room. It also had a large Formal Living Room that was not used much by the Family. There also was a Dining Room right next to the Garage. So I proposed we move a few spaces around and skip the addition. This allowed them to use the space they already had and update more areas on their home.

The Dining Room became the Mud Room and Laundry Room.

The Kitchen expanded into the Breakfast Area.

The Laundry became the Breakfast Area.

The Living Room is the new Dining Room.

Dining Room (former Living Room)

Mud Room (former Dining Room)

Breakfast Area (former Laundry Room)

Multi tasking door

Where's the pantry? #jobsitefieldtrip #stealthfoodstorage — Where’s the pantry?

I love a good pantry...especially when it is invisible! #jobsitefieldtrip, #tonsofroom — There it is!

Here is what we started with….

Everything was removed, including the “bonus” layer of sub floor that was glued and screwed down.

The next time you look into your Living Room, don’t think,”This is wasted space”… just remember that what you are looking at is… pure potential!

November 6, 2015 By Dreams2Reality Leave a Comment

Coloring Inside and Outside the Lines …

How difficult could it be to add a 2 car garage to an existing house? That is the question I asked myself at the beginning of this project. The owner currently had a single car “tuck-under” garage that served the original owner’s needs in the 1930’s, but was lacking in many areas.

Along with adding the garage, there was an entrance to the side of the house that needed attention. The current steps were steep and uneven. In the winter they were dangerous. There was also the fact that a 2 car garage would not fit in the proposed location due to the setback requirements enforced by the city. The 2 large trees were not making thinks easier. Red flags were everywhere. At this point I realized that if I could navigate the city requirements this addition could really improve the function of the house and add significant value to the property. So we forged on….

Front — The garage will be on the right side of the house.

The exterior of the garage was a challenge because the entire house was brick and matching that would be impossible. So we went with matching the existing limestone on the front of the house around the front door. Did I mention the existing roof was slate tile? Our stone supplier was able to get stone from the same quarry the original limestone was taken out of. Our roofing supplier was able to find reclaimed slate tile for the roof. Our team is awesome!

The final design required a presentation to the City of Des Moines (Board of Adjustment) for final approval. This trip to the city was required because we were going over the setbacks of the property. The good news is that it was approved. We also rented city property across the street to store all of the dirt that was excavated to make way for the garage addition. Now all we had to do was wait for the owner’s approval.

Of course they decided to move ahead! (or I wouldn’t be writing this post) This meant our work could begin. First the large trees were removed and then the concrete retaining wall, stairs and a lot of dirt.

Finally it was time for the new garage foundation walls followed by backfilling with some of the dirt that was removed to cover up the footings that were poured. The retaining wall on the left side of the garage is holding back a lot of dirt.

Framing the walls is when the space really started to take shape.

During the design phase, I realized that there was going to be a lot of empty space in the roof that could be used as a Mud Room. This was something this house really needed.

A view from the front yard. We were required to show the City of Des Moines that this addition would not overwhelm the existing house. The fact that most of the garage was below grade helped to reduce its visibility from the front of the house.

Web Section — There is just enough space to make it all work….

It seemed that every dimension on this project was within inches of the allowed limits. The roof slope had to miss the windows above, the head height of the stairs leading to the side entrance had to be at least 6′-8″high, the exterior of wall of the garage was approved to extend and approved distance over the setback, the floor of the Mud Room had to be at a height to work with the existing house Main Level and allow enough head room to walk below it in the Garage.

Now its starting to look like it belongs there.

Parking area with extra storage and Mud Room above.

We added a planter as part of the retaining wall.

The answer to “How hard could it be to add a garage to an existing house?” is “The word easy was never used during this project.”

September 24, 2015 By Dreams2Reality 1 Comment

I Want My Own Show

We have all seen HGTV’s version of an entire home remodel…

The house is a hot mess.

The owners need someone who has some vision and construction skills (and a network budget) to come and rescue them.

The architect/designer/general contractor team show up and save the day in about 45 minutes at a cost of $50,000.

Yes, my friends, the bar has been set high.

So I am here to show you what goes on behind the scenes of any large remodel. These are the things that you are not likely to see on a TV show…

1. The Design Phase takes longer than 10 minutes. (it does for every project, you just don’t get to see that part) It is my job to make sure the owner understands what we are proposing to do with their home after hearing what their vision is for the project. I usually do 2 or 3 plan options and a 3-d Model of the final choice if it will impact the exterior of the house. This allows everyone to see what the exterior of the house will look like when the project is finished. It usually takes 2 or 3 meetings before the plan is finalized and we can move on to the Bidding Phase. At the end of the Design Phase we tackle the job of selecting every finish, plumbing fixture, light fixture, piece of hardware etc. This also seems to magically happen during a TV show.

What do you do when there is a deck and a hot tub on top of your garage? In the case of this house we get rid of the deck and add a Master Suite in its place.

2. The Bidding Phase on the shows is non-existent in some cases! They are throwing out numbers for different parts of the project as they walk around the house! We have our trades (electrician, plumber, Heating and Cooling sub contractor) walk thru our large remodels. We often bring our structural engineer by if there are bearing walls to be modified or removed. This is purely to give the owner an accurate number that we stick to. We do not have the luxury to call the owner and say, we have a problem and it will cost you $2000 more. There is a “contingency” set up to cover some of the unknown surprises you encounter as we take your house apart:

Hidden Footings that you did not know were there. We ended up using them and extending the proposed addition out the 24 additional inches to use the existing footing.
Having to remove (with a crowbar) an entire extra layer of sub-floor throughout the entire first floor that was nailed and glued down.
Fixing structural/electrical/plumbing mistakes others have made in previous projects.
Finding an extra sprinkler line in the yard as you chop through it while excavating.
Extra time to present a design to the Board of Adjustment to get permission to move ahead on a project that has already violated setback requirements in 4 different ways due to previous additions.

3. Costs to remodel in Iowa must be amazingly high compared to where these shows are filmed. My theory is that the budget only pays for the materials used in the project and there are other sources of funding for the labor of the subcontractors and the fee that the general contractor/architect/designer charge. (commercials) I almost fell of my chair laughing when they went thru the numbers for the project they were working on.

4. Permits ensure everything is built safely and in the right location. You don’t see all of the inspections for the framing, plumbing, electrical work. I assure you, they happen.

5. The owner living in the midst of the project factor. This could be the best part of the show We try to warn and prepare our clients, but you have to experience it to get the full effect of remodeling your home while you live there. We have some amazing clients!

I would love to have my own show, but I think for now I will have to settle for blogging about my adventures on the job site and in the office… not having a TV show allows me to do my 2 other jobs, wife and mother.

It is still fun to think of names for a show:

Extreme Remodeling

Radical Rubsam Remodels

Dreams 2 Reality: Making it Happen

Save the Ugly Houses

Take your best shot at a show name, in case I change my mind.

Dreams2Reality - Design and Remodeling: Beyond Your Front Door

Same Place but a Different Space!

Good Bones Make All the Difference

Changing Places – How the Living Room Saved the Day

Coloring Inside and Outside the Lines …

I Want My Own Show

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