A 3500 s.f Addition to an historic Victorian
doubled the size of the home while maintaining the homes original character
Everything you see in the photo to the left is a portion of project. The owner requested a turret to match the
one on the existing home's opposite corner
Our Victorian Addition and Remodel of this 100+ year old Queen Anne home was featured on the front page of the local newspaper as an example of how one should handle an addition to an historic home.
What was originally a fairly small, enclosed and narrow Galley Kitchen was opened up to the Family Room remodeled and virtually tripled in size. The Powder Room was relocated under the stair to the second floor
This house as originally purchased is depicted in the upper-left photo. Our client had always intended
to do a significant update to the tired "contemporary". Major interior redesign was included in the project
A traditional Chicago 4-Square home from the 19th century held an equisite craftsman interior and the exterior was in good shape. The plan, however did not suit today's style of living. A major addition was required on both floors to fix the problems.
A renovation to the classic front porch along with the addition of a stone wainscot tied the existing and new together seamlessly. In the picture to the right can be seen the two story addition made to the rear of the home.
The first floor contains a new Kitchen while the second floor is a new Master Bedroom and Bath Suite.
An Historic Renovation required great care
A Complete gut and remodel of an existing worn and torn Kitchen. The room was expanded slightly to make room for the island. A wall of floor to ceilng cabinetry added substantial storage and an improved location for the refrigerator.
Due to Zoning requirements and historic water levels this home could not be torn down and a new one built as the only place that was legally buildable was where the house already was located. The only choice was a major remodel.
Our client purchased this home to tear down only to find that if he did so, the lot would be declared unbuildable due to it's proximity to the road in the front and historic water levels that came with-in a few feet of the existing home in the rear.
They loved the rural feel to the location with town and the commuter train to Chicago only a short walk away.
Thus there were two solutions; 1. sell the house, which was unlikely to be successful or
2. A complete restoration.
Obviously the restoration route was chosen also dramatically increasing the value of the home.
Additions and Remodels . 1
