Reconfiguring the first floor of this older home and adding just 20 square feet of space at the back and enclosing a balcony allowed for a more welcoming entry, open sightlines, an updated kitchen, and fixing a stairway issue. At the reconfigured second level, we relocated and updated both bathrooms, and reconfigured some rooms and closets to create a larger child’s room and better home office. We kept many of the original features of the 1915 house.
The original kitchen had a peninsula that blocked access and views to the back deck. Adding a few extra feet across the back of the house allowed for a better connection to the new deck and dining room.
In the new mudroom and front entry, we added custom built-ins and removed the door, keeping the cased opening; Enclosing one section of the front porch allowed us to create a foyer with a new centered front door, as well as a sliding door to the small side porch; the original entry was a side door directly into the mudroom.
We downsized the first-floor full bath to a powder room. This gained a few additional feet for the living areas.
We moved the location of the hall bath to the area where the existing primary bath was located. This is more central to the two kids’ bedrooms – it has 2 doors – one from the hall, the other from the front bedroom.
For the primary suite, we moved the primary bath into the original closet space. We were able to maintain a smaller closet. The shower fits into the odd angled corner, leaving good flow for a double vanity.
The small addition at this level allowed us to create more comfortable stairs and bring in more natural light. We also expanded the bedroom at the back for use as an office – four windows overlook the backyard, giving it a treehouse feel. A pocket door closes off the office.
