This project is another example of a traditional ranch home, purchase by a young couple. Their house made sense when they bought it, but as they started a family it began to feel a bit cramped.
The Bermuda Run home featured a formal living and dining room, as well as a small kitchen and den. Both of the latter were closed off to each other.
Doorways felt tight to walk through, and the couple couldn’t help feeling like any time one of them went into a different room they were in an entirely different world than the other. Since they were starting a family, this feeling didn’t make any sense; after all, they wouldn’t want to feel that cut off from a crying baby or a playing toddler.
And since their Bermuda Run home was situated in a great area, it made sense to improve upon the house rather than hunt for a new one.
The Wall Remodel Phase of the Remodel
In a similar fashion to the previous remodeling project we blogged about, we began by removing the wall separating the kitchen and den area, which created a much larger eat-in style kitchen. The other benefit to this remodel was a much more open and spacious center of the home, where people in different rooms feel less disconnected.
The wall separating the kitchen and den luckily was not a load-bearing wall, but it did have electrical, HVAC, and water lines running through it that all needed to be re-routed. This was the longest part of this area of the Bermuda Run remodel.
The wall between the kitchen was not a load wall but did have electrical, HVAC, and water lines that had to be moved.
Widening Doorways and Openings
After opening up the kitchen, our goal of making the home feel less cramped continued into the doorways and openings throughout the rest of the house.
Narrow doorways very much contribute to a feeling of isolated rooms, each entirely distinct from each other with very little continuity throughout the home. Widening all these opens is not simply one of those subtle aesthetic choices, but functionally makes it easier to get in and out of rooms carrying groceries, babies, and more.
For a couple starting a family, these are exactly the types of changes that stop the home from feeling cumbersome going forward.
Scaling Up The Look With Premium Flooring
With a more open design, the homeowners wanted one last change to make their home feel higher end than it began. Flooring is a great way to accomplish that, and can really bring a room together and make everything pop.
We installed new hardwood flooring throughout the entire house — except the bathroom.
Aside giving the home a higher end appearance, this also worked to enhance the sense of continuity room to room.
Project cost: $157,000
