Remodels are a hot topic right now, particularly because the housing market is so competitive. For many homeowners looking to make a change, it makes more sense to remodel or expand upon what they have than to overpay on a new property.
You don’t have to have a large property to take advantage of a good kitchen remodel, either.
Here is an example of a recent project we completed on Polo Rd. in Winston Salem.
Background on the project…
This home began as a cute little bungalow that unfortunately had a small kitchen. The home worked for the owners initially, but as their family grew the kitchen and adjacent breakfast room felt very cramped — especially via the narrow passage that separated the two spaces.
They wanted to raise their family in this space, but the floor plan had a lot of limitations. They called upon Lael Homes to explore what solutions might be available without having to move. Fortunately, we were able to construct just such a plan to solve all of the shortcomings of their original design.
The home’s limitations this project meant to overcome:
- The laundry room was in the basement.
- The breakfast room next to the kitchen was separated by a narrow doorway that made everything feel cramped and cut off.
- The kitchen was too small for the whole family to comfortably eat together.
- Crucial load-bearing walls were laden with cast iron plumbing. It would have to be moved and replaced, but posed some difficulties.
The remodel that solved it all:
Because the case iron plumbing went from the second floor master bedroom all the way down to the basement, it had to be moved. We re-plumbed the master bath, allowing it to flow down into a new space we created off the side porch of the house, which was now a side entrance with a laundry room off of the kitchen.
That made it far more convenient to do laundry without so many stairs, and also created another entry point for the home.
Any time we remodel a load-bearing wall, we prefer to place a new structural beam into the ceiling system. This allows for a space that feels far more open without needing a drop-down header.
We also removed the wall separating the kitchen and breakfast room, making for a much larger kitchen that is far more open. It completely transformed the space.
The end result was one large farm style eat-in kitchen for this growing family of 5, with a laundry room off the kitchen.
Total project cost: $58,000.
