getting started - august and september 2011

we spent the rest of the summer getting acquainted with our architect, anastasia, and beginning to map out our ideas for the renovation with her and mike, our contractor.

garden level:
the biggest debate to resolve (initially!) in the kitchen was how to make the best use of the space.  we were conflicted about the wood-burning stove--on the one hand, we didn't want to remove it because the idea that the original stove was still actually working was just too much to ignore.  it was a definite conversation starter, if nothing else.  on the other hand, it's located smack in the middle of the main (north) wall in the kitchen, and it was hard for us to envision how we could put new appliances around it in a way that allowed the kitchen to work efficiently.  we asked anastasia to give us options that contemplated both scenarios -- keeping it and sacrificing it.

we were pretty clear that we wanted to incorporate an island somehow to introduce additional storage and counter space. the south wall had original cabinetry which we knew we wanted to keep (along with the butler's pantry area) and we had already made plans to make the old ice boxes functional by retrofitting them with slide out shelving.  earlier in july, hubby and my dad installed shelves in the walk-in pantry so we were okay from that perspective.

deciding what to do with the
vintage stove was a big dilemma!

butler's pantry - keep!

original cabinets and walk-in pantry
(behind door with glass panels) - keep!

all the existing appliances (except the frig)
and dumbwaiter are located on the north wall

the refrigerator is alone on the wall
between the kitchen and the extension

the vision for the extension behind the kitchen was a little less defined, but i felt strongly that we had to figure out a way to open it up more so that it would feel like it was better integrated with the kitchen itself.  i thought it was the perfect location and size for a family room/den and casual entertaining area.  the current space was too chopped up -- a full bath in the southwest corner, a small office in the northwest corner, and a utility area with washer, dryer, a hot water heater and a second (full sized) refrigerator.

looking into utility area
from the bathroom

bathroom on left,
office on right

existing 1st floor bath,
in the extension 

washer/dryer out in open area 

hot water heater and second
frig located in the utility area

we worked closely with anastasia and reviewed several different options.  in the kitchen, we decided on a large island with a bar sink and to locate the refrigerator, double oven and range top on the main north wall.  the refrigerator would go in the corner where the dumbwaiter was.  knocking down that wall was the first "detail" we decided to sacrifice, but it made the most sense to us in the end.  the dumbwaiter didn't actually work and, besides being able to say, "that's the old dumbwaiter," the space wasn't being put to good use and there was no other logical location for the refrigerator.

anastasia and mike had determined that we could achieve the best of both worlds by installing a gas range-top on top of the wood-burning stove.  while the old stove would ultimately be non-functional as a result, this solution still kept the stove as the kitchen's focal point and retained some of the original aesthetics while also giving us a more realistic cooking option. firing up the coals to bake a chicken was definitely not happening with your girl!

the sink would be relocated to the west wall, which meant we would be able to look through the kitchen window into the new family room, and we would add an adjacent dishwasher (non-negotiable!).  we also wanted to widen the doorway between the kitchen and the family room if we were able to determine that the wall wasn't structural.

in the extension, we decided to upgrade the bathroom and relocate the fixtures so that it would feel less crowded than the current configuration.  we briefly debated moving the bathroom to the walk-in pantry in the southeast corner of the kitchen, but ultimately ruled it out and decided to leave well enough alone.  we agreed to knock the wall down and eliminate the office so that we'd have an open area for a breakfast table, television and additional seating.  we will add a larger window to the west wall to get more light and move the washer and dryer to a new laundry room on the fourth floor.

we also decided to overhaul the HVAC system to make things more efficient in the long run.  we would convert from oil to gas for heat and remove/relocate some of the existing ducts, primarily in the cellar (more on that later).  and since so much work would go into redoing the heating system.....we decided to add central air into the mix as well.  lastly, the water heater would be moved out of the extension and into the cellar with the other HVAC equipment.

click here to see the garden level floor plan.

parlor floor:

some previous residents had utilized the rear parlor as the master bedroom in the owner's duplex and added a full bathroom into the room's southwest corner.  the current location blocked a lot of the natural light into the room and also compromised the beautiful bay window overlooking the backyard.  we wanted to regain some of the rear parlor's beauty but still retain the convenience of having a bathroom on the parlor floor for future entertaining.

southwest corner (behind green wall)

we'll need a craftsman to replicate the column
and bench on the left side of the window 

so long, farewell.....

hey hey hey.....good-bye!

we talked to anastasia about keeping the bathroom in the current corner, but reducing its overall footprint by eliminating the tub.  we quickly decided that we much preferred tearing down the current bathroom and replacing it with a powder room in the southeast corner instead.  we would keep it as small as possible and thought the new location would make it feel less conspicuous.  this decision also meant we would have to find a wood craftsman that could rebuild one of the columns and part of the window seat that had been destroyed when the first bathroom was constructed.

click here to see the parlor floor plan.

third floor:

the master bathroom is rectangular in shape.  in the current layout, the tub takes up about half of the long (north) wall, and the sink is located between it and the toilet.  there's a large window which faces west, so the bathroom gets really nice light.

there's a big window with
a lot of light in the bathroom 

the toilet and sink are crammed
between the tub and window

tub is along the wall on
the bathroom's north side

between our bedroom and the office, there is a small kitchen in the pass-through with a gas stove, refrigerator, sink and cabinets.  this was installed when the house was split up as a multi-family but is less necessary for our purposes.  some of the original storage space was lost when the vanity area was replaced with the kitchen, so that was something to consider as we evaluated renovation options for this area.

the frig is in the corner; you can see
the sink and cabinets reflected in the mirror

looking into the kitchen from the
office; stove and sink are on the right

just like the first floor bathroom, we thought relocating the fixtures would make the most sense.  anastasia suggested moving the tub underneath the window would create more space, so initially we thought about building a new vanity with his and hers sinks.  after some more brainstorming, she proposed having a wet zone with a standalone tub and separate shower/floor drain.  the larger wet zone meant going back to one sink.....but that was an easy trade for me to make to achieve my ideal "spa" bathroom!

we also wanted to eliminate the large appliances but still have the convenience of a mini pantry on the third floor.....without feeling like there was a "kitchen in our bedroom."  we decided to go with a sink, mini refrigerator and 2-burner range-top and planned to conceal everything behind a wood "appliance garage" roll down door so that it would like a built-in wardrobe when not in use.

click here to see the 3rd floor floor plan.

fourth floor:

on the fourth floor, we had to decide where to locate the new laundry room.  my first choice was to use the small office off of the hallway since it was the ideal size.  then, we could remove the appliances from the fourth floor kitchen and potentially use that space as another guest room or playroom sometime down the line.  however, we would also have to establish new plumbing connections to make the office work as a laundry room.  the other suggestion anastasia made was to put the laundry in the current bathroom, convert the kitchen to a full bath with tub, and enlarge the office so that it could be used as a tv room or playroom on that floor.  this would require more work to relocate the bathroom and meant we'd end up with a smaller laundry room.  in the end, we decided to go with the original plan and convert the office to the new laundry.  a lot of the new HVAC work would be routed through the laundry too.

click here to see the 4th floor floor plan.

cellar:
the ultimate goal is to finish the basement and turn it into a secondary entertainment and storage area -- the glorified man cave, home gym, etc.  anastasia gave us a first pass at a potential layout with a lounge/dj space in the small room in the western corner, a home gym on the west side, and an entertainment area on the east side with a mounted projector screen and elevated platform seating.  we decided to leave the cellar to tackle last in terms of making final decisions -- that gives the contractor the flexibility to use that area as a staging ground for equipment and materials required for the other renovation work.  the oil tank will come out and free up some space but be replaced by a new water heater and other equipment related to the HVAC work.  a lot of the existing ducts and plumbing pipes currently hang low from the ceiling, so wherever possible, the new ducts will be re-routed and placed higher in the ceiling between the floor beams which will make the room feel taller.   most likely, they'll start by knocking down all of the non-structural walls and strip the paint from the brick archways.  we think they will be able to create a smaller mechanical closet and add in some storage space before it's all said and done.