December 8, 2010
The shape of things to come
As fast as the house came down, it's coming back up even faster. Angel Leon and his crew have been working at an intense pace to keep us on schedule. Consequently, we have the benefit of seeing big changes each time we visit the work site. Soon after demolition, there were two-by-fours laid out on the subfloor mapping out the new room layout. The next time we came to the house, framing had already begun.
Up until that point, we were making design judgements based solely on two-dimensional drawings. And no matter how clear those drawings were, we couldn't really know how the room layout would "feel" until we could actually stand in the newly created space. Would the kitchen and family room feel too big? Would the bedrooms feel too small? We had a very very limited amount of space at our disposal, so we went through many iterations of our design with our architect, Nancy Ganucheau, and debated many of the options. Now, the big questions was: Had we made right choices?
Walking through the newly framed space, we're thrilled with the outcome. The kitchen feels perfect (good thing we decided against the island; it would have made the space way too cramped). We can also see the nice flow leading from the kitchen into the family room (exactly what we had hoped for). Both rooms will receive wonderful natural light from the new doors leading to the patio, and we'll finally have easy access to our under-utilized back yard. The bedrooms aren't too small, and all of them are located far enough away from the main family areas of the house. Overall, the house's proportions still seem appropriate, and the flow felt very natural.
One of the main desires we had expressed to Steve Pallrand when planning the remodel was that when everything was done, the house would feel like it was originally built that way. We both felt that we were well on our way to achieving that goal.
(9) Comments
Comment on this BlogSo far as I can see I think you have a very nice addition to your house. As for kitchen islands I think they are a bit over rated as it is. Nice in some cases and a real nuisance in other cases. Too bad your house isn't further along as then you could be in by Christmas. Good craftsmanship though takes time and now that the roof is on things will probably slow down a bit but that is only natural. Have a merry Christmas!
Of course. It IS L.A., after all!
Has anyone else noticed all the advertising banners hanging in the webcam views lately? They take their advertising seriously out there. I wonder who's getting the kickback from the advertisers.
I'm glad the project seems to be doing well. I didn't get as much choice in my home as far as design goes, but being really involved in the building process is always a plus.
Your project is coming along really well. I definitely agree that islands aren't always great. Look forward to seeing the finished home.
Angie Wycliff
http://www.remodeling-coeurdalene.com/
Great post..
Thank you for the post..
Very Nice
Looks great, looking forward to seeing the home finished. As always, these types of remodels while stressful are exciting to see.
Looks great!
I am pleased that the project seems to be good. I did not have much choice in my house as much design, but it is very involved in the construction process is always a plus.