Straightforward Refurbishment

I'm a sucker for a good adaptive reuse project. Check this cool little building that definitely needed some love. A basic brick structure that dates back to the 1890's with a slew of various owners and craftsman. A place with a ton of history and a new owner with a vision and passion for revitalizing his neighborhood.

Simple, sustainable, creative living. Solar panels on the roof, large sliding doors for cross ventilation and appropriately placed cabinetry to not only deaden sound but also shield some of the heat from the south.

photos via ArchDaily

Old Church New Home

I love a good story of salvaging history. This was an old church that was transformed into a theater and now a crazy custom home. It's definitely not your typical layout or design but they got after it, embraced the history and paid respect to the tradition of the architecture.

As you can see above with the finished product, they kept the character and style but cleaned it up with a softer color and a sweet little warm, outdoor living space.

Inside this place is wide open and bright. You can still see the original detail in the interior structure of the building.

A closer look at the cool, fresh outdoor living space. Just off of this is a small dipping pool. Thursday I make my guest appearance over at Fred Flare.

photos via Contemporist

Boathouse

A straightforward little before and after here. This is a boathouse on Lake Washington. They kept the core structure, opened it up and gave it a little facelift. It's amazing sometimes what a little color can do. There's just enough contrast when you factor in the metal roof, siding, windows and sliding barn style door.

photos via Remodelista

Ranch Transformation In Wine Country

A weekend getaway for a couple out in wine country goes from a master suite addition to a full overhaul. They transformed this dated ranch style home into more of a modern farmhouse taking full advantage of the amazing views and surrounding landscape.

A great before and after showing the two architectural styles. A little can go a long way in some of the exterior elements. I like how they embraced the lower pitch of the existing roof, keeping the lines for the addition and cladding it with standing seamed metal.

The room is immediately transformed when you open it on both sides. This is another great example going with the retractable doors.

via Contemporist

San Francisco Shingle

A San Francisco shingle style renovation and addition from Gast Architects. I love a good before and after, and I'm a huge fan of the character and detail that you find in this style of architecture. The residence was originally built in the early 1900's and you can see from the before photo that the exterior was just a little tired.

The exterior takes on a whole new look with the updating of the shingle along with the black accents in the windows and overhangs.

A custom built-in bookcase that doubles as a secret door. Very cool and so unique.

A few other fine interior details to appreciate throughout the home are the plaster cove ceilings and the patterns in the hardwood.

via Gast Architects

Adaptive Reuse

This is the Kolstrand Building in the industrial neighborhood of Ballad just out side of Seattle. It was originally a marine supply building dating back to 1910. It's been transformed into mixed-use and now houses offices, retail and restaurant space. Check out some before and after shots below or roll on over to Graham Baba Architects. Or check it here too.

I'm all about adaptive reuse and this is such a sweet example. The architecture is so powerful in some of these older structures and it's important to try and preserve a certain style and vernacular that can be so difficult to recreate these days.

via Graham Baba Architects

Kitchen Before and After

A nice little before and after from RAAD Studio. This is the finished product of a New York loft. When you check the before photo below you can see how they broke down the space and highlighted a few features. The brick speaks for itself. Just clean it up and you're ready to go. The ceiling is another gem. You expose it, clean it and incorporate some lighting. It instantly adds some volume and becomes another design element.

Here's a shot of the kitchen before the renovation. Check out the fireplace. I like how they utilized the old firebox, bringing it up to date and making it a focal point of the room.

via RAAD

Limitations and Challenges

There are plenty of times in renovation work when you come across design challenges. It's all about how you solve them both aesthetically and economically. The owners here wanted to expand their 800 square foot home however ran into some limitations. The municipality would not allow a second story and the soil conditions (and budget) were not conducive for a basement. The architects got creative and designed a small addition split level.

This is the exterior of the 800 square foot home in Montreal, Canada before the architects got loose.

This is a view from the addition looking back toward the existing house. The split level has created three rooms; the dining area, a sitting room and a bedroom. A pretty genius idea working on a limited budget and site restrictions.

via Contemporist

The Ford Plantation Saved

This is a late 1920's board-and-batten farm cottage just outside of Savannah, Georgia that was once owned by Henry Ford. It was to be torn down and the couple that purchased it had second thoughts. They did a sweet job preserving and renovating this little historic nugget. I love places with history. Check out some of the photos.

photos via Coastal Living Magazine

Kitchen Makeover

I came across this before & after today and I thought it was a great way to show how any space (big or small) can be transformed.

It's hard to believe this clutered and dated space was transformed into the modern kitchen in the first picture.

I like how they made the kitchen much more modern with the quartz countertops and the cool tone tile backsplash.

That is a lot of tile, but it definitely works in this space. I think it is a perfect New York kitchen.

(photos via The Kitchn)

Before and After

I am a total sucker for before and after images. As a builder, it is key to be able to see past the current state of a project and to really envision it as something completely different. I think that is part of the reason I truly love to remodel. It is amazing to see something old transformed into something new, something compartmentalized transformed into an open space, something rugged turned into something polished. Remodeling really is blank slate if you think a little out of the box. In my opinion, the crazier and more challenging the project, the better.

It is hard to imagine this modern Salt Lake City home was ever a beat up 1950s pad. Check out the before pictures.

The transformation is pretty amazing. I could definitely get used to a house like this.

(via Black Eiffel and Cup of Jo, pictures by Tyler Gourley)