|
While new construction serves the main base of our work in the past, the restoration projects I have found personally more challenging with respect to both design and construction. With respect to most large scale remodel projects, such as our recent restoration of the Goldblatt Estate on the Wilmette lakefront, the challenge was to respect the original architect's design yet accommodate the demand by my client to modernize to today's standards of room sizes, home automation and mechanical systems. We also set out to capitalize on some spectacular views of the lake that were previously not taken by the previous owner. Whether the remodeling or restoration project is large or small each is uniquely different in assessing the existing plan and if it is easily adaptable to the request of more square footage, the addition of a new room or correcting inherent circulation problems with a given floor plan. The aesthetics is a whole other issue of the design process. Some remodeling projects have a strong initial design characteristic that demands little to be done to the exterior other than maintain the homes original character while other remodeling projects need a complete facelift to provide some distinctive character, where none existed.
With respect to my own home, I was in the same dilemma as most of my remodeling clients who are considering to remodel and/or add on a substantial amount of square footage versus teardown and rebuild new or possibly move. I considered the adaptability of my existing plan to accommodate the new addition both outward and upward and whether it was cost effective. There were some inherent problems of my ranch style home with the layout of existing rooms which did not provide for a good separation between the sleeping area of the house and the more social areas. Besides the problems with the layout of rooms, the home was lacking in the amount of room that were needed for a family of five. The last issue to resolve was the lack of any real character or charm, which is typical of most ranch style homes. Through much analysis of various plan options a final layout was selected based on room arrangement and ease of circulation between those rooms. The next step was to give the home a much needed facelift from the exterior. Once the form and function were attended to it was a matter of establishing a final estimated construction cost to see that it was inline with my budget and to determine if the proposed improvement to my home exceeded the market value of homes in my neighborhood.
Besides the aesthetics and functionality of a given design, it is my strong feeling that my house as well as my clients homes should also be approached from an investment point of view. I will generally review with my clients whether the changes that they intend are prudent changes to be made that will provide value to their home and ultimately will translate to added value when they decide to sell. If this is not the case then we can assess whether to consider other options. The money I have invested in my own home is like money in a savings account that has brought dividends of enjoyment by my family and added value.
The ultimate goal of a Page restoration is to provide the necessary plan changes with modern amenities to satisfy the needs of the client while maintaining or enhancing the aesthetic character of the existing home and finally to provide added value to the home.
Back to Restoration Gallery
|
