This young professional couple was planning on starting a family and really loved their 1 ½ story house in an upscale urban neighborhood. But the 1940’s built house was tight on space. The solution was removal of the entire attic level to create a full 2nd story the entire circumference of the homes foundation. This provided them with a luxury Master Suite (Bedroom & Full Bath & Walk-in Closet), another grand Bedroom, and 3 more nicely sized Closets!
“Market Insight: Pros and Cons of Offering Help with Project Financing” By Rob Heselbarht, Editorial Director. Qualified Remodeler Magazine, June 2013
After exploring and eliminating other options that might meet their needs such as a possible basement finish or a rear main level addition, it was decided the best “bang for the buck” was to go straight up. This necessitated a Variance from the City of Minneapolis because the original 4 feet of the as-built front main level protruded into the now present setback rules of the neighborhood. We agreed with our clients that delaying the project start to go through this costly and time-consuming process in order to gain a better 2nd floor plan was most important!
On the exterior, we installed new Marvin Integrity All-Ultrex casement windows, and matched the current siding, fascia, soffit, gutters & shutters. On the interior, a brick chimney ran from the basement through the main level and attic and out the roof – and this we completely removed! Timeless class is represented in the use of Hirshfields paint, Bayer-Built 2-panel Doors, Schlage Hardware, window treatments and organizational systems. The stairwell up had the head & side enlarged, carpet removed and original wood steps stained dark in order to transition from the main level Oak floors to the new 2nd floor Mirage hard Maple Greystone flooring. The new bathroom has a space-saving design that has a 6-foot long soaking Ultra Azur tub, a 2-person sized subway tile shower, and a Pottery Barn 2-sink vanity with Delta fixtures. Steel penny round tiles seamlessly border the room and white Carrera Marble slabs on the shower curb, shampoo shelves and tub half-wall, create cohesion with the vanity.
