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It's a little late now, since you've already done the demo and tossed the material, but I hope you had the ceiling tiles tested before you removed them- they're notorious for containing asbestos, and you may have just sucked up quite a bit of it in the demo process.
Wow, that looks amazing! Thank you very much!! I have always wanted to put a porch off the dining room/kitchen and put a set of french doors where the window is in the dining room and another set where the solid entry door is in the living room. That front porch would be awesome but the house sits so close the road. If it was like it was back in the day with just a 2 track dirt road it would really by nice but the road in front there is a pretty busy road now. And the fact that I am on a college kids budget which isn't much considering I am eating Ramen noodles every night, lol.
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Originally Posted by T. Damon
Wow, I just noticed from your last photos that you found your own way to get that crazy bathroom situation fairly worked out by covering the basement stairs- Nice going! I was wondering if the basement(s) are connected or why the heck there are two stairs? A cheaper solution than my design to be sure.
I'm still rallying for the front porch though- Its such a sweet, strong and classic farmhouse- a simple Greek Revival almost- it would really complete the house I think.
Yes they are connected. Ill show in my pictures in the next post. And yes I think that porch you designed would look amazing.
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Originally Posted by T. Damon
Haha- Thanks, I think... Yeah, I am a little obsessive compulsive once I get my mind wrapped around something.
Seriously, I was just impressed with the looks and setting of the little house and all the hard work that wagonproject is putting into it and wanted to throw out an image of what I thought might inspire him even more since he seems capable of it. I hope he is using hangers for those new floor joists though. I use Vectorworks Designer with Renderworks and yes, I am a architectural designer so I hope he appreciates all this free design work.
I was looking at the pics and the totally not to scale floor plan he has drawn and tried to figure out what is really going on here and what could possibly be done as he is renovating it. The more I started working out a best guess dimensional floor plan I just decided to go all out and design it as if someone had hired me for that house. Might be more my taste but I tried to embrace the rural simplicity of the structure and site with some honest details and colors and a layout that could work.
I wish it wouldn't export so small from my image hosting website though.
Thank you a ton again. I showed your drawings to my older relatives and they fell in love. I don't really need hangers for the floor joists since it will just be a closet, no one will be stepping on the floor. I am really thinking about later splitting the porch into an entry way where you walk in and then have another room at the end where all the empty space is now for a laundry room so you don't have to go downstairs. And I really like your kitchen island. When it comes time to do the kitchen I am not sure if I want a bar like there is now or an island like you drew. I think the island may be better as the dining room is already small and you would be kind of blocking it off like it is now with a bar.
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Originally Posted by T. Damon
A couple more tweaks to the design: separate mud room/vestibule with a coat closet for those cold, slushy Michigan winters, and tucking the Fridge into the closet-making that closet a pantry enlarges the feeling of the kitchen. A nice little sunroom to hang out in with a good book or to play some cards with some friends.
I'm still keeping my kinda funky bathroom design/tiny addition- I just hate bathrooms directly off the kitchen or dining area.
Wow I really like that pantry/fridge idea.
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Originally Posted by Hopes
Another benefit of closing off the basement stairs is now a closet can be added under the upper stair case.
At one time, I'm certain the basements weren't connected.
If you look at the last photo he posts of the basement showing the stairs closed off, you'll see that the basement wall was cut to connect the two basement areas.
If you're going to go all out on expenses and add a front porch, I rally for a wrap around porch anchoring to the one story addition on the side.
Yep I am adding a closet under the stairs. And yes after some talking with relatives you are correct on the basement.
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Originally Posted by ibohool
Beautiful design and wonderful house
Thank you.
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Originally Posted by MarkInFlorida
Sorry, that was in reference to a comment someone made about me above for wanting to improve the house.
This young man should definitely appreciate your work. If anyone is having trouble seeing the plan, save it to your computer and use your picture viewer to make it bigger.
I greatly appreciate his work. I love looking at floor-plans. And thanks for the suggestion on making it bigger.
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Originally Posted by T. Damon
I think we even have Hopes on the "as long as you got it down to the studs, why not think about a few small changes that could dramatically improve the house?" haha
Admittedly, the porch wouldn't be inexpensive, nor would the the 5'x'5' bathroom addition per/s.f. cost be cheap or a new bathroom upstairs- but taken together these would dramatically improve the house I think; its livability now and marketability later.
I understand an inclination to go ahead and make the porch bigger but I respectfully disagree- this is a small, yet formal house and this proposed design is to emphasize the completed, proud look of the older house while acknowledging the addition as a different form and era. A nice sittin' porch large enough for a couple of rocking chairs to take in the landscape is all it needs.
And a proposed design like this is to generate thoughts about a completed design, one that may take years to finance and build but allows one to tackle one part in consideration of future improvements.
Thanks again. I printed off your designs to save for future plans if that's okay. Still can't believe someone took the time to do that.
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Originally Posted by T. Damon
Thanks for the props- I'm working (thank god) in a medical architecture office now and I'm missing being able to do what I love- residential design- so I get that design itch sated by finding a challenge here or there, fortunately for bandwagon. Though it seems like I (we) may have scarred him off, we haven't heard from him in a while. I hope not, his enthusiasm and work ethic impressed me as does his little house so I did this sincerely to possibly inspire him even a little more- he just owes me a big ass beer when I come to Michigan haha!
Good design generally doesn't come cheap (well, this being an exception here), but good design does add value. I don't know how much it would translate in that market but the two highest price resale homes in my zip code that sold this year were my designs. And both were very modest formerly 800 sf - to 1400 sf vintage homes that I managed to keep the character and add much needed living space, bathrooms, workable kitchens and perhaps most importantly- extra storage (I'm known for throwing in an extra closet that the clients didn't even expect lol) So I hope he aspires to use his considerable talent and gusto to reach even a little bit higher- I bet Gramps would approve too.
I am still here, just been very busy after work working on farm equipment and baling hay.
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Originally Posted by MarkInFlorida
This design would surely make a huge differnence on market value. Of course, he will probably never sell it, but it will be a much more enjoyable place to live and Grandpa would be proud.
It looks like the bottom floor bath is the biggest challenge. It also looks like you made the front porch 8' deep. A porch becomes an actual usable space at 8' or more and besides 8' boards are cheap.
I know you know that, but he may not.
I wish the old guy was still around to see his house. Just hope it makes him proud.
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Originally Posted by sanrene
Op, you're going to get rid of those hollow core doors aren't you?
Yes. Ill be replacing all doors as I remodel each room.
Got the wall between the bathroom and closet framed in. I had to build 2 separate walls since the wall is so thick there from when the addition was put on. I will insulate the walls to help keep noise down from the bathroom.
Looking from the dining room.
Looking from the bedroom where I also got the closet doorway roughed in.
I also had to add another sheet of wood to the floor to bring it up level with the existing floor.
And the whole basement thing. I am not sure who put the addition on (the kitchen/dining/bath area) as no relatives can remember. But what I was told is that they can always remember the basement under the 2 story part (where I took out the stairs). Under the single story part of the house (the kitchen/dining/bath area) was a Michigan basement. It was just a dirt floor that was raised like 4 feet or so from the other basement floor under the 2 story part. My grandpa dug out all the dirt by hand and carried it outside in buckets by himself. While he was digging it out, he braced the house up. After he was done digging it out and the floor was level with the other basement he built the cinder block wall around the basement that you see. And chiseled out the bottom half of the wall separating the two basements. That's why it looks so jagged and not just a straight cut in the cement.
Looking from the the bottom of the stairway (the stairway that leads to the basement from the entry way).
This is the wall that is right next to the stairs as you come down. When he dug the basement out he couldn't dig even more as the garage was right there (there was a one car garage where the entry way is now), so he just built that brick wall.
And the date that he must of completed this huge project (1961) along with his initials.
Are you closing off the entrance to the bathroom from the bedroom? I guess that's the only bathroom. I just wasn't expecting that. Well, your closet will be bigger!
Are you closing off the entrance to the bathroom from the bedroom? I guess that's the only bathroom. I just wasn't expecting that. Well, your closet will be bigger!
There was never a entrance to the the bedroom from the bathroom. The stairs lead downstairs from the bathroom. I just took the door out so I could build the back wall of the closet. Also there was never a closet in the bedroom as it was originally not a bedroom. I want to make the house a 2 bedroom so I figured it would be better to make the old stairway into a closet instead of a hallway to to the bathroom.
There was never a entrance to the the bedroom from the bathroom. The stairs lead downstairs from the bathroom. I just took the door out so I could build the back wall of the closet. Also there was never a closet in the bedroom as it was originally not a bedroom. I want to make the house a 2 bedroom so I figured it would be better to make the old stairway into a closet instead of a hallway to to the bathroom.
BTW, thanks for posting the pictures. I just love to see pics of old houses. BTW, I personally LOVED the retro bathroom and door handles on all of the cabinetry.
I understand about the budget for a porch for now.
In the future, consider that a porch can be located very close to a street. Depending on the overall setting, it works.
Some of the most beautiful historic districts have porches very close to the street. It's quite charming.
I can understand why it's a back burner issue for the OP. The porch will be purely aesthetics because it won't be used being so close to a busy road.
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Porch Close to Road
