Patty and Gary reached out to us because their family was growing, but their house seemed to be shrinking! They initially purchased this home as a starter and only planned to stay for a few years, but after more than a decade they finally decided that it was time to turn it into their forever home.
PROJECT AT A GLANCE:
Location: Burlington, MA
Type of Home: Ranch/Cape Built in 1976
Square Footage: 1,625 Square Feet before; 2,080 After
About 6 years ago they renovated the kitchen with very traditional finishes in anticipation of selling, but since they decided to stay, Patty really wanted to make some changes to make it more reflective of her personal style. The other big issues with the house were:
1. The lack of a closet/ mudroom at the entry,
2. The main family bathroom (with the only shower) was also doubling as the guest bathroom, and
3. The living room was just too small and closed off when the whole family was in the space with friends.
BEFORE: Prior to the renovation this 5×8 side entry was an old enclosed porch with windows on every wall. It was unheated, poorly built, and rotting away. Since there was limited space at the front entry we decided to rebuild this tiny room into a combo mudroom/pantry to give them a place to drop their shoes & coats as well as give them some pantry storage.
AFTER: We installed floor to ceiling pantry cabinets on the back wall and on the left we installed a bench with hooks. We used a deep blue-green paint color on all of the built-ins to add a little drama. The ceiling vault gives it some flair, and classic gray herringbone heated floors lend a timeless look to this entry.
BEFORE: The kitchen was renovated 6 years ago with very traditional finishes because they thought they would be selling the home. Now that they had decided to stay Patty wanted to make some changes to this space. It was just too dark and she hasn’t been a fan of the tile since the day it was installed.
AFTER: Since the kitchen was so young we kept the cabinetry, but changed almost everything else! We replaced the counters with a modern quartz, installed a new bright backsplash going up to the ceiling, and updated the hardware, faucet, lighting, and paint.
AFTER: We replaced the old backsplash with beautiful arabesque tiles installed vertically with a contrasting grout to add some interest to the space.
AFTER: From the updated kitchen space you catch a sneak peek of the opening to the new addition!
THE NEW ADDITION: After talking with Patty and Gary about what they needed to stay in this home it became clear that an addition was in order! The new room was built to flow off the kitchen so there’s plenty of space for family and friends.
Patti tended to gravitate towards timeless design so I kept the details simple with white beams and a classic herringbone tile on the fireplace.
AFTER: With 2 growing boys we wanted to include a practical space for them hang out if they were having a snack or needed a place to do homework in the new room so Paul and our team built this custom couch table for the family.
In addition to the mudroom/ pantry out front we were able to fit another mudroom with a closet for overflow as well as a much needed guest bathroom in the new addition.
I just love the pattern tile we used here!
THE MASTER BATHROOM: One more thing we were able to sneak into this project was a shower for the master bathroom. The bathroom already had a sink and toilet, but no shower which meant that the whole family (and guests) were using the main hall bathroom. The new addition was built to line up in such a way that we were able to steal a little section of the addition to add a shower for Patty and Gary. We updated the floor tile to match the new shower and installed a chevron waterfall on the back wall.
AFTER: We snuck in a shower for the master bathroom behind the new half bath!
We are so happy that Patty and Gary allowed us to document their journey through transforming their house into a place that no longer feels like their starter home! The whole family now has plenty of room to bond and create memories that will last a lifetime!
Want to see a video walk through of this finished project? Check it out BELOW!
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