During the Parade of Homes, the public has an opportunity to help area families in need when they visit the BATC Foundation Dream Homes. During the 2013 Spring Remodelers Showcase, visitors can visit two very special Dream Remodeled Homes.
All visitors to the Dream Remodeled Homes are asked to pay a tax-deductible $5.00 admission fee at the door. All proceeds will be used by the BATC Foundation (the charitable arm of the Builders Association of the Twin Cities) to help continue their work building and remodeling for low-income or specially challenged Twin Cities families. All other Remodeled Homes are open for viewing at no cost.
Home #R25
Copper Creek LLC
1921 W. Saunders Avenue, St. Paul
A Legendary St. Paul Tear Down
If the walls of this historic Highland Park home could talk, there would be tales to tell. The modest urban lot in this iconic St. Paul neighborhood is surrounded by a rich and notorious history. The home was rumored to be a speakeasy in the 1920’s during the Prohibition era and its long-time neighbors have taken an interest in its haunted past. Speculations of hidden passageways and underground tunnels were rumored to have existed on the property so when news spread of a possible tear down, curiosity around the project was stirring.
Originally built in 1918, the home included two front rooms with lead-glass windows that provided a 180-degree view of the property. Over the years, updates were made to the home but the overall architectural integrity had declined, and existing structural damage and asbestos problems made it clear that a tear down was the best option.
Finding a way to build a new home design with over 3,000 finished square feet on a small urban lot, while making the design fit into its existing neighborhood, was a challenge that Copper Creak, LLC accepted. The company’s goal was twofold: to protect the aging, historic neighborhood and to establish a custom dream home with all of the amenities of a contemporary lifestyle.
That is exactly what you will find in the four-bedroom, three-bath, two-story urban Dream Remodel. The spacious open-concept main level has a kitchen great room poised for social gatherings, and a separate dining room for formal entertaining. White beams line the ceilings to create a stunning grandeur that competes only with the kitchen’s super-sized center island that nearly stretches the entire length of the great room. Natural lighting streams through a window-filled wall complete with quad French doors that connect the backyard entertaining spaces with the main house. Stainless steel appliances, sleek cabinet hardware, main level laundry, mud room and connecting three-stall garage create a floor plan that includes all of the modern amenities that aren’t typically found in existing homes in the neighborhood.
Ample bedroom space, homework station and above-garage playroom, all make the upstairs kid friendly, while the adjacent office, master suite with walk-in closet and deluxe bath provides an oasis for parents.
“On this particular project, I’m most proud of how we were able to combine elements of older and more traditional homes with newer and more modern finishes,” says Vince Birdsley, managing partner at Copper Creek, LLC. “We are finding that more and more families are choosing to stay in urban areas and modify their homes. For the homeowners, this meant that they could create their perfect urban Dream Remodel in a way that accommodates their lifestyle and honors the look of their neighborhood.”
While this historic tear down may have taken its secrets with it in demolition, the stunning Dream Remodel that replaced the original will now tell a new tale of its own.
Home #R47
Otogawa-Anschel Design-Build
2105 Humboldt Avenue S., Minneapolis
Bringing a Faded Beauty Back to Life
Walking into this 1909 Kenwood home, it was hard not to be impressed. There was beautiful woodwork, a graceful staircase, built-in desk nook, formal living room, and stained glass accents. However, on further exploration, you quickly found a small cramped kitchen in desperate need of updating, and the staircase became steep and cramped as it approached the top floor. You also soon noticed the absence of a first-floor powder room, informal eating area, mud room or proper back entry. For this growing family of five these were problems that needed resolution.
Enter Otogawa-Anschel Design-Build. They immediately recognized how to bring this beauty to life again, including a complete reworking of the back of the home and the construction of a beautiful three-story brick addition. They recycled the poorly constructed, flat-roof, three season porch that had no relation to the home. And, working with architect, Habitat, they holistically developed design solutions that addressed the myriad constraints and goals for the home and masterfully disguised the modifications; you’ll be hard pressed to identify the new space from the original.
The new kitchen and pantry with eating space for the entire family is simply gorgeous. The new mud room also provides a much-needed connection between the kitchen and the sitting room, and allows easy navigation of the entire first floor. The expanded closets, expanded bedrooms, additional bathroom, and four-story laundry chute take the home to a new level of functionality.
The details are nothing short of impressive. The newly constructed sections of stairs are indistinguishable from the original. From the keyhole balusters to the detailed skirt boards, the only give away is the lack of any scuffmarks on the treads. The brickwork is so well executed you might wonder which side of the home is original. In fact, the new brick looked so good the homeowner decided to sandblast the original brick rather than paint the new to match.
To remove any trace of connection on the interior, a series of steel beams were installed, creating smooth and flush ceiling and floor connections. To keep consistent with the original home, custom diamond mullions were installed on the new window units. Through the shuffling of interior space, a powder room was successfully added to the first floor.
There are plenty of details artfully hidden throughout the project. Some of the highlights include the large stained glass windows that were moved to the kitchen, the beautiful historic replication handmade tile entry, and the charming period cabinetry that graces the spacious new kitchen.
The homeowners couldn’t be happier. The space is exactly what they had hoped for and the execution, craftsmanship, and attentiveness paid to helping them through this challenging remodel were all outstanding. On top of all that, the team at Otogawa-Anschel Design-Build managed to get this massive project built and the owners back in the home in just four months.
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The 2013 Spring Parade of Homes is sponsored by Marvin Windows and Doors.