New Construction in Minneapolis Keeps a Familiar Face
With the same exterior look of the previous home on its lot, this new build minimizes disruption while incorporating modern improvements
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I am licensed to practice architecture in Illinois, Florida, New Jersey & Wisconsin and I am a certificate holder from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Since 1996 I have worked from my home office and provide full architectural services exclusively to the single family residential market. My passion is to transform my clients' houses into their homes. I strive to have the "new" home accommodate my clients' lives without fighting them at every junction. I look to add curb appeal to encourage a beautiful streetscape. And I design any addition to look and feel like it has always been there.
Our projects have won numerous design awards as well as having...
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located... More »
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As we work our way out of the great recession, new construction starts are on the upswing and sales of existing houses have been improving. While this is really good news, and we're all hoping the trend continues and the pace picks up, I, for one, hope we change the paradigm a little. I'm hoping that we build new houses in neighborhoods where the infrastructure already exists rather than focusing on large, green-field developments to fuel new home construction.
A recently completed new home in Minneapolis' Fulton neighborhood is a case in point. Built on an existing and expanded foundation, this house appears from the street nearly identical to what was there before — while employing all-new materials and technologies to create an efficient home for 21st-century living.
Built by Mike Lucas of the gudhouse company, with design help from his architect brother Brian Lucas, the house incorporates locally sourced materials as much as possible and has been built to the standards of the Minnesota Green Path initiative.
A recently completed new home in Minneapolis' Fulton neighborhood is a case in point. Built on an existing and expanded foundation, this house appears from the street nearly identical to what was there before — while employing all-new materials and technologies to create an efficient home for 21st-century living.
Built by Mike Lucas of the gudhouse company, with design help from his architect brother Brian Lucas, the house incorporates locally sourced materials as much as possible and has been built to the standards of the Minnesota Green Path initiative.
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The height, width, hip roof, off-center entry and window placement are all identical to the house that existed beforehand. The only difference is that the original house had a stucco exterior, while the new home is sided with fiber cement. The sense of familiarity that the new home has must be reassuring to the neighbors, who don't have to worry about a McMansion invading their neighborhood.
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The designers and builders of the home were so intent on ensuring that the new structure would be familiar, they precisely re-created the old design of the front porch. It's surely reassuring that an old familiar face has been brought back to life with new construction and new materials.
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| A view of the back of the house reveals just how much the property slopes. With a total of about 2,700 square feet on three floors, the house isn't too big or too small, and each of the three levels gets abundant light. Though the home is close to downtown Minneapolis and set in an established neighborhood, it doesn't lack for a yard. In fact, the builder's son Nick proclaimed, "Dad, this is my dream house. It's an urban house with a suburban yard." |
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The living room is just off the entry foyer. This is the place for sitting and reading or meeting with a neighbor while other action takes place in the larger family room at the back of the house.
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The main living area is on the middle, or street-level, floor. The back of the house is a large room that contains the kitchen, dining area and family room. The front door and foyer are readily visible from this area.
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Sandwiched between the living room and the dining area, the kitchen has an efficient, galley-style layout. A breakfast bar provides the perfect spot for grabbing that morning cup of joe while heading out to work.
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| A nice way to expand the kitchen space was placing the refrigerator closer to the dining table and extending the wall of cabinetry. This arrangement allows the kitchen work area to be a tight and efficient zone within a much larger and open room. In keeping with the exterior look of the home, the interior incorporates a simple, clean-lined cabinetry design, light-colored walls and a warm-colored, wide-plank, quarter-sawn oak floor. These elements, combined with simpler trim and detailing, create a fresh and modern appeal. |
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The balance of the area is family central — a place for watching television, playing games, getting together for holidays and more. Large glass doors lead from this area to an elevated deck that overlooks the backyard, so that when weather permits, the living space grows considerably.
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| The stairway in the middle connects the home's three levels. While clearly utilitarian, the stair design incorporates the widened landing you'd expect in an older home. |
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Three nice-size bedrooms, two bathrooms and a laundry room are located on the third floor. Having the laundry room upstairs by the bedrooms and bathrooms avoids anyone's having to carry loads of clothes up and down three flights of stairs. And to keep the plan efficient, the laundry room is an extension of the hall bath.
Ideabook published on Jan. 1, 2013.
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An upstairs laundry room is great. I have to go up to bring laundry down wash/dry then cart it all back up.
This house seems to be thoughtfully planned.
I'll make sure to answer all and any questions, but feel free to also contact me directly if you want more specifics.
Mike
@patscats2 - I agree that the laundry room is a great color! It is Wedgewood Grey from the Ben Moore Historical Color palette
@timpoconnor - Cost per foot is always a tough question to answer because a lot depends on specifics to your project (building decisions, complexity, and owner selections, etc). For a project similar to this, in this location, using ~$200/ft (not including land costs) would be a good place to start.
@Tim Payne - Bud is correct. It is a Simpson Door. Douglas Fir. The siding was from the James Hardie ColorPlus series (Cobblestone) so the door was color matched to the James Hardie ColorPlus color - Countrylane Red - to stay with the same palette.