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Plan Your Home Remodel: The Interior Renovation Phase
Renovation Diary, Part 4: Peek in as the team opens a '70s ranch home to a water view, experiments with paint and chooses tile
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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Follow the progress of Mike and Leann Rowe of Lutz, Florida, as they renovate a 1970s-era ranch house in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Over the past few months, we've shown how they found the right house, assembled their project team, gathered inspiration, established a budget, drew the plans and started construction. The author is the project architect.
In the last installment, the exterior construction was well under way. We were installing new windows and repairing the exterior siding, which had rotted in many places. Now we've completed the exterior, and the local building department has closed out the permit for that work, so we can move on to the exciting interior renovations.
New cabinets, relocated plumbing, new finishes and moved walls are just a bit of what we're doing. And all of the items to go into the interior, from paint colors to furniture, have to be selected and ordered.
Let's take a look at how things are going.
In the last installment, the exterior construction was well under way. We were installing new windows and repairing the exterior siding, which had rotted in many places. Now we've completed the exterior, and the local building department has closed out the permit for that work, so we can move on to the exciting interior renovations.
New cabinets, relocated plumbing, new finishes and moved walls are just a bit of what we're doing. And all of the items to go into the interior, from paint colors to furniture, have to be selected and ordered.
Let's take a look at how things are going.
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| The exterior has taken shape nicely. While we still have landscaping to do, the siding has been repaired and the new windows and doors have been installed. We've also had a new deck installed. We've painted the exterior in a palette of driftwood-like colors to relate the home to the nearby gulf. |
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| BEFORE: The Rowes didn't let the home's '70s interior and "fast-food-restaurant storefront" scare them. The size of the house, location and general Florida split-plan arrangement were just what they were looking for. |
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| There was way too much wood inside the home. In fact, some rooms had wood finishes on the floors, walls and even ceilings. Though the plan was fairly open, it felt all chopped up, especially because of a massive concrete beam that created a real separation between the front and back of the house and blocked the view of the water. |
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| This concrete beam, getting uncovered here, supported the roof structure. |
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| This new sunburst window is where the old storefront-style windows had been. Large telescoping sliding glass doors now lead out to the deck and the boat dock. It's Florida living at it best. The new window and vaulted ceiling let in a lot of light and open the view across the bay toward the Pasadena bridge connecting St. Pete Beach to the St. Petersburg peninsula and the mainland. To carry through with our casual beach-house theme, the vaulted ceiling is finished with wide-plank wood boards painted a soft white. Eventually all the trim in the house will be painted this soft white color. |
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| Looking into the balance of the interior reveals just how much demolition work took place. Now we have a real feel for just how spacious and open the main living area will be with that beam gone. Removing the old concrete beam wasn't all that tricky. We first installed a new beam of laminated veneer lumber. This new beam was placed on top of the old concrete beam, and the existing roof structure was attached to it. As soon as this was done, we were able to remove the concrete beam. The new beam will be above the ceiling line, so it won't be visible in the space. More on how to install a new beam |
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| New walls have been erected, new wiring has been run and the new plumbing lines for the island sink have all been installed. At the same time, we've been refinishing some the original wood paneling that we decided to keep, such as in the skylight well. This wood will get the same soft white paint as the vaulted ceiling wood. There's no doubt that the interior will be a lot brighter than it originally was. See how the plan for this open area came together |
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The existing concrete slab had to be cut and removed in areas to accommodate the new plumbing lines for the relocated sinks. While doing this isn't the least costly way of renovating a house, the end result — a large island that allows a view from the kitchen sink out to the water — will be worth it.
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| For the main living space we've decided on Sherwin-Williams' Copen Blue to pull in the colors of the sky and water outside. Before finalizing this color, we purchased a sample can and painted a few areas to test it out. We also took a color sample to the furniture store to make sure that it'd go with the leather recliner and fabric=covered sectional already on order. When it comes to selecting a paint color, purchasing a sample can and painting several small areas is the way to go. Don't paint just one area, as color changes with the light. At the very least, test your paint in a corner that's in shade and an area that gets bright sun. |
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Another part of the renovation is a zero-threshold shower. This has meant chopping out the existing concrete and replacing it with new concrete set lower to accommodate the tilework. When it's done, Mike and Leann won't have to step over a shower threshold and possibly trip.
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| Speaking of the shower, we've visited a few tile showrooms and have decided on a 16-by-16 slate for the master bath floor and 12-by-24 porcelain tiles with glass tile accents for the shower walls. The slate has a lot of variation, from blue-grays to greens to rust colors. And the wall tile is really quite nice. It's called Touch, by Mediterranea, and it has a linen look and texture — the nifty result of an ink-jet-type manufacturing process. |
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| We've also been working on finalizing the interior cabinets, working with Jim Douglas of Douglas Woodworking in Clearwater, Florida. Douglas has provided detailed drawings of the vanity as well as kitchen cabinetry and a few of the other pieces we'll be having built for the home. Having drawings such as these done early in the construction allows all of the plumbing and electrical work associated with the cabinetry to be coordinated up front, eliminating costly and time-consuming rework later. |
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| The granite for the kitchen counters is Delicatus White. It has a lot of movement, with browns and golds and grays all swirled together. This will work really well with the cabinets; some will be stained a golden oak and some painted in Valspar's Wicker. |
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Scores, if not hundreds, of items have to be researched, selected and ordered in an extensive renovation. Leann, Mike and I have been going to lighting showrooms, tile and stone showrooms, furniture showrooms and many more places. While many people, including professionals at times, will wait until the last minute, the best approach is to select pieces early so they're ready when needed onsite.
There also may be something you find that is perfect. In this case and especially when it's a one-of-a-kind item, stake your claim to it when you can. This way you'll be assured of having exactly what you want.
Next: In a few weeks, we'll have the rough work all done, the drywall installed and the cabinets delivered and ready for installation. We'll be close to having the project wrapped up and ready for that inaugural party!
Next: The interior finishes go in
Start from the beginning: Part 1 of the Renovation Diary
There also may be something you find that is perfect. In this case and especially when it's a one-of-a-kind item, stake your claim to it when you can. This way you'll be assured of having exactly what you want.
Next: In a few weeks, we'll have the rough work all done, the drywall installed and the cabinets delivered and ready for installation. We'll be close to having the project wrapped up and ready for that inaugural party!
Next: The interior finishes go in
Start from the beginning: Part 1 of the Renovation Diary
Ideabook updated on March 19, 2013.
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I agree about sourcing as much stuff as possible ahead of renovating...we've rented a small sea container for temporary accommodation for all that stuff, lol. Sometimes I think I should just move into it myself...
(PS - did you already buy that Valspar "wicker" paint for the kitchen cabinets? I clicked on the link, and it's showing discontinued, fyi).
It's always best to contact a local architect experienced with residential renovations whenever you're thinking about changing windows, modifying the structure and things like that. Such a person will be able to lay out for you what's involved and what the possibilities are as well as what the likely cost will be.
Also the "charm" on the outside is basically the same. We just fixed and repainted the wood, had to change the windows to match hurricane code anyway.
Part 1: Ideabook: Follow a Ranch House Renovation From Start to Finish
Part 2: Ideabook: Plan Your Home Remodel: The Design and Drawing Phase
Part 3: Ideabook: Plan Your Home Remodel: The Construction Phase
Where we live a widespread rumor is that before you "can" sell a house you "must" have the septic system REPLACED. Which is--not exactly----the way it works in real life. So just curious about that--going to be moving in next few years and starting to gather info on different building reno's and rules etc.
And--those "drive thru" windows were huge here in upstate NY for a few years--people THOUGHT they were going to get lots n lots of "solar gain". What they generly got was a BIG heating bill; lots of drafty poorly sealed windows; and a room that was too hot in the summer and too cold in the severe winters. Many people have torn them off or severely re-done the space! I don't know anyone who spent all that money to do this--or who bought a house with them--to actually LIKE them after about the first 5 minutes! Best thing I have seen done is turn them to face each other and make a green house out of 'em. Good for chickens too!