House Dressing Company

Our work on the Welsh’s beautiful home in St. Paul wrapped up just in time for the Holidays.  After giving the family a few months to get settled we visited them again to capture some final “after” images.  The slideshows below give you a glimpse at the before, during and after phases of the project with a few notes. To read more about the project, CLICK HERE.

This project is a great example of cost-conscious maximization and re-enlivening of a great home. Reusing, getting creative with stock components and just being smart about how things were done allowed all of the work completed, throughout four stories, to come in at just about $150/square foot.  For a job this size, we think that’s an incredible value. Feel free to contact us for more information about how we bill our jobs – you may be pleasantly surprised that unlike most general contractors out there our interior design services are included in the cost of our contracting work.

Historic Exteriors Handled With Care

To increase bedroom and office space, a 2nd story addition was added above the first level family room – where a flat roofed deck space existed previously. A new tile roof was added to match the existing, the chimney raised above the 3rd story, and the entire exterior of the home received a new coat of paint. Click through the images below to see the progression of the exteriors throughout the project.

Connecting the Kitchen & Living Room

The goal with the Kitchen and Living Room was to open up the space into the “family hub” of daily activity.  Family casual dining space, kitchen and living spaces were all reconnected by removing walls and widening openings.

Creating Usable Space for a Growing Family

The project reclaimed and repurposed a number of spaces to fit the needs of the growing Welsh family.  The existing house had no interior connection to the 2-car garage, nor did it have enough closet space at the existing rear entry.  The solution was to repurpose the existing maid’s quarters to become a generous mudroom and new rear entry with connection to the garage.  The lower level, while spacious, was made of many rooms with small openings. The reclaimed lower level spaces would have wider connections between rooms, wood laminate flooring, new cabinets, additional egress window and a new 3/4 bath.

Accommodating a New Home Office

Two offices were worked into the revised plan.  One is a new space built in the 2nd story addition, the other updated an existing office space once connected to the master sitting room.  To create a secured, private entry to this updated office, the main stairway was rerouted – closing off one branch with a new bookshelf, and creating a new branch leading to the office space.  In the process, a short stairway into the kitchen was filled in with pantry cupboards.

The Master Plan

The original master sitting room was replaced by an enlarged master closet and laundry. The master bathroom was enlarged to accommodate a whirlpool tub and a 2-sink vanity.

Room to Grow

The 2nd story addition created an additional bedroom, a new office, two new bathrooms and allowed an existing bedroom to enlarge – while replacing a Jack ‘n Jill 2-door bathroom with a private girl’s bath.

Details

Details are something we hold close to our hearts here at House Dressing Company.  From uncommon craftsmanship to creative trim combinations – and even creative reuse of original details – we think the details in a home bring out its true character.  Enjoy this collection of shots highlighting some of the smaller, but just-as-important details of this great project.