the Ranch Renovation

What’s the reason for buying a 1954 midcentury ranch flavored home that has a broken swimming pool, outdated finishes and one less bedroom than kids? For some it may be a hard pass but for this family, staying in the city they’ve grown to love was important as was creating a design that reflects their style including efficient spaces that align with their daily routines and giving some space to their kids as they grow older and more independent. It helps that one parent is an architect and owner of fuse57 architecture.

The design solutions include:
• add a two bedroom/one bath addition over the garage that makes up the teen space as well as updating the finishes throughout the home.
• The kitchen was remodeled using Ikea cabinets with custom grey elm door fronts and opened to join the visual company of the living and dining areas.
• The existing two main level bedrooms were slightly retooled and converted into a primary suite with an adjoining office/craft space.

Like the decision to use IKEA base cabinets with the custom fronts, the material choices throughout the entire renovation were a combination of higher-end statement pieces and lower cost options. Materials used in the project include:
• The original Anderson windows were replaced with new oversized H windows from Ashland Wisconsin.
• New white oak hardwood floors were installed to provide continuity as well as durability.
• A new cement board rain screen clads the new addition while the existing redwood siding was painted black and clear cedar soffits with key accents were added for warmth.

Common sense sustainability features included – new energy efficient windows and mechanicals, using spray foam insulation in anything that was new or exposed and using locally sources materials when possible. The budget was approximately $200k and maximized by phasing the projects and hiring out the core building shell and mechanicals while most interior finishes were done as a DIY. The finished above ground area is ~2,200sf and has a finished basement space of ~600sf.