The Mansard Primary Suite

How do you create a modern amenity like a Primary Suite in an old house?  You have to combine rooms. In our case, we took 2 bedrooms and a storage room, to create a suite that meets modern needs (because no one wants 4 bedrooms and only one bathroom anymore!).

It's probably easier to see the difference in the floor plans.

The original front bedroom became the sleeping area.  It's such a light, bright room 

and what about that light fixture??

The back bedroom (pink room) became a bathroom and a closet.  The bathroom has a beautiful marble floor and a large shower, with the back wall accented with blue tile.

The bathroom is such a great space!

The curved rear wall from the mansard roof adds interesting dimension to the room!

The closet provides lots of storage space and the window brings in great natural light.

But my favorite part of the room is the 'reading nook'.  This former storage room is a sweet little space that is the perfect spot to curl up with a book.  But it also has lots of storage space, to make it really practical.  Because it's such a small room (8 feet x 8 feet), it's hard to capture it in photos.  But here's my attempt!

These changes created a warm, welcoming suite that will be wonderful for the new homeowners! 

Connecting the old pink bedroom with this bedroom transformed the space! 

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The Sunroom

The sunroom is such a wonderful bonus room – that got a much needed update during the renovation.  Accessed off of the kitchen and dining room, it leads directly to the backyard. 

 

From city records, it appears the space was originally a deck, that later got enclosed into a three season room. 

 

Our goal was to add mudroom space (it’s an easy entrance from the driveway into the kitchen) and additional living space for the new owners.  We also added a new heat source, so the room can be used year round. 

It clearly had skylights when it was originally done, but they weren’t built with a curb (which is a no-no on a low slope roof) and most likely leaked.  We decided they should be opened back up, to bring as much light into the room as possible.  They made such a difference!

 

Yup - we painted the ceiling.  The dark wood made the ceiling feel so low!

If you’ve been following along for awhile, you’ll know I’m pretty obsessed with creating storage space.  So, we added two storage closets (IKEA PAX units, which we customized with lighting, hanging space, drawers and shoe trays)  and a long mudbench beneath the window.  We added two legs to the mudbench, to make sure there was enough center support.  That created room for a couple of baskets that are perfect for hats and gloves in the winter – and flip flops in the summer!  And there are also hooks to hang jackets and the dog’s leash.

Did you notice the gold shed outside the window!!! So glad it's moved!

The rest of the room has changed a bit too.  We moved the door to the kitchen, to provide more cabinet space, as well as swapped out the original window with the antique lead glass one.  This has so much more character!

 

We also installed LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile) on the floor.  It’s a great choice for a room that is hard wearing with lots of traffic.  It can take a lot of abuse and is easy to clean.  Perfect choice!

The final result?  A beautiful updated space that will be great for its new owners! 

 

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The Basement Bonus Room

I kept agonizing whether or not to finish one side of the basement in this house.  It had 'sort of' been finished in the past, with a suspended ceiling and a drywall partition down one side of the room (although the kids that grew up in the house in the 60's and 70's said there were no walls then.  They used to roller skate in the basement.  That's a good way to tire out a family of 6 children when the weather isn't good!). 

It also had a pellet stove, right in the middle of the room, that looked like it was rarely used (although there were holes cut in the ceiling above it, to allow heat to go upstairs).  The pellet stove really didn't make sense for a finished space, so we gave it away.

There were no water marks on the drywall to indicate a flooding problem - the only evidence of water we saw was around the windows, which had lots of dirt and leaves up against them.  That only encouraged water penetration.  So with that in mind, we decided to create some living space down there.  Because who doesn't need a bonus room?  Especially when it's a big space!

Dimple board on walls and floor, to provide airflow and drainage

In preparation, we did all the usual things.  We spray foamed the sills and walls down several feet, to provide insulation and air sealing.  We installed 'dimple board' to raise the flooring and walls off of the concrete - preventing any wicking from summertime condensation and allowing air flow.

We created a fireplace box, for an electric unit that would add heat and ambiance to the room.

Luxury Vinyl Tile is my 'go to' flooring for a basement.  It's really rugged and looks great.  

And we added a suspended ceiling, to give a finished look to the room, while providing access to any electrical or plumbing in the future.

The result?  A big, multi purpose room that the new homeowners can use for whatever they like!  

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Mansard Kitchen and Dining Room - Before and After

Many of you said the living room and foyer were dramatically changed with the updates we made, but the kitchen and dining room might be even more dramatic.  I'll let you be the judge.

Uncovering ceiling height!

Before we could do anything, we had to make some major structural changes.  We took two walls out - the wall between the living room and dining room and the wall between the living room and dining room.  Both were load bearing walls, so we had to add new beams to make the updates.  We also had to add new joists to fix sagging floors in the kitchen, as well as in the ceilings, to accommodate the bathrooms that we added above them. And of course we tore out all those old ceilings.  It was a big job, but was so necessary!

You can really see the change with the walls removed in this photo.  Now the dining and kitchen areas are one cohesive space.

Wall removal between kitchen and dining room

The dining room got a major change with multiple layers of wallpaper removed and 3 (three!!!!) ceilings removed!

We removed the original casement window and replaced it with this gorgeous antique window.  It allows lots of light to come in from the sunroom and gives the room some character.

So many layers of wallpaper! 

The custom built in provides great storage.  

The next two photos really highlight the impact of increasing the ceiling height and opening up the doorway to the living room.  Now it's so light and bright!

Dining Room - Before

Dining Room - After

The changes in the kitchen are also worthy of a 'wow'.  How many changes can you spot?  We gained an additional 18 inches of ceiling height when we removed the old suspended ceiling.

We replaced the small window over the sink with a larger, taller window, to take advantage of the new ceiling height.

Kitchen - Before

Kitchen - After

I have to mention the tall cabinet next to the window, because I love it so much.  It helps create some 'old world' charm in the kitchen. 

We recessed the refrigerator (which used to sit by itself in front of the basement stairs) into the wall and created a pantry next to it.

We added an 8 foot island with seating for 3 stools and also 4 sets of cabinets to provide lots of storage.  The counter on the island is walnut, which adds lots of warmth and luster to the room.  I find that all quartz or stone kitchen seem a bit cold and sterile. 

The stove was moved away from the window and is now a focal point as you walk into the room. 

And I'm still in love with these handmade tiles, that mimic the design of a tin ceiling. 

So what do you think?  Is this part of the house transformation even more dramatic than the living room and foyer?  

Sources:

Tile - Old Port Specialty Tile

Cabinetry - Thomasville in Whippet

Lighting - Wayfair

Appliances - LG

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