this dilworth bungalow had a family room, but it needed some serious renovating. you can see the issues in the before photos (below). It was dark, with practically no natural light. It was completely disconnected from the backyard (a huge problem for this family, who liked to play outside). It had a massive beam running off-center through the room. And the traffic patterns were all over the place.
we worked with the some of the most charming details of the existing bungalow to re-imagine this family room. using large, cottage style windows, we could set the window sills along the existing shingle watertable on the exterior of the house - consistent with the original window configurations - while raising the head heights to match the new 8' patio doors. this flooded the family room with light, while simplifying and cleaning up the interior and exterior trim details. we created a pattern of dropped beams to balance out the existing eccentrically placed beam, and slightly lowered the finish ceiling to mediate the heaviness of the existing beam. we converted an old hallway secondary access to a small, built-in office to correct the traffic patterns through the space. the kitchen got a gorgeous facelift, too. there is a large screened porch off the back, linking the new family room to the backyard.
this all sums up to dramatic changes in the family's quality of life. the original, fragmented architecture left them disconnected. the new spaces - open, light-filled, and balanced - provide a sense of togetherness.
this home falls within the dilworth historic district and this project was approved by the HDC in july 2008.
