rethinking a craftsman... progress

we've been working on this wonderful 1925 dilworth bungalow for some time now... and construction began this summer! here are some updates from the jobsite.

the design includes a spectacular winding staircase / lightwell. it's critical to get the staircases in these projects just right - so that the design functions on many levels. they're an opportunity to open up the bungalow (which by nature is a series of cozy rooms) in an entirely new way, but they should also be designed consistent with craftsman principles and details. i love to use them as lightwells - this one has two skylights at the top (not installed yet). the guy building this stair is cool, and so knowledgeable about bungalow stairs... so we're really enjoying this one.

at the top of the stairs we have this great teenager's lounge leading into the kids bedrooms. it's got a built-in desk that's integrated with the stair rail design, as well as an open area that the owners plan to upfit with a tv and bean bag chairs.

and those are the girls bedrooms and bathrooms beyond the lounge. i love designing in clipped roofs this way. it's complicated and requires some really thorough exploration... but the quality of the space is just amazing in the end.

this home falls within the dilworth historic district and this project was approved by the HDC in july 2011.

post-war conversion... schematic elevations

this myers park post-war home is about to begin construction - removing the roof & adding a second story. we hope that you are as inspired as we are!

this is the elevation that we settled on after much back and forth with the clients! As you can see, it's a bit of a hybrid of some schematic elevations that we sent them back in January 2011:

the story of my porch...

my porch renovation was approved by the historic district commission today! i'll post images soon...

but it's exciting because my porch is pretty unusual and has a great story. we have these crazy balusters on our rail that are completely out of place on a bungalow. this is an old photo, but you get the idea:

our elderly neighbor shared her old journals with us a couple of years ago, and she had documentation that the rails were salvaged from the c.a. williams mansion in 1955, when it was demolished for construction of the john belk freeway (277). here's a photo, and those are our balusters on the lower level.

i'm especially excited about this renovation project, because i love honoring the quirky history of our home. different columns, different stairs... but the same eccentric little rail.