When Suzanne and Kevin Metzger decided to upgrade their living situation about two years ago, they planned to move.
During the house hunt, though, the couple found themselves noticing not what they liked about the prospective homes, but what they would change. Eventually, they realized that in order to stay in Uptown Westerville and to finally make their dream home a reality, they would have to tailor it themselves.
So instead of packing up and moving, the couple began the task of planning the renovations and additions that would culminate in a more open, spacious living area for themselves and their family of two sons and one dog.
“We wanted to have more space for our family to get together, for when our kids start having kids,” Suzanne says.
In the end, the two-story addition added up to about 1,000 square feet, including a new master suite, family room and gourmet kitchen, as well as some exterior renovations, one demolished back porch and two removed chimneys.
From February to July of 2012, the sealed-off work zone, which included the entire old kitchen, hosted a slew of crews – carpenters, electricians, masons, plumbers – as the area that had once housed the “rickety” back porch was transformed into the new addition.
The Metzgers embarked on the project with some goals in mind. Specifically, they wanted their home to be cohesive: to create a bigger kitchen that opened into the new family room, as well as a master suite with a full bathroom. They also scoped out a builder who could retain integrity of the home, which was built in 1914.
“For us, it was about matching what we were working with rather than trying to create something new,” Suzanne says.
WBM Builders owner Walt Morrow, who worked closely with the Metzgers in remodeling the space, preserved the existing trim in the house while replacing all windows, matched the old style oak plank floors of the existing kitchen to its addition and generally “freshened up” the exterior with paint and new siding.
“It’s an older house, so the owner wanted to preserve its character while doing these modern additions,” Morrow says.
The modern additions in the kitchen include a convection oven, a deep freeze refrigerator, a pantry and an island adorned with granite countertops and a five-burner cook top, which has two hanging aluminum lights on either side. All appliances are stainless steel.
The kitchen opens into the new family room, which claims 500 of the 1,000 square feet. For the Metzgers, this open family area was key.
Transforming the formerly closed-off kitchen into a continuous space allows the cook, or the after-dinner cleaner, to be part of the action in the family room.
“Before, when my husband would cook dinner, he’d want someone to come in and talk to him, but we’d all be in the living room, watching TV or doing homework,” Suzanne says. “Now, the chores don’t seem like chores because we are all together.”
Above the kitchen, the second story of the addition consists of the master suite, wholly tailored to the tastes of the owners. Their preferences started with the closet.
“Our old bedroom had a nice size closet, but really it was a nice size closet for 1914,” Suzanne says. “I kept my clothes in the utility room downstairs.”
So the walk-in closet’s two doors, one for him and one for her, became the basis for the furniture arrangement in the room. The bed is nestled between the two doors amid the blue bedspread and décor.
Across from the bed, a two-sided fireplace straddles the bedroom and the connecting bathroom. The bathroom boasts a pedestal tub, two sinks, a shower, a make-up area and some shelving.
While designing their renovations and additions, the Merzgers shopped around for inspiration by attending National Association of the Remodeling Industry home shows. When their home was finished, it appeared in the Home Improvement Showcase put on in September by NARI’s local chapter.
Andrea Frazier is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
