Andrew's Terrace Addition

One of our favorite recent projects was transforming this family’s second home on Lake Panorama into their primary residence. While the home started out as a weekend getaway, over time it grew into their main living space. The homeowners recently said, “As a full-service contractor, Andrew quickly figured out how to add onto our existing home, a task other contractors we contacted simply couldn’t picture.”

See the finished photos below and scroll further down for the full story of this project!

UPFRONT DESIGN AND PLANNING

Initially, the homeowners contacted us to discuss adding onto the house in several ways. Because the home wasn’t designed to be a primary residence it lacked a master bedroom closet, a first-floor laundry room, and a home office requiring some updates as this couple began working from home, and started looking for a better long-term solution.

We discussed many options - a home office, laundry room, an attached RV garage, and a workshop, but ultimately decided on adding a laundry room/master closet and two home offices.

Matching the existing home well was important to the homeowners. A couple of the challenging aspects in creating this design was incorporating the roof lines well and ensuring the drainage would work in the long term.

“Andrew should have been an engineer, but we are so thankful he didn’t pursue that career. As a full-service contractor, he quickly figured out how to add onto our existing home (that already had five roof lines), a task other contractors we contacted simply couldn’t picture.”

When it came to the foundation we discussed traditional options like a full basement or crawlspace, but the lot is on a pretty steep incline with potential for soil runoff and erosion. With these challenges in mind, we decided helical piers were the best solution. These go deep into the ground to form a solid foundation well below the frost line. Helical piers are turned into the ground resulting in minimal soil disruption, limiting the chances of soil erosion and runoff.

Without a traditional foundation surrounding the base of the additions to prevent the elements from getting underneath, keeping them warm in the winter and cool in the summer became a major focus. We used wall sheathing with an integrated air and water barrier in addition to spray foam insulation on the floor, walls, and ceiling. The spray foam doubly ensures an air-sealed building and a solid R-Value.

We decided to use a wall-mounted air source heat pump to condition the more isolated office, and ensure that we didn’t put additional load on existing units that they weren’t designed to accommodate. A few minimalist electric cove heaters handle the heating needs of the other new areas, but we did some prep work in case the homeowners decide they would like to add additional heating and cooling options.

The existing electrical panel was dated and overcapacity. The new additions to the home required several new circuits, and upgrading the panel was necessary. One of the additions was located on the side of the house where the utilities entered the home, requiring us to relocate the electrical, gas, and water meters, in addition to the fiber optic box.

Because matching the existing look on the interior was just as important as matching the exterior, flooring became a major issue. The existing flooring they had throughout the home had been discontinued. We researched this, looking up the brand name and product numbers - and went all the way to the manufacturer but unfortunately, they did not have enough in stock anywhere to complete the project, so we needed to choose new complimentary flooring and were able to find an option the homeowners were excited to have in their home!

Beyond our scope of work, the homeowners decided to take walnut saved from a tree at the husband’s childhood home and cut it up to simulate stacked stone. After applying it to the fireplace surround it created quite the showpiece.

This was a very detailed design process but, in the end, we were able to work with the homeowners to create a home they can enjoy well into their retirement!

DURING CONSTRUCTION

When we started on construction, we wanted to maintain the integrity of the home, especially the waterproof aspect, as long as possible to prevent moisture, dust, etc. from getting inside. Essentially, we built the additions all the way to the drywall stage before knocking into the existing walls for access to the home to connect the spaces.

“When the crew finally busted through the walls to attach the new additions to the existing house, the transition was utterly seamless.”

Once we began that phase of the build, we sealed it with plastic to keep the dust and debris out and also us access. This enabled the homeowners to stay through the home throughout the process.

The homeowners are immunocompromised so we needed to think outside the box during the pandemic to make sure we were maintaining a safe, clean environment. We did this by masking, vacuuming, and utilizing a BlueDri air scrubber unit to help keep the air clean throughout the process. When we started painting and staining, we set up the BlueDri to create a negative air space and funnel the inside air outside.

Another challenge of this build was matching the existing space. We paid special attention to matching the new car-siding on the ceiling to the old ceiling. Because the existing cabinets were no longer manufactured, we also built matching cabinets and stained them to keep a seamless look.

THE END RESULT

Some of our favorite aspects of this remodel were the personal touches the homeowners wanted to include. The carved eagle in their entryway was from a tree in their front yard that had previously died. Surrounding the fireplace was wood from a walnut tree from the owner’s childhood home. The door connecting the office to the garage was carpeted and a dartboard was added to the door to the garage for some fun!

When the house was originally built, their first-floor bedroom lacked a master closet. There was also no main-level laundry room. We added a joint master closet/laundry room which addressed both these needs.

“Andrew (and job foreman Jeremy) worked hard to make certain all three new additions meshed beautifully with existing home layout and construction details… vaulted car-siding ceilings, car-siding walls, wall stone, and flooring transitions, etc. The final additions, both inside and outside, look as if they were all part of the original home that we built over 30 years ago.”

With these additions and the new office spaces, these homeowners have a single-level living space they can enjoy for years to come!