The work started with a revamp of the media room. By adding windows, the room is now filled with light during the day, and a comfortable screening room at night. To complete this work, the foundation and pony wall were retrofitted and the walls furred out accept insulation. That also provided the opportunity to wire for a complete projection and speaker system for the media room. Previously wires had been tacked to the walls.
The master bedroom area was also retrofitted, radiator relocated, and a new large egress window added. The fir floors are original and were refinished. The basement had been finished partially early in the house's history, with the fir floors installed on a sleeper system. The downside of that system is that it transmits noise, so we added foam insulation at the walls to stop noise from traveling room to room through the floor.
The new egress windows are Marvin hopper-style windows. Wood windows with aluminum cladding on the outside, these windows operate two ways: tilting in from the top to provide air flow, and swinging in from the side, to provide a large opening to leave the room in case of an emergency. The powder-coated corrugated window wells blend in visually with the landscaping from the inside.
From the outside, new shrubbery delineates and will soon conceal the window wells. Siding and window replacement at the main floor is the next planned project.
The new bathroom is entered through the master bedroom. A challenge here was that the radiant heat piping for the rooms above hangs low in this area, so a soffit was built just above the door to conceal it. The millwork here and at the windows matches the original.
A walk-in closet is on the left, across from the vanity. A pocket door allows it to be closed if desired. The left wall is also the location for the thermostat for the electric floor heat.
The vanity is from Restoration Hardware, with a Carerra marble countertop and backsplash. Recessed medicine cabinets provide storage, along with the shelving below, which is an ideal location for towels. The window at the end is an awning with reed glass, providing a little extra ventilation. Note the shape of the shower entry... it follows the lines of the masonry fireplace that it conceals.
The shower is long enough that it allowed a design without a glass door. The partition to the right helps contain spray, while the step-off area is an ideal location for the towel warmer and a robe hook.
The large format glass tile provides some color and reflects light. The effect is one of cool serenity. The natural stone in the shower pan provides an organic element in the design.
Because of its location next to the base of the fireplace, the shower threatened to become a long, dark cave. To keep this from happening, we were able to squeeze in a row of glass block in the corner, which also serves as a shelf for shampoo.
The niche next to the shower controls provides added shelf space for soap. The niche had to be located precisely so that it would fit exactly in the vertical width of the tiles.
An ideal basement bedroom: bright colors, functional space, and a big egress window. As in the master bedroom, this is a hopper window that opens into the room. The closet has doors, but the clients opted to keep them off for now for easy access to items stored there.
A cozy nursery with plenty of room for a rocker, and later, a twin bed and everything a child needs. A full kids' bath is just down the hall from the bedrooms.
Before: a storage room with a master bath in its future.
After: A spacious bath and closet with enough room for a furniture storage piece at the entry.
