Resurrecting the Barn

This Redmond home is a 2,130 sq ft, 1970’s tri-level 3 bedroom, 1 ¾ bath barn-style home that is being transformed. The refreshed home includes an additional 1,104 sq ft containing 4 bedrooms and 3 baths, including: a new master suite, a home office for Dad, a playroom for the kids, ages one and four, and a larger craft room for their very artful momma. All of these changes will exist, while maintaining the barn exterior and rustic charm of the property. Let’s start at the beginning…

James and Suzanna came to us via a referral from an industry friend. The builder, Jamie Hsu with Lakeville Homes had talked with the couple a few years prior about a project, but nothing materialized. Fast forward a couple of years and their family had grown to include two active daughters. They still loved their home but needed more space! They again contacted Lakeville Homes, but their project schedule couldn’t accommodate James and Suzanna’s timeline. A referral to McAdams Remodeling & Design found James and Suzanna at our office inquiring about how we could help them realize space in their cramped quarters.

Because of the unusual tri-level style of the home, design help was equally important to construction expertise, making a design-build general contractor firm like ours, a great fit. When they purchased their home, there were just the two of them. Now they have two growing daughters and need space for the girls to play, and a new floor plan to maximize the potential of their home for the years ahead. A major challenge for them was that their master bedroom and the girl’s bedrooms were on different floors – undesirable for a family with young children.

To meet the couple’s wish list required some creative thinking. Their list included:

  • A new master suite along with two bedrooms and a new hall bathroom for their children, all on the 3rd floor
  • A 1st floor playroom, a crafting room for Suzanna’s growing craft businesses, an office for James, and a guest room for visiting family
  • Leaving the existing main living space and kitchen intact on the second floor, while ensuring continuity with the new spaces

Providing them with their wish list spaces was no easy feat, but a fun challenge. Designer Mindi Person and McAdams Remodeling & Design founder, Len McAdams, determined that a two-story addition made the most sense for the family. There was space on the property at the west end of the existing house where the current rooms could be renovated and the additional square footage would yield the best outcome. Several iterations of floor plans and exterior views were provided to the couple until the desired design and layout had been identified. Additional challenges came in the form of different priorities depending on who we were talking with. James was interested in the details of the home and maintaining the rustic charm, whereas Suzanna was more passionate about her craft room space and the children’s play area. One of the most interesting challenges was finding a flooring product that was reasonably priced, attractive, and durable enough for the high-traffic areas on the main floor.

In order to create the space for the new addition, Job Manager, Chris Guempel, brought in earth-moving equipment to dig out existing ground to make way for the new foundation. Once poured and dry, framing began and the room additions started to take shape! The new framing was tied into the existing structure and then the new metal roof was added seamlessly with the existing metal roofing. New windows, door and gutters were also installed.

In two short months, the project made significant progress. The new addition had been dug out, the foundation poured, and the interior and exterior walls framed. The new addition was tied into the main house and the roof, windows and doors were installed. We saved as many of the existing siding boards from the original house that we could so that they could be utilized on the new exterior. Additional siding was added where needed and the exterior was complete. Now the house is weather-proofed and we are ready to start on the interior!

Some clients prefer to stay very neutral with their paint colors; this family was not afraid of color! On the main floor, the family chose a lovely neutral beige color called “Morning Light”* to be painted in the playroom along with one wall of gray chalkboard paint, perfect for the two young burgeoning artists to draw to their hearts content. The adjacent large craft room for Suzanna featured “Island Paradise”*, a pop of color for this creative space. The new guest bedroom received “Baltimore Sky”*, where some lucky guest will get to relax in this oasis upon their next visit. The office, the last room renovated on the main floor, also received “Morning Light” with an accent wall containing the preserved wood paneling from the original room; perfect for James’ work-from-home days.

Upstairs, the newly created and reworked third floor now contained one bedroom for each daughter, along with a shared hall bathroom and a beautiful master suite complete with walk-in closet and five-piece master bathroom. Four-year-old Allison’s bedroom was painted “Sour Apple”* while one-year-old Abigail chose “Ballet Slippers”*. The hall bath received coats of “Caribbean Breeze”*and a cayenne stained beech double vanity cabinet from Canyon Creek with quartz countertops was installed. A recessed medicine cabinet adorned one wall, perfect for containing the accoutrements of two growing girls.

The hallway from the girl’s rooms to the master suite is only a few feet, but the new design brought interesting architectural elements with a high ceiling that draw one’s eye up. Above the door to the master bedroom, a small window was cut-out to feature a stained glass window retained from the original house. Vaulted ceilings in the remodeled master bedroom make the room seem much larger than its 13 feet 6 inches by 15 feet 3 inches. Some of the retained barn wood paneling was used on one accent wall while “Revere Pewter”* covered the rest. This lucky couple’s newly added master bathroom contained an espresso-stained alder double-vanity with a quartz countertop along with a large soaking tub and a tan porcelain tile shower featuring a caramel colored pearl mosaic tile as a decorative element.

New carpet was laid in all of the bedrooms and along the third floor hallway. Vinyl flooring completed the hall bathroom, while shower-matching porcelain tile adorned the master bathroom floor. The family wanted a durable and inexpensive flooring option for the girl’s playroom and Suzanna’s craft room and along the main floor hallway, so a white-washed walnut-color laminate was placed. New oil-rubbed bronze door hardware finished off each new room and tied the old and new spaces together.

While there were some tough moments during the two-story remodeling process, now that each person has claimed their new bedrooms, James, Suzanna, Allison and Abigail all love their new home. The girls enjoy drawing on their chalkboard wall in the playroom and have tons of space for their respective toys. Suzanna’s large craft room contains the space she needs to create and grow her business. James is thrilled to have the project completed on-time and within budget and that many of the original home’s barn elements could be re-used in the new spaces. All in all, this happy family now has the space they desired.

*Unless noted, all paint colors are Benjamin Moore brand

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