This is week 4 of the Traditional Meets Modern Home Renovation Series. Just in case you missed it, here’s Week 1, Week 2 and Week 3. This week we’re going to take a look at the living room renovation, hardwood floors, as well as a small renovation in the basement.
Living Room
As we had mentioned in previous weeks most of the house’s floorplan remained the same and this is also true of the living room. The beautiful room has huge windows, a two-story high ceiling and opens up to the hearth room and kitchen. The room just needed a little updating and Gayle and Debby did just that.
The homeowners decided to keep the original black marble fireplace mantel, face tile and hearth tile but hoped to give them a modern look. The traditional fireplace trim was replaced with modern, sleek trim. Andy and his team also installed paneling above the fireplace to the ceiling. The paneling pattern is the same pattern as the dining room accent wall and helps tie the design between the two rooms.
The living room is a perfect example of how a room can be completely transformed with paint, fabrics, and furnishings. Debby’s talented design eye truly shines with the new furnishings. The new room is a fantastic traditional meets modern transformation.
Hardwood Floors
The entire Schloegel team works very hard on each and every project to avoid “surprises” for homeowners through detailed planning. “Surprises” do however happen. At this home, the bamboo flooring throughout the main floor ended up being the unexpected challenge. The original plan kept the existing bamboo floors and refinished them to a darker color even though the homeowners preferred the look of warm, oak floors, they wanted to maintain their budget.
The team knew they would have to install some new bamboo floors and lace in new with old but they could not find bamboo to match. So, they decided on a Plan B where they would use pieces in other areas of the home to tie in, however, this too ended up being problematic. The home’s main level subfloor is concrete and the bamboo floors were glued down. As the team started to remove the bamboo floors the floorboards began to shed. The pieces of the floor the team pulled up had glue and concrete stuck to them. It was determined they wouldn’t be able to salvage any of the original flooring to tie in.
On to Plan C, Gayle, Debby, and the homeowners decided the existing bamboo floors had to go. New hardwoods would be laid throughout the first floor with the exception of the primarysuite and office. Andy and his team removed the bamboo floors and repaired the concrete sub-floor. After that, they installed beautiful new 4” engineered oak hardwoods which were custom finished on site. While oak floors weren’t in the original plan and they added costs to the budget, they created the perfect background for the many other renovation updates in the home. Also, the homeowners were excited to have consistent, warm oak hardwoods throughout their first floor.
Basement
The team didn’t do much work on the lower level of the home but they did update the fireplace wall. Andy and his team removed the built-in recessed cabinetry located to the right of the existing fireplace. They then framed in the cabinet recess and created a closet. The closet is accessible from the bedroom located on the opposite side of this wall and perfectly houses audio/visual electronic equipment. The team then removed the upper portion of the stone fireplace face and mantel. They were able to reuse the stone that was removed from above the mantel. Gayle was also able to find a matching stone for any additional that was needed.
The team extended the stone and hearth all the way across the new wall. In addition to extending the stone, they installed a rustic cedar mantel and stained it to match the trim on this level. A drop-down television screen was installed above the fireplace area. Finally, they painted the wall a beautiful contrasting color. This space is now the perfect place for the family to watch movies or play video games.
Next week we’re excited to share the primarysuite renovation!
Are you interested in remodeling your home? Contact Us to talk to a Schloegel exert.
Gayle Jagoda
Gayle joined the Schloegel Design Remodel team in 2000 and has been involved in the residential remodeling industry since 1992. She delights in working through the entire remodeling process with her clients—initial ideas and dreams, project development and production. Her zeal for her work continues to grow with each new project and client relationship.
Debby Schloegel
In addition to her degree from the University of Kansas, Debby has an Associate of Applied Science in Interior Design from JCCC and is an Allied Member of A.S.I.D. Colors, textures and fabrics have always intrigued her and she looks forward to helping complete your total design with her innate sense of style.