HOME RENOVATED FOR AGING-IN-PLACE TO BE FEATURED IN REMODELED HOME TOUR, APRIL 25-26

By John Byrd

www.HomeFrontsNews.com

A Vienna whole house remodel that incorporates an Aging-in-Place solution will be featured in the Parade of Homes/ Remodeled Home Tour April 25-April 26.

The circa 1970s split-level owned by Andre and Katy Hollis was substantially re-purposed and renovated by Sun Design Remodeling of Burke.

Among the project’s critical requirements: re-design the multi-level house to support the homeowner’s longterm occupancy requirements.

“I decided that I really liked our neighborhood and that-- with changes-- we could stay in the house indefinitely,” Katy Hollis explains.

Mindy Mitchell, the Certified Aging-In-Place Specialists (CAPS) at Sun Design Remodeling who executed Hollis design solution, says such interests have become more common in recent years.

“Designers have learned a lot about how to customize a traditional production house floorplan for longterm use,” Mitchell observes.

After considering options, the Hollis family settled on several focused revisions: a spacious first floor bedroom; a gourmet kitchen; a better entertainment plan; a guest suite with dedicated bath.”

“I thought we probably had enough square footage to achieve what we wanted,” Katy Hollis recalls, “but there were lots of functional problems, and we weren’t sure how to address them”

For instance:

[] The entrance foyer was flanked by an L-shaped galley kitchen to the left and a family room four steps down on the right. One could reach the back of the house through the galley kitchen that continued on to a rear dining room, or follow a parallel hall leading to a small sitting room adjacent to the dining room. The circular pathway, unfortunately, usually lead to bottlenecks whenever the family entertained.

[] The existing galley kitchen epitomized the missed opportunities of production house design. No relaxed pleasant space for daily meals. If the adjacent dining room had any inherent virtues, it was the view of the beautiful back yard.

[] The front-facing master suite was large enough—but the master bath could only be accessed through a closet/changing area. Adding to inconveniences, the only shower available for second floor guest room was one flight down-- on the first floor.

[] As with many split-levels, the front-facing living room was appreciably set up for television viewing. Relocating the TV to a remodeled lower level might allow designers to fully convert the family room into living room, and eliminate a marginally useful back sitting room.

The challenge for Mitchell and team, though, was reconfiguring adequate existing space into a better plan serving longterm horizons.

By shifting the dining room to the front of the house (across the foyer from the new living room), the designer gained 170 sq ft for a gourmet kitchen and family dining area along the rear elevation.

The centerpiece of the new kitchen is an L-shaped food preparation and dining counter. The custom built-in provides seating for four. The new space is optimally positioned for an easy stride to the new dining room.

“It’s much easier to cook and tend to guests,” Katy Hollis acknowledges. “The dining room, foyer and new living room are really well-unified.”

Re-purposing bedrooms and bathrooms also figured prominently in new vision.

Katy wanted both a guest suite and a larger, more private master bedroom suite.

“We had to scrutinize the footprint closely,” Mitchell says. “Fortunately, there were first level utility rooms adjacent to the family room we could either delete or re-assign in our search for an optimal locale for the first level master suite.”

But relocating an upstairs hall bath gave Mitchell the better option-- move the laundry to the second floor.

The former master bedroom suite now becomes spacious guest quarters. A corner bedroom has been transformed into a second upstairs bathroom.

With the laundry out of the way, Mitchell and team re-deployed 300 sq feet on the rear of the first level for a very private master bedroom suite that includes a master bath and generous walk-in closets.

A home office behind glass-facing French doors opens directly into the redecorated living room. The first level bath has been re-fashioned as a handsomely-appointed guest powder room.

“It’s a terrific solution in every detail, “Hollis says. “And knowing we’ve already made some solid decisions about the future has really given me peace of mind.”

Sun Design Remodeling frequently sponsors tours of recently remodeled homes as well as workshops on home remodeling topics. Headquartered in Burke, the firm recently opened a second office in McLean. FOR INFORMATION: 703.425.5588 or www.SunDesignInc.com