No one could have imagined, when a construction company was called to a Wyoming home to submit plans for a kitchen and a master bathroom renovation, the project would become a two-and-a-half-year journey to rebuild and restore the entire house.
Records from the Wyoming Historical Society show the home was originally built around 1870, and indoor amenities such as plumbing, electrical and central heat were not added until the 1940s. Most of the home’s original architectural features had been removed through the years, and repairs were nothing but a series of band-aids.
As plans for the kitchen and bath renovations developed, serious plumbing and electrical issues were uncovered. It became apparent that no stone, floorboard or plasterboard would be left unturned.
When remembering back to the house pre-renovation, the couple describes it as a derelict. “Over the years we encountered everything with this house. We would come home from a trip to find any number of disasters like a ceiling that had fallen in or water that was pouring in from a busted pipe. It was cold and drafty to the point that when my mother visited she would never take off her coat.”
Initially, Alex Smith and Dean Forster, of JA Smith Construction, were brought on board to design plans for the kitchen and master bath only. However, they soon developed much larger plans for the historic home. “It was obvious that Alex and Dean understood us and how we live,” say the homeowners. Thus began the development of a two-stage plan to bring the entire home back to its original grandeur.
This four-floor renovation had to be executed from the top down though, rather than bottom up.
Stage one began in September 2004 on the third floor with the addition of an office and elevator shaft. Typically, a major renovation would begin at the foundation, but starting on the third floor allowed the homeowners to live in the house during the renovation, and the addition of an elevator would make the home adaptable to their needs in the years to come. Working from the top down, or essentially backward, presented the enormous task of creating support and stability during construction.
In February 2005 stage two was underway leaving only the original studs, floor and ceiling joists inside, while all exterior clapboard was replaced with low maintenance fiber cement lap siding. Although the basic footprint of the home remained the same, all flooring was replaced, ceilings were raised or lowered as needed and elliptical arches were added in the upstairs hall and living room. All windows and interior trims were replaced, with the exception of the stairway and dining room wainscoting and trim. These became the inspiration for the custom trim and crown molding assembly throughout the home.
In keeping with the original style of the home, the first floor trims and casings are more elaborate and high styled while the upstairs moldings are less formal. Smith and Forster were committed to replicating the craftsmanship original to the home, and to achieve this, a master carpenter was on site daily throughout the project.
As both architect and designer for the home, Forster describes his role as going from “demolition to draperies” and says that “reflecting the homeowners while being true to the original architecture of the home was paramount to this project.” To reflect the homeowners, a mirror from the wife’s childhood home was refinished and installed over the living room fireplace front that was salvaged from a public building in Frankfort, Kentucky.
Furnishings, such as the sofa, arm chairs and chest in the adjacent salon are family antiques. Rich, dark oak flooring extends throughout the open living room and salon, while fabulous large-scale chandeliers define each seating area.
The expanded kitchen, with its pale blue walls and custom cabinetry that echo the home’s other trims and moldings, is both sophisticated and charming.
The homeowners’ appreciation for Don Quixote can be spotted throughout the house, including above the stove where a tile scene from Spain was installed.
An enormous burr oak that once grew on the property but eventually died, was given new life as the kitchen table. The tree, which was at one time awarded the Wyoming Arbor award, was six feet in diameter and had to be split using dynamite.
Prior to the renovation the butler pantry off the kitchen was literally an empty room with one laminate shelf. Recreating the butler pantry with floor to ceiling cabinetry extended the usable entertaining space and brought the room back to its original purpose.
The sunroom, with its expansive windows on three walls and beautiful views, is as welcoming in the winter months as in the summer. For maximum comfort, a heating system was installed under the marble tile floor and a zoned climate control system heats or cools the room as needed.
The basement had been a typical 1970s style rec room with inexpensive paneling, a drop ceiling and vinyl floor. Today the lower level features a fully-equipped kitchen and bar area, state-of-the-art laundry room and wine cellar.
The gorgeous knotty alder wainscoting replaced the paneling and surrounds the original fireplace that was stained to coordinate with the wainscoting. The walls and ceiling are painted the same color to give the illusion of higher walls. Another clever design trick is the rounded corners on the walls making one believe they are original plaster rather than drywall.
For decades the entire house had been heated by a boiler and radiators. Now in the lower level are the five HVAC systems and an impressive new electrical system comprised of five electrical boxes. In the event of electrical failure the house switches seamlessly to the generator and protects computers and security systems during the disruption.
Remarkably, the two-and-a-half year renovation was finished within thirty days of the projected finish date. The result is exactly what both the homeowner and the construction company planned. What may not have been expected was the relationship that developed. “We have become close friends with the homeowners and still talk almost daily,” Smith says.
Resources: Architect and designer: Dean Forster; Contractor: J.A. Smith Construction, Inc.; Stair runner: Stark Carpet, DeCioccio Showroom, Inc.; Foyer, sunroom flooring: Botticino Fioritto Honed, Louisville Tile Cincinnati; Master bathroom flooring: Artistic Tile, Louisville Tile Cincinnati; Lower level flooring: Casa Dolce Casa, Louisville Tile Cincinnati; Lower level bar and laundry room cabinetry: Medallion Cabinetry; Cabinetry: designed by Dean Forster, built by FWB Custom Woodworking; Kitchen and bathroom tile: Walker Zanger, Louisville Tile Cincinnati; Guest bath tile: Ann Sacks; Sinks and faucets: Ferguson; Appliances: Custom Distributors; Lighting: Central Light; Dining room wallpaper: Stroheim & Romann; Furniture: Baker Furniture, Giati Designs, Harden, David Iatesta, Hickory Chair, Sherrill and Henredon Furniture; Custom table: Sam Sherrill