Contractor of The Year Award

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2003 - Room Addition under $250,000, Local Gold and Region I

Before: This project was an addition to the front of an English Tudor that was built back in 1928. We were adding a new den on the first floor with a basement workshop and a dressing room/closet for the master bedroom. The previous owner had replaced the original slate roof with an asphalt shingle roof and our client wanted the original look restored. The structure is brick and stucco exterior. The brick was a major problem as it is called and ��exploding brick�� and is very rare. This was just one of the many obstacles we had to overcome.

Before: Extending any home on the font is always restricted as front yard set backs are the strictest. Since the home was on a corner the side yard is considered a font yard also and has the same strict set back requirements. Our company always has the property surveyed before we start whenever we are extending close to maximum restrictions as we were on this project. We have the surveyors perform a stake out for our foundations and then come back to check our footing locations after the forms are set to double check positioning. This is a little time consuming but prevents problems down the road.

This is a very affluent community and they have some very strict building codes and requirements. Site protection and tree removal is very restricting and we made sure we protected the property and the trees as required. Hay bails were placed around the entire property to prevent erosion and a temporary fence was installed around the property and the trees as well. The placement of our port- a-potty also had to be approved by the building department before dropping it on the property. Our company utilizes a port-a-potty on large jobs. We don��t want our employees or subcontractors traipsing through the house creating more of a mess than necessary.

Fortunately we had planned for most of the obstacles before the commencement of the project. We new about the building department requirements, we knew about the brick and we knew we were going to have to underpin the existing foundation. We hadn��t planned on the plot plan being incorrect as the clients Architect used an old survey and the slope of the property was not correct either. We had to adjust the size of the extension because of the set backs we had to relocate the exterior entrance to the workshop because of the slope of the property and the fact that we had to shrink the extension. With a nice stone retaining wall some creative grading to correct the slope the newly located workshop entrance worked out fine. Dry wells were installed for control of the rainwater. This is a requirement that was pre-planned.

We designed a smaller extension to comply with the setback requirements. This also meant relocating the entrance to the workshop. We could not just shift the extension as the courtyard size was critical to our client and we did not want to disturb the existing living room window. These pictures also show some of the great detail that went into the exterior. The rough sawn boards were hand distressed and the front window details were fabricated on site to match existing. Copper flashing was used as it holds up much better when in contact with masonry products like brick and stucco. Our clients wanted a space that would be open and bright, spacious yet subtle. The husband likes his television and the wife likes her quiet reading but they wanted to be close. The entrance to the master bedroom was also like a dungeon and dark, our client wanted it opened up and brightened.

After: The next photos show the entrance courtyard and the many exterior details. We matched the random patterns of the brick installation and the windows were selected for the extension for their beauty and energy efficiency also the brown tone was more appealing to our client. Transoms were added for a rich look and to match the era and look of the original home. The window to the left in this photo is an original steel single glazed casement and our new Pella windows and French door to the den blend in beautifully. The stucco on the second floor is a three-coat process we call ��old school�� opposed to the new foam systems. This process consists of a vapor barrier in this case Tyvek Home Wrap, wire mesh; brown or mud coat, second coat and finish coat, in this case smooth finish. The stucco on the foundation is a cement-based stucco that is applied directly to the concrete block foundation over wire mesh. The rough finish was very carefully matched to the existing under the living room window. The gutters were covered with wire mesh to keep the leaves out and the drainpipes were strategically placed in corners and along our trim boards to subtly blend in.

The new stairs and walkways were constructed with Blue Stone and cobblestone set in a concrete base. Walks down the center of the property as well as a walk and stairs to the drive way were added. The wrought iron railing accents the era and time period of the home. A pair of wall lamps by each door supplies the main lighting and path lights with a soft effect directs the light to where it is needed. The use of all these sorted masonry products really blended well and allowed us to maintain the integrity of the original house.

This leaded glass window was carefully removed from the original front wall and relocated to the front of the dressing room so it would match the window on the existing front to the left of the courtyard. The details under the window were made on site to match and an energy panel was added to the interior of the window to meet energy requirements.

The roof was replaced with Majestic Rubber Slate Roofing. Our company suggested this product to our client for its beauty, to save money and its durability. This product is fairly new and very popular with our company as a great way to either upgrade from asphalt shingles or to save money by substituting it for slate. We ordered ten percent dark gray and then ten percent red to mix in with the light gray for mixing the shades to give it the real look and feel of a slate roof but with a thirty percent savings for our client. Snow stoppers are still used with this product and from the ground it is very difficult to distinguish the difference from real slate.

Before: This is the living room before the extension.

The following interior photos show the many details that went into finishing the project. A surround sound system for the entertainment center was wired in as was the extra power and cable lines. The molding was all clear pine to match the existing around the house and the crown molding was fabricated on site from four separate pieces of molding.

The niche was installed for the many windows and transoms we get the feeling of being outdoors while inside. The custom shades will completely darken the room so the television can be enjoyed to it��s fullest even in the middle of the afternoon. We fabricated the window and door trim using clear one by four pine with a bevel added then routed and a back band piece added for an additional matching touch. Hi hat down lights with dimmers were used as our main source of lighting. Lamps are added for reading and additional lighting.

Before Extension

After Extension