Kitchen plan

We’ve spent a lot of time designing the kitchen. Three different layouts have been considered. The kitchen shown in this plan view represents our current thinking. The first photo is a (reversed) image from a magazine article we found that is very close to what this plan will look like. The three marked-up photos show some of the design elements we plan to incorporate. Finally the diagram at the bottom shows a 3D view from the cabinet design software.

Follow this link to see our New Home Ideas photo gallery hosted at SmugMug.

Interior style ideas

The “Farmhouse” style will be carried to the interior spaces as well. This collection of photos (taken from a variety of sources) show some of the elements we would like to have in the interior spaces. One of our desires is to have a “real” mudroom.

Follow this link to see our New Home Ideas photo gallery hosted at SmugMug.

New home on the lot

The home is shown on the survey in these sketches. The first shows the home placed (precisely) on the survey. The second is a (preliminary) landscaping plan that shows the position of the new driveway and garage apron.

New Home Style

Deb decided very early (actually before we started) that we would build the new home in the “Farmhouse” style. The home will have a large porch across the front with a screened-in section occupying about one third of its length. The homes pictured here each have elements of the style we want.

Follow this link to see our New Home Ideas photo gallery hosted at SmugMug.

New home (remodel) plans

The planning process resulted in a plan from Mike Kloti. The home depicted in these drawings will hopefully rise from the existing foundation as we move forward.

Design refinements

As the the plan progressed Mike built upon the “L” shaped house and finally arrived on a plan we could all live with. The plan preserves the existing basement, puts the garage behind the house, and takes full advantage of the wonderful front yard. The home will have approximately 3400 sq. ft. of finished space, four bedrooms, four baths, and a big front porch.

The first designs

We determined that the existing foundation and utility connections are in good shape. The decision was made to preserve the basement floor and walls but add two courses of blocks to raise the ceilings (16 inches). A careful examination of the lot and survey along with discussions with builders, friends, and our designer convinced us that the plan that puts the garage on the East side makes the most sense. This orientation allows for a bigger garage and provides the opportunity for a walk-out basement.

 

Remodel process (part 4)

We quickly realized that the stairwell in a two story house drives the design. Mike provided us with three stairway options each with unique advantages. We spent considerable time considering each of the three layouts. We chose the “stairway to the back” (the middle sketch below) but as you will see later we incorporated ideas from each of these options in our final plans.

This provides a great example of how this process worked;

• We started with some vague concepts…
• Talked through our needs and desires…
• Moved to “scaled sketches”…
• Then finally inflicted the disciplines of CAD as Mike took control of the design…

Remodel process (part 3)

Once we started looking at the “garage on the right” orientation we realized the lot contours might also favor a (basement) walk-out condition on the left. The more we thought about our lives the more we liked the possibility of  a separate downstairs living situation. We took the simple “L” shaped layout and refined it further. Once we had a layout that looked like it might work we “reversed" it to make the “L” shaped house with the garage on the right.

Mike Kloti took these basic concepts and started working in earnest on a plan for our new home. This approach worked very well. Mike and I were able to communicate back and forth using e-mail messages and these simple sketches. Mike is incredibly responsive, listened to our desires patiently, and made sure that the details did not get in the way as we “day-dreamed” about our new home. I cannot imagine a better working process!

Remodel process (part two)

We started the process considering only the existing house orientation (that is: garage on the “West” side).  As we worked through the details it became apparent that the lot contours worked against a “garage on the left” orientation.

The remodel process

We decided early on that we wanted to build a home that took advantage of the wonderful front yard. We wanted to have the garage in back and an unobstructed view of the pond across the street. The lot contours drove us toward an “L” shaped configuration. We first put together simple rectangular “blocks” representing rooms laid out in an “L” shape scaled to “fit” on top of the existing foundation.

How to build a new home?

We started the process by engaging a designer (Mike Kloti) to help us with the plans. The first order of business was communicating what we desired in a new home. Mike put together a document with questions about what we want in a new home and important elements to be included in the spaces. We purposely decided to de-emphasize total size (square feet) and think in terms of function. We did express a few things we wanted to include; a big front porch, two story living, and an “open” first floor plan including a full bath and guest bed. We also included a few things we did not want in a new home; no two story spaces (great rooms), and no giant master bath. Finally we expressed to Mike this “mission statement”…

We would like someone who drives up Cottage Lane to look up at our home and say to themselves “I would like to bring my 5 year old inside that house and read her a book”.

The current house

The existing home is a small (1400 sq. ft.) Cape Cod built in 1942. It has been owned by Jim and Phyllis Danielson since 1978.

The Lot

The lot is 1.1 acres. It rises 15 feet from the center of the street (Cottage Lane) to the house. It falls 15 feet to the trail behind. The homes to either side are about 8 feet below the first floor level of the existing home. A gulley runs through the NW corner and across the back of the lot that is almost 20 feet below the house. The Hennepin County trail is about 5 feet above the gulley. The NE property line runs something like 30 feet from the centerline of the trail. The lake across the street is another 10 feet below the street level.

3851 Cottage Lane

Well…we finally did it.

We closed on the property one week ago. The lot is at 3851 Cottage Lane in Minnetonka. The house sits on top of a hill and faces a little pond across the street. The back yard runs right up to the Hennepin County trail. The aerial photo comes from Windows Live maps. The map at the bottom shows the Hennepin County bike trail system.