After doing a number of renovations over the years, there are many things we’ve found as you start to do the demolition work.  Stripping sheetrock and plaster off the walls can sometimes reveal a time capsule of sorts.  Some can be intentional by the people who built it, or old newspapers that give you an idea of the last time that space saw some light.    Perhaps the oddest of the them all, however, is an item we’ve found more than once…. underwear.

Here’s a list of the top four weirdest things we’ve found in demolition work.

1. Underwear- The bra’s above were found trapped in an old laundry shoot.

2. Tighty-whities- The BVD’s pictured below we found recently in a wall.

3. Devil Doll- This was also found in a wall.

4. An envelope that read “Extra Money”-  Alas, it was empty.

Here is an interesting article on how the current economic climate has forced changes to the design and use of our American homes.

How the economic times impact modern American home design.

We are finding that many people are making due with less.  Instead of selling their home to buy a larger one, many people are asking us to look at how we can make their home more efficient, comfortable, and spacious without adding much square footage, or spending a lot of money.  In many cases, adding storage solutions and taking down walls can do so much that people end up loving a house they previously were ready to sell.

In Cambridge, many houses have small kitchens in the back of the house.  At the time most of these houses were built, the idea of entertaining in the kitchen was unheard of.  The kitchen was a place of pragmatic function and not something you would show off to your neighbors.  A kitchen’s use has changed greatly in the last fifty years to where it is often the most used, most expensive, and most talked about space in the entire house.

Before photo courtesy of JeffreyDodgeRogers.com

This house in Cambridge is one half of a two story duplex in which most of the rooms are quite small.  Indeed, there isn’t even a dining room in this house, so the kitchen also serves double duty as the dining space.  There is a lot that has to go into a modern kitchen.  Who among us doesn’t stock their kitchen with several sets of dishes and enough electronic toys to put most toddlers to shame.  Some people have the luxury of a large dining room that, with the help of a hutch or shelving, can be used to store dishes, glassware, cookbooks and the like.  No such luck in this house although the result fits everything you could need into a fairly compact area.

Our solution here is to keep the kitchen cabinets and counters in an “L” shape along the inside walls.  Upper cabinets provide storage for glassware, dishes, and even a wine rack.  what was once an odd closet used as a pantry and dishwasher space (see above) becomes a nice recess for the fridge with enough space for a recessed area to keep all electrics, which clears up much needed counter space in a small kitchen.  A new sliding glass door opened up the space to the backyard and the addition of a deck made summer grilling easy with direct access to the kitchen.

As you can see above, the opposite wall with an existing window was utilized for more storage by adding custom shelving to fit on either side of the window, while also covering an exposed radiator directly below the window.  It’s a bright space aided by white cabinets, under-cabinet lighting, decorative pendant lights along with the existing window and new large sliding glass door.

In many modern kitchens today you find an island.  They make great working surfaces that mean you don’t have to stare at a wall while you chop carrots.  Here we didn’t have room for both an island and a dining table.  Instead we designed and built our own table at counter height.  This means it can be both a work surface and, with some higher chairs, also serve as a dining table for up to 6 people.  The table has a welded steel base with a solid cherry top.

There is a lot packed into a small footprint in this kitchen, but the result is an attractive kitchen that satisfies all the requirements of modern kitchens, providing effecient working conditions while being able to entertain at the same time.

If you’ve ever visited the home of someone who lives in one of those cool industrial artists lofts, you know how great it can look to have so much open space.  Sometimes, however, too much open space can lead to odd furniture layouts and awkward circulation paths.  When you don’t have any walls to put furniture up against, how do you lay it out so that it makes sense?

We’ve worked on a few loft renovations, and we’re finishing up one as we speak.  This one is particularly challenging because of it’s square footprint.  What we’ve ended up with I think will be a vast improvement in how the space works and looks.

In the above diagram notice on the right there is an existing plan that shows their basic furniture layout.  Note how the centrally located pool table dominates the layout and makes it cumbersome to circulate around.  By just rotating that pool table and moving it slightly up, there’s now a more direct circulation spine that makes it much easier to circulate through the space.  We’ve added walls on one side of that circulation path both to reinforce this path, as well as to create some much needed privacy for the bedroom.

The above perspective drawing imagines these bedroom walls as places for storage and display.  Their large expanse means that, when open, they still help maintain that open loft feel.

When the doors are closed, the bedroom becomes much more private.

Check back for future updates on this Condo renovation that’s almost complete.

Concrete countertops can be a unique and cost effective way to get the most out of a kitchen renovation.  However, concrete comes with it’s own set of compromises and maintenance requirements.

What’s important to remember is that there is no perfect countertop material.  Some may resist scratching, but hot pans can’t be placed on them.  Some take the heat well, but stain easily when you spill red wine on them.  Concrete is a very porous material, even though it doesn’t look like it.  It will soak up liquids quite easily and it penetrates quite deep.  It is quite durable on the whole but the corners and edges are vulnerable to chips both in the creation stage as well as throughout it’s life.  The countertops are cast upside down in a mold made of melamine (a sheet good with a plastic veneer attached to it) and then flipped over and polished to the same smoothness of stone countertops.  Concrete must be sealed in order for it to resist staining.  We like to use a penetrating sealer which goes deep into the concrete.  This helps liquids stay on the surface longer in order to be wiped up.  Leave the liquid on top for too long and it will still stain.  This sealer needs to be reapplied every 6 months or so in order to maintain this barrier.  We also wax the countertop with beeswax to give it just a little extra protection.  If you’re looking for a countertop material that’s going to look pristine on day 1 and 10 years from now, concrete is probably not your answer.  Variation in color is common, and they all build up stains over time, no matter how careful you are.  To us, it builds character over time that is appealing.

The fun part about concrete is that you can make any shape you want out of it.  You can embed things into it that will show on the surface.  You can cast recesses for things like cutting boards, drains, and sinks.  Most of these are cast in a mold, rather than in place, so care must be taken to make them manageable in size and weight so they can be transported.  Stay tuned for more on concrete countertops and how we’ve used them in the past.

To see more of the project above visit www.linealinc.com

At some point in everyone’s life they learn that they really can’t do everything.  Some things are just beyond our knowledge base.  Sadly, the guy doing the bathroom above hasn’t realized this yet.  If you can’t tell what’s going on in the above picture, the towel ring is supported by some electrical wire that’s coming out of the wall.  To all you would-be handy men and women out there, make sure you hire a professional when things go beyond what you are comfortable handling.

This is a complex problem that developers often face.  But what if you’re not a developer?  Everyone wants their house to appreciate over time but buying a house with the direct intent to add to it, or renovate it can be a risky venture.  There are no hard and fast rules about which properties are best for adding on to or renovating in order to increase it’s value.  The general rule says buy the cheapest house in the best neighborhood.  But there is often much more to it than this simple rule.  For instance what is the median home price for that neighborhood?  How much can the property be purchased for?  The bigger the gap between the two, the better.

Then there are many zoning issues that must be researched.

What are the setback requirements?  Setbacks are areas on the property where building is not permitted.  These are usually described as a certain distance from the property lines.  Each town has their own setback requirements and they can be deal breakers.

What is the height restriction?  Most districts also have a height restriction meaning a structure can’t be taller than a certain height.  This is usually not an issue with single family homes but can become a problem in multifamily residential which may benefit from a taller building.

What is the maximum lot coverage allowed?  Each town also has rules regarding how much of a property can be covered by building.  This is usually represented as a percentage.

The bottom line is, if your unsure about whether buying a property in order to add square footage to it and eventually resell it, then it might be time to call an architect and have them go over the project with you.  They can help you understand all of the above restrictions and even go look at the home with you in order to determine if it’s a good candidate to remodel or add on to, before you buy it.

We’ve done exactly that in the past.  Go to Lineal Inc. to contact us.

Some people feel that if you have an old house, everything you add to it and anything you put in it should be old too.  Hogwash!

In this renovation, a house from the late 1700′s was redesigned with a small addition while gutting the parts of the house that were not original.  The antique part of the house is seen above to the left of the kitchen.  While all of the details and layout of the existing salt box from the 18th century remained, the other spaces were given a modern touch by maintaining an open floor plan.  The large heavy timber beams are juxtaposed against modern steel beams painted black.

The open floor plan, modern gloss white cabinets, concrete countertops, and stainless steel appliances helps the kitchen embrace the way we live, cook, and entertain today.

Rather than trying to match the original 18th century house, the strategy here is to make something all together new and exciting.  By contrasting the old with the new, you end up appreciating all of the details of the old, while enjoying some modern touches that are more in sync with today’s lifestyle.

To see more of this project, visit Lineal Inc

Lineal Inc. Architects and Builders welcome you to a blog about living, design, style, maintenance, DIY, and how to’s for everyone wanting both a pragmatic and fashionable approach to living in today’s ever more complex and technologically advanced homes.

Lineal Inc. specializes in architecture and general contracting services for new buildings, homes, additions, renovations, and any unique projects you might need.  We thrive on designing all types of projects from Cape Cod renovations for an old home or a new home in the Boston area.  Click on the link below to learn more about us.