Team embarks on a townhouse transformation

Major renovations to a single family home are not unusual. But transformative changes to a townhouse or other type of multifamily building are seldom undertaken, thanks to restrictive association rules about changes to building exteriors.

But an adventurous pair of homebuyers and a team of experts combined forces in Glen Ellyn last year to totally transform a 1980s-era townhouse. The townhouse was transformed from an uninspiring unit with little character, architect Christopher Derrick said, to a spectacularly open and inviting space.

And the homeowners association was entirely on board with the plan because it only included some minor changes to the exterior: the addition of two skylights, a larger patio door, and a kitchen window and front door change.

“Working in a townhouse environment wasn’t as difficult as you might think because we had very clearly defined constraints that we knew upfront,” Derrick said. “Of course, we had to be very creative to give the unit character within these restraints. But we managed to do it and the transformation was dramatic.”

Representatives of Derrick Architecture of Wheaton, Glen Ellyn Homes, interior designer Patricia Coppersmith and Drury Design Kitchen and Bath Studio of Glen Ellyn worked together on the project under the direction of Randy Parker and Doug Walksler, co-owners of Glen Ellyn Homes. Homeowners Jon and Kris Hunt were also integral to the team.

“The team approach is the way we tackle all of our projects at Glen Ellyn Homes,” Parker said. “We believe in working in partnership with our homeowners and then bringing in professionals like architects, interior designers and kitchen and bath designers from the very beginning.”

After the team was assembled, Derrick, walked through the townhouse with the Hunts and quickly began thinking in terms of how far back they could strip things in order to create more space.

“When I first saw the place it was just one room after another with 30-inch openings between them. It was very dated, had no character and looked lived in, but not loved,” he said.

He quickly realized the possibilities, however, and suggested removing walls, vaulting ceilings, removing an upstairs bedroom to create a two-story foyer and even accessing attic space over the garage and a small portion of the first floor master bedroom for extra storage.

A load-bearing wall separating the original living room from the dining room was actually easy to remove because it was situated over a foundation wall, so they could just use a long header supported by legs on either end to open up the space, Parker said.

It was once they decided to vault the formerly eight-foot ceilings that the project became much bigger and more complex because they had to tinker with the trusses, Derrick and Parker agreed.

“We sandwiched the existing trusses with two-by-twelves on either side and transferred all of the load to them. Once that was done we were able to chop the bottoms off the triangular trusses to open up the space for vaulted ceilings below,” Parker said.

He admitted that he had never before used this technique to retrofit an existing home or structure, but since they use the stick-built technique to build new homes routinely, the idea was nothing new to them.

But this ceiling vaulting process did take ten days, much longer than had the project allowed a roof tear-off, he said.

With the ceilings raised, walls came down. Stairways were rebuilt and widened. A three-panel patio door was added, and two new skylights flooded the space with light.

Changing the elevation of the floors in the living room, to one step down instead of two, and enlarging the entry to the entire width of the wall, gave the townhouse a completely different feel, as did adding a large wet bar and moving the dining area to the front of the unit and away from the rest of the new L-shaped great room.

Adding tray ceilings to the first-floor master bedroom and to the two upstairs bedrooms, in addition to eliminating the bedroom above the foyer to create a two-story foyer with a small loft office overlooking it, also transformed the overall feel of the home, Parker said.

Outside, an aging patio and a fence were removed, and new landscaping was added for privacy.

The most important change for the homeowners, however, was one most people would not see.

“If we hadn’t been able to capture all of that storage space over the garage and part of the master bedroom, I don’t think the project would have worked for the Hunts. They were downsizing from a large home and they needed space for Christmas decorations, photo albums and all the stuff they have accumulated over the years,” Parker said.

Gladys Schanstra of Drury Design managed the kitchen, bath and living area planning. She created a Tuscan-inspired look that carried throughout the home’s kitchen and baths.

The Hunts wanted an open kitchen plan with an understated European look, lots of light, a double oven if possible, a warm traditional flair with Tuscan accents, seating for two within the kitchen, a wet bar between kitchen and dining room, and a storage and dish cabinet.

With a wish list twice as big as the kitchen, design challenges included confining the floor plan to the existing footprint and integrating the former dining and living rooms into the new layout.

Schanstra oversaw removal of the wall between the former dining room and kitchen, as well as the wall between the family room and the dining room to open it up. They also wrapped the wet bar between the kitchen and new dining area to add another workstation and make a pleasing transition between the spaces. A mini sitting area between the kitchen and family room created areas to gather when entertaining.

The stone surround and hearth on the new fireplace the team added in the great room correlates to a similar, but not identical, kitchen hearth with hood they created around the Wolf cook top and oven across the room. Spice pullouts, corner drawers, deep appliance garages and corner optimizers maximize storage space.

At the other end of the kitchen they created a small breakfast peninsula with two chairs where the couple can eat a quick lunch or breakfast and where guests can sit and talk to the cook.

“It was a challenge to fit as much of the Hunts’ wish list into that small space as possible so we created a priority list and worked from there,” Schanstra said. In the end they were able to include a Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer, Miele speed oven, Fisher Paykel dishwasher drawers and a Sub-Zero wine storage unit.

Derrick also allowed for a larger master bath featuring two sinks, a substantial shower and even a makeup desk by relocating a walk-in closet and decreasing the size of an extra-long laundry room, utilizing a stacked washer and dryer.

“I love the fact that everyone on this project looked at where our true shell was beyond the existing walls and didn’t just say, ‘Here is our space and now we have to work within it’,” Schanstra said.

“These homeowners chose to buy a townhouse with a good skeleton in a neighborhood they liked and then gut it to get the home they wanted,” she said. “They understood that investing in your space enhances your quality of life. Organization and beauty, not just form and function, are important.”

For more information

Glen Ellyn Homes: www.glenellynhomes.com

Derrick Architecture: www.derrickarchitecture.com

Drury Design: www.drurydesigns.com