Designing women

A Home Plan Makeover

Something within the creative nature of a woman’s soul is piqued by the outcome of a dramatic makeover, whether it revitalizes her hair, makeup, wardrobe...or a room that’s been redecorated in updated colors with stunning style.

So, as we’ve done in previous issues, Her Home asked three women homebuilders to look over one of Design Basics’ popular home plans and suggest ways to make it even more appealing to homebuyers in their markets.

The Foster, as built from its original design. Sally, Peggy and Kathy applied
their insights and intuition to create an entirely new, updated version.

While attending the 2004 International Builders Show in Las Vegas, Sally Salb of Lawrence, Kansas; Peggy Dunder of Hermitage, Pennsylvania; and Kathy Jaeger of Dubuque, Iowa, got together to redesign The Foster, home design #3065.

Consider their changes and the reasons behind them. Hopefully, you’ll discover some great ideas to keep for yourself, whether you’re remodeling your existing home or building your dream home. Please note that the changes are numbered in red on page 23 to make it easier to refer to the areas discussed on the original plan shown on page 22.

 

Sally Salb Salb Construction Inc. Lawrence, KS Sally and her husband, Frank, own Salb Construction Inc., in Lawrence, Kansas. Together they build 20-25 homes per year, in the $175,000 to 300,000 range. They started Salb Construction in 1986, targeting the first time buyer market. Local land prices have pushed new homes out of the range of most first time buyers, so they are now focusing on the “move-up” market. In addition to Salb Construction, the two are also partners in five other construction, development, and property management companies. Peggy Dunder Rick Dunder Construction Hermitage, PA Peggy Dunder grew up around the construction business; her father was a carpenter for 42 years. Fifteen years ago, Peggy and her husband started Rick Dunder Construction – at first building one or two homes a year while they continued to work full-time jobs. Today, they average 10 homes a year in the 250,000 - $300,000 range and have completed over 100 homes in the Hermitage, Pennsylvania area. Peggy was a newspaper editor for 31 years, including 5 years when she and her husband published a newspaper on homebuilding and remodeling. Four years ago, she left journalism completely to focus on construction fulltime. Peggy serves as their firm’s liaison with attorneys and bankers, handles advertising and promotion and helps their clients with product selections. Kathy Jaeger Jaeger Construction Dubuque, IA Kathy was a stay-at-home mom when her husband, Steve, started Steve Jaeger Construction in Dubuque, Iowa 26 years ago. At first, Kathy played a limited part in the business, primarily staining and varnishing the homes’ woodwork. Today, she plays a more involved role: answering the phone, doing the bookwork, guiding clients through the selection process, attending to countless details...and occasionally helping out with some special woodwork requests. The Jaegers build six homes a year in the $250,000- $500,000 range. In their spare time, they enjoy camping, boating and riding their Harleys.

ORIGINAL VERSION
3065 ~ The Foster PRICE CODE 18
MAIN 1402 SQ. FT. | SECOND 439 SQ. FT. | TOTAL 1841 SQ. FT.

UPDATED PLAN
42000 ~ The Kiran PRICE CODE 20
MAIN 1503 SQ. FT. | SECOND 516 SQ. FT. | TOTAL 2019 SQ. FT.

• By reconfiguring the master suite’s bathroom, the walk-in closet is now accessed directly from the bedroom. • The laundry area is expanded and is no longer a thru-way between the garage and the living areas. A mud room intercepts soiled shoes and wet jackets.• The kitchen now sports a spacious pantry and open interaction with the great room and eating area. • A covered front porch adds a sense of charm, while shading the dining room’s larger windows. • The upstairs bathroom is now a “Jack & Jill” style, with direct access from each of the two secondary bedrooms.

1) Sally and Peggy commented that their biggest concern with the original plan was the lack of direct access from the kitchen to the dining room. Our designers remedied this by rearranging the appliances to allow for a doorway. This change, along with adding a foot to the kitchen’s depth, allowed them to add a corner pantry (one of Peggy’s wishes) and incorporate an angled snack bar to give the kitchen an open view to the great room (one of Sally’s wishes).

2) Peggy felt the entry’s guest closet “should be moved in order to gain valuable space.” This was accomplished by pulling the powder bath forward (to line up with the laundry room wall) and using part of the increased bath space for the closet.

3) All three voted to retain the cathedral ceiling in the great room and suggested raising the ceiling to make it a 2-story cathedral (which begins sloping upward at 16 feet rather than at 9 feet). They also changed the quarter-round transom windows to 24-inch rectangles. Because most of their clients prefer energy-efficient fireplaces, the great room’s fireplace was changed to a direct vent. This allowed the designers to add a trio of arched windows above the existing windows and fireplace.

4) By flipping the direction of the U-shaped staircase, the designers were able to provide architectural interest and a view from the landing that overlooks
the great room.

5) Regarding the combined laundry room/service entry, Peggy remarked, “It’s not the best setup. It’s nicer to have a laundry room and a mud room, but working with this size home, it’s pretty tough to get both.” Sally responded, “But if you’re going to do a miracle here...” And by adding a little extra square footage and reconfiguring the entire master suite, the designers pulled it off – a practical mudroom off the garage, adjoining a smartly sized laundry room with a folding counter and a sink.