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Think you have to move to find your dream home? Think again.
Your dream house is right before your eyes . . . .
Welcome to Remodel, a book that shows you how to create the perfect place out of the not-so-perfect
space you currently call home. With architect Matthew Schoenherr as your guide, you'll discover the seven keys to a successful remodel, whether you are redoing a kitchen, building an addition, or making over the whole house.
Shoenherr presents a behind-the-scenes view of 19 successfully remodeled houses, exploring design issues that every homeowner faces: understanding the pros and cons of the site, marrying the new with the old, and, most important, creating a home that's both beautiful and custom tailored to suit the way you live.
With striking before and after photography, detailed floor plans, and sidebars that describe both big and small improvements, Remodel will inspire you to change your space while staying in place.
From the Introduction
Can a house shed its coat and emerge as something new? Can something as large as a house be transformed? Can one place become another? Yes. As stout and permanent as they may seem, houses are malleable - capable of change - proficient at flexing and shifting, stretching and growing, just like people.
Many of us live in houses we're not really happy with. The rooms are too small, the ceilings too low, the exterior lacks character, and the appliances, the fixtures, the tile, the hardware - you name it - are outdated, worn out, beyond repair. You've talked to your spouse, your friends, you've even called in carpenters and general contractors. "Replace the siding with maintenance-free vinyl," offers one. "It'll feel like a new home." "Tear it down and start over - it'll be easier than renovating," says another. You know that a new siding job won't solve your space limitations in the kitchen. And completely rebuilding your home, well, that seems overwhelming.
But what about another approach? What about transforming your home into something altogether new? OK, I can hear you say, that sounds like rebuilding. Well, that's partly true, but completely rebuilding is at one extreme end of the transformation spectrum. Through many years of practicing architecture and helping others remodel their dark or cramped homes, I've found that just as there seems to be an endless amount of home types and styles, there are just as many ways to change these homes.
At the friendlier end of the spectrum, a successful transformation will involve the logical, practical adjustment of the floor plan: opening walls between rooms to create shared space, creating better walking paths through the house and eliminating "dead-end" spaces, or even finding new uses for rooms that are seldom used. Another level of house transformation involves rethinking how windows bring light into the interior of the home, and where exterior doors are positioned to allow uninhibited movement to the outdoors. But this is just the beginning. The character of your home can be transformed as well through the use of new materials and by thoughtfully creating exterior details that are expressive of the type of home you desire . . . .
About the Author
Architect Matthew Schoenherr AIA has been involved with residential design and the construction industry for 25 years. He is principal in the firm Z:Architecture, which has completed more than 200 additions, renovations, and new homes. He is the author of Updating Classic America: Colonials, and House Transformed. He lives on the Connecticut shore with his wife and three sons. |
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