Builder- March 2009 - (Page 77) BE FOR E STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN: Integrating open stairs into the design made the living room feel more spacious and more elegant. and free up just enough space for that missing bath. He also enclosed an awkward porch off the third-floor master suite, converting it into a conditioned study and observatory with floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the rooftops to the beach. Russell then recouped those lost outdoor connections elsewhere. A new screened porch directly off the south wall lends an extra layer of architectural dimension and shading to what was previously a flat façade prone to unwanted solar gain. And the double-decker veranda out front—once so shallow and unfriendly that “a dog wouldn’t even lay on it,” he quips— was reproportioned and allowed to wrap corners, giving the front elevation a more graceful prominence. (Visit Builder Online to see before and after floor plans and additional photos.) Wasting not, Russell even made clever use of odd crannies that were left inside once boilers were replaced with tankless hot water heaters. On the third floor, the switch left a perfect niche for a toilet in the reconfigured master bath. On the first floor, it freed up a space just big enough for a kiddie bunk under the stairs in the guest suite. “My thinking was that if the owners had visitors, this suite could accommodate a couple with a small child,” Russell says. “I found an old World War II porthole window from an antique dealer and put it in there for fun.” And in a market where differentiation is everything, there’s something to be said for fun—and fresh. The house sold to a family with kids just 90 days after the final punch list was knocked out, and the partners turned a tidy profit. OPEN AND CLOSE: Converting a porch off the kitchen into an adjoining breakfast area made the whole space feel bigger. BE FOR E W W W.BUILDERONLINE.COM m a rc h 2 0 0 9 BUILDER ■ 77 http://WWW.BUILDERONLINE.COM
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