Photo Credit: Photo: Andrea Rugg Photography
In a teardown-happy world of disposal and waste, the home at 1616 E. Minnehaha Parkway in Minneapolis stands out as a microcosm of durability and efficiency. At just over 1,700 square feet (excluding unfinished basement), the 1925 Dutch Colonial didn't gain an inch or alter its footprint during the $248,000 whole-house remodel. It is small by modern standards, modest rather than spectacular.
But what the home lacks in momentary dazzle, it makes up for in principle, personality, and long-term investment quality. Where possible, the project retained existing materials or incorporated those that others had rejected, such as sculptural slabs of remnant granite and salvaged cast-iron radiators. Where new materials were required, they were selected with an eye toward what would last longest, be the most energy-efficient, and have the least impact on the environment: a metal roof, for instance, and triple-pane windows, and custom cabinets made of alder, a fast-growing shrub tree that looks like cherry.
Photo Credit: Photo: Andrea Rugg Photography
Photo Credit: Photo: Andrea Rugg Photography
The project required quick decisions and rapid construction. The owners had to compromise on some of their desires and put others on hold. Overall, however, they got what they wanted and then some, thanks in part to their remodeler's almost surgical ability to carve great function out of small spaces.
Dreaming on Deadline
It wasn't the crumbling walls, sagging ceilings, or pet-stained floors that attracted Al Yanny and Danielle Vanderhoef to the home in April of 2005; it was the location. Homes sell quickly and quietly in their pedestrian-friendly neighborhood in South Minneapolis. Neighbors from just around the corner, the couple didn't even know the home had been sold until they saw workers beginning to prepare it for a quick flip. They asked the crew to stop, called the investor who had bought it, and asked Michael Anschel, a young remodeler who had done two projects in their current home, a bungalow they had outgrown, to hurry over for a look.
In its favor, the home had curb appeal, character, and four small bedrooms — enough for the couple, their toddler daughter, and their frequent weekend guests. On the other hand, the interior was in such terrible shape that Yanny remembers thinking: "What on earth are we doing?" But, he adds, "We had a very high trust level with Michael, and said we wouldn't do it unless he was willing to take it on."
Photo Credit: Photo: Andrea Rugg Photography
"One advantage of never learning the rules is that you can't break them," says Michael Anschel, a self-taught designer who studied sculpture and art history. Asymmetrical alder-wood cabinets (right) and three types of remnant granite give this traditional-looking kitchen an unorthodox twist.
Photo Credit: Photo: Andrea Rugg Photography
Time was of the essence. The home's new owner gave the couple three days to make an offer. Moreover, with the burden of carrying two mortgages while the remodel was under way, "we didn't have the luxury of doing it in a leisurely way," Yanny says. Anschel met him and Vanderhoef at the house that day and assured them that it was structurally sound and that his company, Otogawa-Anschel, could bring out its potential on an accelerated schedule.
Design work began immediately. Anschel, a green remodeler known for his stylish transformations of small, urban homes, usually spends three to six months on the design phase of a whole-house remodel. He knocked out the Yanny-Vanderhoef design in just over a month, fast-tracking it out of respect for their past patronage, and assisted by their mutual trust and compatible aesthetics.
"Right from the get-go, they said this was their dream home, this was where they wanted to stay," Anschel says. "They didn't want to approach the project thinking about other people; it wasn't about resale."
"We wanted it to be as fun and whimsical as possible," Yanny agrees. This meant warmth and color (Anschel once used 48 colors in one room alone), as well as being green and energy-efficient to the extent that their budget would allow. Functionally, their basic goals included creating a comfortable kitchen with an eat-in space, two new bathrooms, and a mudroom.
Asymmetrical alder-wood cabinets and three types of remnant granite give this traditional-looking kitchen an unorthodox twist.
Photo Credit: Photo: Andrea Rugg Photography
Meeting the couple at the home, Anschel would bring up his latest design drawings on his laptop (he uses Chief Architect, SketchUp, and AutoCAD), and the three would collaborate on how best to tweak and configure. Anschel immediately saw that the kitchen should be where the existing 1960s porch addition and bathroom were. He carved the new bathroom and mudroom into the space previously occupied by the kitchen, building in such touches as a hinged bench, storage "cubbies," and a curved wall to maximize functionality and spaciousness.
Featured on two Minneapolis home tours this year, and winner of a 2006 NARI Contractor of the Year award, the home looks largely unchanged on its exterior. New elements include a semicircular stairway with asymmetrical treads, a narrow walkway to the back, and a new metal shingle roof by Tamco.
Photo Credit: Photo: Andrea Rugg Photography
Configuring the second floor was easier. The budget didn't allow building out, and Yanny and Vanderhoef wanted to keep all four bedrooms (one is now an office). The small, crumbling bathroom couldn't be expanded without sacrificing bedroom space. "So we worked with the space to make it feel bigger and make it more fun," Anschel says.
Design on a Dime
Featured on two Minneapolis home tours this year, and winner of a 2006 NARI Contractor of the Year award, the home looks largely unchanged on its exterior. New elements include a semicircular stairway with asymmetrical treads, a narrow walkway to the back, and a new metal shingle roof by Tamco.
Photo Credit: Photo: Courtesy Otogawa-Anschel
Unpleasant surprises, limited space, and a tight budget drove some of the project's most creative solutions. From a financial perspective, these decisions enabled Anschel to complete the project within a few thousand dollars of the client's original budget.
As the crew began to peel back the layers, for instance, they uncovered problems that called for gutting more of the home than anyone had anticipated. On the first level, no amount of sanding could remove the stains on the original oak floors, so they had to be pulled up. (Anschel donates all reusable materials to reuse centers.) Ultimately, all that remained of the existing first level was a few walls, the front windows, and the living room ceiling.
"We made a rule about nine years ago: No more white walls," Anschel says. He prefers muted colors that "have some depth," and says that by making colors shift, turn, and lift, they can make spaces feel larger or smaller, can encourage momentum or stillness, and can "extend the architecture of the space."
Photo Credit: Photo: Andrea Rugg Photography
The original plan called to replace the floor with two species of wood: a lighter "border" consisting of red oak around a darker inset of Brazilian cherry that had been certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council. "To keep our budget in line, we weren't able to use both species," Anschel says. So he suggested a locally sourced #1 common red oak 1½-inch strip hardwood flooring, using a cherry stain to mimic the bordered look. This saved $4,000 to $5,000, Anschel estimates.
Photo Credit: Photo: Andrea Rugg Photography
Photo Credit: Photo: Courtesy Otogawa-Anschel
For the new kitchen floor, Anschel suggested an exotic-looking wood that happened to be shade-tree lumber (a blend of end-run materials otherwise destined for the chipper). For the custom cabinetry in the kitchen and mudroom, he introduced the couple to alder, which looks like cherry, wears nearly as well, but costs less and is much more sustainable. His custom cabinets typically top out at $30,000 (his cost), he says, "but the labor to install them is less, and the features and complete use of space are worth any difference in cost."
Similarly, the kitchen and bathroom counters are made of remnant granite. The vast majority of Anschel's projects use remnant stone, which he says costs about 35% less than custom slabs.
Anschel steered the homeowners toward other decisions that cost them more up front, but promised long-term savings in energy use and replacement costs. These include triple-pane Pella windows, hydronic in-floor radiant heating, dual-flush toilets, and Icynene-insulated walls.
This curved wall adds space to the mudroom (left) while subtly directing the eye and foot traffic. "It's a suggestion, and I think the eye responds to it," Anschel says.
Photo Credit: Photo: Andrea Rugg Photography
The couple had also seen and liked Anschel's past use of metal roofs. When considering what type of roofing to use (standing seam, clay tile, wood shake, slate), the three chose a steel shingle and color that looks remarkably like slate but is far less expensive to purchase and maintain, is more energy-efficient, and doesn't place nearly as much strain on the structure of the home.
"Part of what ‘green' addresses is this idea that you consume less and your products are more durable," Anschel says. "I would make the argument that a well-designed space with the right materials is less likely to be replaced in the near future."
The home's only bathtub seems larger than it is thanks to vibrant tiles and an angled wall that extends the shower space (above) by 4 inches.
Photo Credit: Photo: Andrea Rugg Photography
Spatial Relations
One of the home's most pleasant surprises is its sense of spaciousness. Getting more from less is part craftsmanship, part illusion. For instance, the kitchen cabinets fit together like puzzle pieces; if needed, every door could be opened at once, with tolerances as slight as ¼ inch between them. "Everything has to fit in this room," Anschel says, demonstrating, for example, the "appliance garage" that seems impossibly wedged into a corner, its door tucked out of view when open. There's no dead space.
Curves soften the home's right angles, and sometimes trick the eye. This is most evident in the curved wall that leads from the mudroom into the dining room. Among other effects, the curve makes the mudroom feel much less confining than a straight wall, blocks the view to the bathroom from the dining room, and creates a flow from one room to the next.
Even small decisions expand the sense of space. The new windows, for instance, have blinds between the panes that zip almost entirely from view when open.
Photo Credit: Photo: Andrea Rugg Photography
Most deceptively spacious of all is the second-floor bathroom. Barely 36 feet square, the room manages to have two separate environments: an intense, vividly tiled shower area, and a more serene area for the sink and toilet. The sink top, another massive slab of remnant granite, negates the need for a bulky vanity and allows the eye to travel to the corner.
The shower area features four types of ceramic tile arrayed in an unconventional pattern and wrapping beyond the tub space, to create the illusion of space and a sense of energy. "I like the idea that the accent and field tiles change roles," says Anschel, adding that his tile layers — who initially balked at his unorthodox designs — now get excited by his projects.
But there can also be a downside to all that artistry. "All the energy we save from the green features is probably lost standing in the shower admiring the tile pattern," Yanny says.
Trade Knowledge
To delight clients with unique and custom-crafted solutions, "part of the trick is finding a shop that is really interested in being a close partner for the long haul," Michael Anschel says. "A shop that is only interested in producing as much as it can for as much money as it can make isn't going to want to spend time on unusual projects."
Anschel is referring to his favorite cabinetmakers, on whom he relies heavily to maximize storage space, but he could also be talking about other suppliers and trade contractors. In finding remnant granite, marble, or onyx, for instance, he works closely with a few stone fabricators "who will hold onto nice slabs larger than 2 by 3 feet," he says. "And sometimes someone will order three slabs for a giant kitchen, and they'll use a quarter of the third slab."
The process of finding the right granite slabs for his home was fun, says client Al Yanny. His favorite slab, a purplish granite in his first-floor bathroom, was sitting by a Dumpster at the fabricator's, he says, when "both Michael and I pointed to it and said, ‘Yes! That's the one!'"