Before + After: Urban Renewal

If houses were living things, this one would breathe a sigh of relief, with its new front porch extended as a thankful handshake. Downtrodden and neglected in its most recent history, its rooms cut up for office space and storage, the 1909 bungalow at the edge of a downtown Orlando historic district was targeted for demolition when a custom builder bought it and the two adjacent empty lots in early 2005. Prevented by the local historic preservation board from tearing down the 96-year-old home, the builder instead sold it to a remodeling company to move it two lots away, to the other end of the parcel, for its revival.

Two years later, the house has been reborn with a nod to its history but with a design more in line with the lifestyle needs of a modern family. From the front the house looks much like it did nearly a century ago, with a deep front porch across its width and a glimpse of an upstairs bedroom in the forward gable. Just inside the door, the wide hall and flanking formal rooms pay homage to the home's original floor plan.

But from there on, the history gives way to contemporary living spaces. “Had we simply restored it to its original design, it would have been a nice house,” says Stephen Gidus, a partner with his brother, Paul, in PSG Construction, based in nearby Winter Park, Fla. “But it would not have allowed us to showcase the possibilities of bringing the house up to today's standards."

Those possibilities include a slightly higher elevation from the home's original lot, enabling PSG Construction to build a full-height basement under the house without dipping into the water table. And the supportive historic board — although finicky about the home's front elevation — granted permission to double the square footage of the house by adding a two-story extension to the back.

All told, the 2,460-square-foot house grew to 5,439 square feet of conditioned space, with an additional 400-plus square feet for a studio apartment over a new, detached garage and nearly 800 square feet more in a trio of covered outdoor areas. “The historic board was happy to see the additional space because it was tastefully done,” Stephen Gidus says. “They appreciated the fact that we were creating a new landmark in an existing historic district.”

Getting there, however, was not without its challenges. The house had to be reset on a nearby lot, but PSG Construction had never moved a house before. In fact, the house had to be moved twice with this project, first to get it off its original parcel and make room for another show house and then again to place it on its new foundation.

And when it came to building that foundation, PSG Construction had to learn how to use insulated precast concrete panels and how to install a below-grade drainage system to relieve hydrostatic pressure and mitigate potential water leaks. The result: a finished, full-height basement (an anomaly in Orlando) of more than 1,400 square feet — and another element for the design/build team to ponder.

The home's new, full-height basement afforded the designers the option of creating a large casual entertainment space.

Add to those challenges the historic board's antiquated guidelines — which didn't take the benefits of modern engineered wood lap siding or insulated windows into account (forcing the remodeler to argue those specifications) — the logistical limitations of a downtown location, and a hard deadline to finish the house in time for a trade show. “Any one of those challenges would have been enough for one project,” Stephen Gidus says. “But we knew the significance of this project, and didn't want to compromise on any of its opportunities.”

PSG Construction initially intended to restore the house to its original stature and floor plan. Structurally sound but in desperate need of cosmetic care both inside and out, the building turned out to be ripe for 21st-century renewal. “Once we actually got into the house, we realized there wasn't a whole lot we'd be able to save,” Paul Gidus says. “Ultimately, the scale of the rooms and their arrangement were not conducive to modern living.”

The scheme called for a more open floor plan on the main level, which required gutting all but one wall (a central, load-bearing section) and starting over. “It's like peeling an onion,” says Karen Kassik, the lead designer from Lucia, Kassik & Monday, also of Winter Park. “We peeled off all the bad things and got back to the core, then started again.”

To enable a through-view from the front door to the back of the house — a 66-foot sightline — and create a sense of openness, the designers turned the main staircase to the side. Now the stair not only serves all three levels of the home but also is accessible from a porte cochere at the midpoint of the driveway, which runs along the east elevation. With a respectful nod to the home's history, the two front rooms — a dining room and an office/parlor — were restored to their original formality. The restoration is enhanced by the deep paneled wainscoting that carries through the two rooms and the foyer to the staircase vestibule and along the walls of the staircase itself. “When you walk into the house, this really sets the tone,” says interior designer Ron Nowfel of Robb & Stucky Interiors of Altamonte Springs, Fla.

The design of the main floor plan also involved adding a suite with a wheelchair-accessible bathroom to accommodate, if necessary, an elderly, live-in parent; a new mud room (another anomaly for Orlando) acts as a buffer between the detached garage and the main living area.

The centerpiece of the renewed main level, however, is the kitchen and family room. The two spaces combine for 750 square feet of living area separated only by a serving/eating bar, an arrangement that satisfies contemporary home-buyer demands. “I wanted a kitchen that today's family would be happy with,” says Kassik, who designed the cabinets with the manufacturer. “Having it communicate with the family room is very important to today's lifestyle.”

A new, conditioned wine room is among the amenities.

Just as the main level needed an overhaul, the upstairs also needed airing out and updating. Divided into four small rooms served by just one powder room, the only thing the original plan offered was the charm of quirky closets resulting from the home's steep roofline and gables on all four sides.

PSG Construction challenged the design team to remake the space with a pair of full bedroom suites within the original footprint. Kassik used the space from one of the existing bedrooms for the new staircase and the bulk of the new bathroom that would serve the front bedroom. She then ran the second full bath for the other bedroom suite along the existing hallway, which she extended; the original bath and closet became a walk-in, semi-conditioned attic — the perfect, energy-conscious environment for the bulk of the mechanical equipment serving the upstairs because it enables the components to operate under less stress from high temperatures and humidity and extends their design lives compared with a typical, unconditioned space. The peaked ceilings in the bedrooms, meanwhile, were dropped slightly and flattened to accommodate modern ductwork.

The new detached garage features a welcoming outdoor living area and a studio apartment above it.

The design team also retained the home's original charm by using the existing gables and shed dormers of the addition to create new niches. A prime example is the crawlspace created along one sidewall of the front bedroom, accessible by concealed doors on either end. “We wanted to keep it as period-looking as possible,” Nowfel says.

The addition of a full-height, full-length, 1,446-square-foot basement not only nearly tripled the home's available living space but also afforded the design/build team the opportunity to create both new and flexible-use spaces typically only found in modern-day homes, if included at all.

From front to back, the basement level includes a walk-in mechanical area that makes it easy to service a variety of systems; an open area envisioned as an exercise room or studio; an independently conditioned, 1,500-bottle wine cellar; a generously sized laundry room; a concrete block “safe” room with plenty of long-term storage capacity; a full bath; and a nominal 16-by-27-foot “flex” space, furnished as a family room and complete with a mini-kitchen/bar and access to the back courtyard and outdoor living area.

The outdoor living area above the detached garage.

Two floors up, the second level of the home's addition is all master suite. Fronted by a morning kitchen in the hallway, the comfortable bedroom gives way to a bright, airy bath and walk-in closet. A claw-foot tub (warmed by an in-wall, direct-vent fireplace) harkens to the home's historical roots, while a walk-in tiled shower provides modern convenience.

Another new space created by the design/build team is the detached garage at the back of the long, narrow lot. The driveway leading to the two-car garage transitions into a brick-paved courtyard that serves an adjacent, 360-square-foot outdoor living area. Featuring a fireplace and, within the chimney, a flat-screen television, as well as under-stair furniture storage, the space is protected by a concealed, motorized pest screen that can be lowered when necessary. The stairs lead to a studio apartment that, by local ordinance, can be rented or kept for a caregiver or a bounce-back child. —Rich Binsacca is a freelance writer in Boise, Idaho.

The Renewed American Home is a spin-off of The New American Home, a show house built in the host city of the annual International Builders' Show (IBS). Showcasing products from leading manufacturers, both houses will be open for guided tours during IBS, slated for February 7–10, 2007, in Orlando, Fla.

The Renewed American Home team: Paul and Stephen Gidus, partners, PSG Construction; Eric Watson, project manager, PSG Construction; Jim Lucia, residential designer, and Karen R. Kassik, project designer, Lucia, Kassik & Monday; Ron Nowfel, designer, and Jessica Iaconis, designer, Robb & Stucky Interiors

Remodeler: PSG Construction, Winter Park, Fla.; Residential designer: Lucia, Kassik & Monday, Winter Park; Interior designer: Robb & Stucky Interiors, Altamonte Springs, Fla.; Landscape architect: Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin, Orlando, Fla.; Consultants: IBACOS Consortium (Building America Program, U.S. Department of Energy), Pittsburgh (circle 2); Florida Solar Energy Center, Cocoa, Fla.; Co-sponsors: REMODELING magazine and the National Council of the Housing Industry/The Supplier 100, Washington, D.C.

Directed by the local historic preservation board to move the house to make room for another on its original corner lot, The Renewed American Home was cut away from its slab foundation, jacked up on timbers, and fitted with wheels.

Initially dragged to the back of its new lot during construction of its basement foundation, the house was eventually wheeled between the two lots and slid over the precast concrete walls where the bulk of its exterior finishes were removed and the two-story addition and detached garage added to the site plan.

Required to move two lots away to make room for another show house, the 96-year-old bungalow was jacked up and wheeled to the back of its lot. Once the basement was excavated, the house was positioned to the side of the lot and eventually lowered on top of the new foundation walls. Exterior finishes were removed and replaced once the addition was ready.

The Renewed American Home is co-sponsored by REMODELING magazine and the National Council of the Housing Industry (NCHI)/The Supplier 100, a consortium of building products manufacturers that donated products and services to the project.

Engineered wood floor and stair treads and risers: Armstrong Wood Flooring by Hartco; Lighting controls: Lutron Electronics; Light fixtures: Progress Lighting; Fire sprinkler system: Tyco Fire & Building Products (heads); Blazemaster/Noveon Flow-guard Gold (controls, pipes, and fittings); Drywall: United States Gypsum; Paint: The Sherwin-Williams Co.

Appliances: KitchenAid by Whirlpool; Cabinets: Merillat Industries; Sinks: Kohler; Faucets and accessories: Moen; Hot water dispenser and waste disposer: InSinkErator; Countertops: Silestone by Cosentino; Pantry storage system: ClosetMaid; Windows: Andersen Windows; Range hood/ fan: Broan-NuTone; Water purification system: Pentair/American Plumber; Home entertainment system: Bose.

Dehumidifier: TECO Peoples Gas/ American Gas Association; Electrical and structured wiring distribution, generator: Cutler-Hammer/Eaton's electrical business; Environmental controls, security system, and indoor air quality system: Honeywell; Ceiling/attic insulation: Icynene; Interior doors: Masonite; Carpet: Shaw Industries; Elevator: ThyssenKrupp/ Access Corp. Elevators.

Glass and porcelain tile, natural stone: Dal Tile; Basement wall insulation: Guardian Building Products; Outdoor grill: CFM Majestic Specialty Products/ Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association; Integrated home comfort (HVAC) system: Lennox Industries Garage doors and openers: Overhead Door Corp.; House wrap/ drainage panel (behind brick and siding): PACTIV Building Products; Retractable pest screen: Phantom Screens; Tankless hot water heaters: Rinnai Corp.; Framing connectors and structural hardware: Simpson Strong-Tie; Basement wall system (precast concrete): Superior Walls of America; Master closet storage and wine cellar racking: The Closet Factory; Shower pans and wall waterproofing: Schluter Systems; Engineered wood siding and trim: Georgia Pacific; Exterior gas lamps and heaters: Charleston Gas Lights/GAMA/Vent Free Gas Products Alliance; Outdoor gas heaters: DESA Heating Products/GAMA/Vent Free Gas Products Alliance; Garage storage system: Gladiator GarageWorks; In-wall fireplace: Travis Industries/GAMA/ Vent Free Gas Products Alliance.