Services / Portfolio
green
building - Cranston, R.I.
| We
recycled an entire house!
the
challenge • the ideas • 3-D
computer modeling • the addition
• SIPs
the kitchen • the
deck • a dream closet •
the new master suite
green aspects • quotes/testimonials
This
house in the Edgewood section of Cranston is home to a very nice
family of four. Unfortunately, they felt as if they had
outgrown the 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath house that was built in 1938.
Whenever family and friends would visit, their young son lost
his room and had to sleep in his sister's room. And
the family was certainly not enjoying the dysfunctional 1950's
kitchen and 70-year-old layout of the house. The kids did
not even have direct access to the back yard, nor did the dog
(the "back door" was on the side of the house where
the driveway is).
The
family loves the neighborhood, so they tried to find a 4 bedroom
2.5 bath house with updated amenities. Unfortunately, the
only houses that fit that description in Edgewood are "mansions"
from the early 1900's that were out of their price range (and
cost a fortune to heat or cool). The houses that were affordable
were not truly four bedrooms -- in one case, someone
shoved a twin bed into a mudroom. Even houses on the periphery
of civilization cost more than the family could afford.
So
with the clients, Brusco
Design & Renovation
set out to meet several goals for their existing home:
-
Add
a guest room
- Add
a master bath
- Add
a deck
- and
direct access to the back yard
- Bring
the kitchen into the 21st century
- And
open up the first floor so that it feels like a modern,
open concept home, but still has distinct areas
- Create
a kid-friendly playroom and an informal eating area
- The
playroom was in the dark basement; Mom and Dad could
not keep an eye on the kids
- While
seamlessly integrating the old with the new
- Without
having to buy a new heating system
- Changes
would actually need to make the house more energy-efficient
- And
without taking up a lot of the back yard, so the kids and the
family dog can still play
- And
be as eco-friendly as possible without breaking the bank and
without giving up simple everyday luxuries
- And
the clients would like to see what it looks like before anything
is built
- Oh,
and the City of Cranston zoning does not allow you to build
on more than 30% of your lot in this part of town
- new
structures could only take up 244 square feet, total.
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Click
here to skip to the photolog
at the bottom of this page
back of the house, before
back of the house, concept
back of the house, completed
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back
of the house at night, concept
front
of the house, before
front of the
house, completed
SIPs
panel, R-25 insulating value
("R-value"
is resistance to heat tranfer)
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What options do we have available
to us?
First, Brusco Design
& Renovation asked about repurposing the dining room
and/or living room
to take on double
duty. The clients like the idea of having a separate formal
areas for adults, where kids and all their stuff are not allowed.
The clients had the
idea to put a bedroom in the basement, but to have a legal and
safe basement bedroom you need to have a second egress.
Brusco Design & Renovation could have put in a walk-out
or an approved (large) window well, but the family
wanted a deck in the back of the house. OK, how about
a walk-out or an approved window well on the side of
the house? Too close to the property line;
it wouldn't be allowed by the city.
 Obviously,
they would need more room to accomplish the goals. So,
we started talking about an addition. That quickly turned
to discussion of a 2-story
addition, because the second floor is cheap when you consider
that much of the expense is in the foundation and the roof.
A new master bedroom could go on the second floor; this
would allow the current, greatly oversized master bedroom to
be converted into two rooms -- a guest room and a permanent
bedroom for their son. Their son's old bedroom space was
now available to use as part of a master suite, complete with
his & her closets, a master bathroom and a 2nd floor laundry
room. Well, several iterations of designs later, we gave
up on trying to accommodate a laundry room on the 2nd floor.
We settled on using the space for the master bathroom and a
walk-in closet.
The first floor of
the addition is used for a multi-purpose room -- a family room
for the kids to play and do their homework right next to the
kitchen so Mom and Dad can see them. The family room has
a medium-size table for homework, projects and casual dining
-- the kids also have the option of eating at the bar that separates
the kitchen and family room. Since the walls were open,
we wired for a flat screen TV on the family room wall.
In fact, almost every room of the house was wired for internet,
cable TV and telephone. Brusco Design & Renovation
was able to do build these two rooms and a storage area in the
basement by only taking 168 square feet from the back yard (a
12'x14' footprint).
The clients had the
chance to see all of the design concepts from any angle with
the 3-D computer model that Brusco Design
& Renovation built on the computer before anything was built
with wood.
How
does one build an addition without needing a bigger furnace?
The answer was to apply green building principles... build a
well-insulated structure that does not leak air around windows
and doors. Sam Brusco grew up in a home where a porch
had been converted to a family room -- it was always freezing
in that room despite having an extra large radiator. He
was determined not to have that happen to this family.
Brusco Design & Renovation used highly efficient windows
and doors and SIPs
(Structural Insulated Panels). SIPs have
an R-25 insulating value to the walls, and the cost difference
between the two methods was just about nill. SIPs are
constructed by sandwiching 3.5 inches of foam insulation between
2 pieces of 1/2 inch plywood, no studs (2x4's) to conduct heat
straight through the wall every 16". A
standard 2x4 wall with fiberglass insulation has a theoretical
R-15 value, but after accounting for all the air leaks and sagging
insulation, you'll be lucky to get R-10. Additionally,
any wall that was opened during the renovation process was insulated
-- the existing house was built with zero insulation
in the walls, as was typical in the U.S. before 1950.
|
| Bring
the kitchen into the 21st century, and
open up the first floor so that it feels like a modern, open concept
home, while seamlessly integrating the old with the new.
The
dysfunctional kitchen was built in the 1950's. There
was one long line of cabinets on one side of the 11x14 kitchen.
The wall cabinets did not even reach the 8-foot ceiling
to provide extra storage. The stove was relegated to an
inside corner; there was no exhaust fan except the kind
that blows back into your eyes if you are over 6 feet tall.
Miscellaneous pieces of furniture were bought to fill the various
shortfalls of the kitchen. A small table completed the "eat-in"
kitchen, but usually the family ate in the formal dining room,
which was connected by a narrow doorway.
The first order of
business was to frame an opening to the addition and widen the
doorway to the dining room. The 8-foot wide opening to the
family room required a large beam; the dining room only
required a small header for support. Note
the angled corners. The opening between the existing
living room and dining room have these. Copying this architectural
feature was the client's idea, and it nicely ties together the
old and the new.
 You
will also notice what we have been calling the "niches"
(they are actually called pass-throughs or windows or lites).
These three
partial openings between
the dining room and the kitchen continue the open concept feel
of the home, while keeping the bearing wall that supports the
house. Brusco Design & Renovation could have safely
put another 8-foot wide opening, but the clients wanted some separation
between the kitchen and dining room. It also allowed us
to put furniture on either side of that wall. The "niches"
will have glass shelves to hold decorations; notice the
small recessed lights above that provide accent lighting.
The lady of the house
really wanted an island in this kitchen. Although Brusco
Design & Renovation tried
many variations, an island just does not work well unless the
kitchen is at least 12 feet wide (we were confined to 11x14).
We were able to confirm
this with 3-D
computer modeling before anything was purchased
or built. Brusco came up with the idea of having a "floating"
island -- a base cabinet
in the corner could be put on wheels. When more work
space was needed, it could be pulled close to the sink.
When not needed, it would go back to its home in the corner.
Sam Brusco used this idea at his own mother's house when he designed
and built his first kitchen almost twenty years ago. In
this case, we settled upon the peninsula
concept between the family room and kitchen (see
the photos).
Some of the other features
you will notice in the photos
include a shallow but tall base cabinet. We have
been calling this "the
sideboard".
We needed a cabinet for silverware, formal dishes and cookbooks.
Because of the configuration of the kitchen, we were left
with a 13 inch deep area near the dining room. The cabinet
that we used here normally goes
on a wall and the drawers are at eye level. Sam Brusco flipped
the unit upside down and rotated all the door & drawer hardware
so that the piece would fit
the need.
The homeowner adores
the black granite countertops. She fell in love with it
at a granite showroom, but they didn't have any. A trip
to their supplier revealed that they didn't
have any either, and we realized that the alternatives were a
pale comparison. Sam Brusco personally took the client to
5 different places and we finally found her stone in Dedham, Massachusetts.
It was all worth it when we saw the look on her face when she
saw the countertops installed in her new kitchen.
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kitchen,
before
kitchen,
concept
click here to see a 360°
video of
the kitchen concept (2.3 MB)
3-D
computer modeling
kitchen,
during
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|
back of the house, concept
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Admittedly,
this is a small deck,
but that was fine with the clients. They did not want
the deck to take over their back yard. They just wanted
something to have dinner with the family outdoors and maybe
to have a couple of friends over to enjoy a drink on summer
evenings. Actually, we could not have made it any larger
if we wanted to. City
of Cranston zoning does not allow homeowners to build on more
than 30% of their lot in this part of town. This policy
has its benefits too, otherwise houses would practically be
on top of each other. But it demonstrates the need
to know municipal restrictions and the need for a survey --
two topics that Sam Brusco addresses in his class "How
to Avoid a Renovation Horror!"
The
real attraction here is the double
French doors that open onto the deck from the dining room.
This will make for wonderful indoor/outdoor parties on warm
afternoons and hot summer nights. There is also a single
French door that allows access to the family room.
Note the
recessed
light on the side of the addition. Brusco Design
& Renovation realized that the steps would be in shadow
at night, so we added that light specifically for safe passage
to and from the deck.
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|
A
new master suite and second floor transformation became
a possibility when discussion of an addition
quickly turned to talk
of a 2-story
structure. The second floor is cheap when you consider that
much of the expense is in the foundation and the roof.
For
a graphical explanation of the second floor transformation, click
here.
A new master bedroom could go on the second floor of the addition.
This would allow the current, greatly oversized master
bedroom to be converted into two rooms -- a guest room
and a permanent bedroom for their son. Their son's old bedroom
space was now available to use as part of a master suite, complete
with his & her closets, a master bathroom and a 2nd floor
laundry room.
Well, several iterations of designs  later,
the clients wanted a closet outside of the main bedroom, so we
gave up on trying to accommodate a laundry room on the 2nd floor.
We settled on using the space for the master bathroom and a walk-in
closet.
|
master
bedroom, before
master
bedroom, concept
|
|
SIPs
panel, R-25 insulating value
("R-value"
is resistance to heat tranfer)
|
Green
aspects of this project
1. Instead
of "stick building" the addition in the conventional
way of using 2x4's and then insulating in between, the entire
structure was made from SIPs
(Structural Insulated Panels), which can retain heat twice
as well as customary construction methods. The cost difference
between the two methods was just about nill. Click
here to read more about SIPs used
in this project.
This was
the first SIPs
structure built in Cranston. But as is common
with being first, Brusco Design & Renovation paid the price
for being a trailblazer. It took an extra month to demonstrate
to the building department that the proposed building was sound
and would meet or exceed current codes. Unfortunate,
but the next client who asks for a SIPs home or addition from
Brusco will reap the benefits of this experience.
2. New low-E
doors and windows were installed in the addition. This
reduces heat loss and summer sun heat gain from these openings,
making the new areas more comfortable year-round
3. Existing vinyl replacement windows were removed and
used elsewhere in
the house. Previous owners had replaced some but not all
of the originial single-pane glass windows. Narrow windows
from the kitchen were moved to the new master bathroom and to
the stairway to bring visual balance to the side of the house.
 4.
Low VOC paints were used in all the rooms that were painted.
It performed about as well as regular paint and there were no
fumes.
5.
All of the concrete that was removed during the project was
recycled.
 6.
All of the cardboard that came to the home during the project
was recycled.
 7.
Most of the
paper, metals, glass and plastic was
recycled. Did you know that iced
coffee cups are made
of #1 (recyclable)
plastic?
8.
Much of the wooden moldings were repurposed. They
were taken off old walls, windows and doors during demolition,
and used on new walls, windows and doors. It saved the
family money, it saved some small trees, and it maintained an
architectural consistency in the house making old and new seamless.
9. All of the
existing interior doors and three doors that were found in the
basement were repurposed. Not all of the doors fit their
new applications, so we either cut or lengthened
doors as necessary. As a result, not one new interior
door was purchased, and all of the doors were a perfect match
for the remaining doors, saving trees, landfill space and the
fuel needed for transportation of raw materials and products.
It was another way Brusco Design & Renovation was able to
combine old and new seamlessly.
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Quotes
/ Testimonials
Thanks for keeping things rolling along so efficiently.
It really is a great achievement
despite the challenges that arose during our project. Kudos
to you and I hope you get lots of good business in the future (including
from us). I've certainly
been talking you up to various friends and acquaintances.
— D.D., Cranston, RI
(our client)
Brusco Design & Renovation was very considerate
of us and other neighbors during the entire renovation. Everyone was
friendly and above
all professional. They didn't start too early in the mornings and they
stopped working at a reasonable hour too. All vehicles parked on one
side of our narrow street to keep traffic flowing. Sam Brusco made sure
that no dust, debris, cigarette butts or coffee cups made their way
to our property, and we share a driveway with [the clients]!
When we have the money, we'll have Brusco back here to do our
home!
— J.E. & T.E., Cranston,
RI, (neighbors of our client)
Yes,
this was a wide-ranging and massive undertaking, but it is a conglomeration
of smaller projects -- any of which Brusco Design & Renovation could
do for new clients. Contact us.
The
family moved back in late November (2008). They are still settling
in. After they have finished decorating, we will have new photos
of the interiors.
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before |
concept |
most
recent photos |
| back of the house |
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| front
of the house |
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no
photo available |
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back of the house,
at night
|
no
photo available |
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no
photo available |
| |
before |
concept |
most
recent photos |
| kitchen |
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|
(during) |
| deck |
(there was no deck) |
|
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| dining
room |
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|
(during)
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| |
before |
concept |
most
recent photos |
| master
bedroom |
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|
no
photo available |
| master
bath |
(there
was none) |
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(during)
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(shared by two people) |
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(during)
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| |
before |
concept |
most
recent photos |
| guest
room |
(there
was none) |
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(during)
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| son's
bed-room |
no
photo available |
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(during, 3 photos pasted together)
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