Extreme
Addition:
Same Location – New Home
One
of the most desirable looks in the area’s most upscale luxury homes
is that of the European estate that’s been added to over time. Builders
striving for the meandering look of age at onset often cite Addison Mizner,
the architect known for many of the classic Spanish Revival estates in
Palm Beach.
In remodeling, the formula
is often reversed. Builders aim for the addition that emulates the existing
home or vice versa. In the Varian’s home, an addition sets the pace
for what came first.
Ten years ago, Bill and
Judy Varian designed their dream home in Golden Gate Estates. The 1,800-squarefoot
residence, a three-bedroom home with a detached guest house and a pool
was perfect for a young couple. Arched widows, Plantation shutters, French
doors and a master bathroom with Jacuzzi® tub were attractive features.
Bill’s grandmother moved into the detached guest home and their
dogs happily roamed untouched acreage.
Then came two children,
the children’s friends and many toys. The small kitchen became crowded.
The master bedroom became cluttered with toys. Seemingly overnight, the
perfect home needed a makeover.
Together, Bill and Judy
planned an addition. As a licensed contractor and owner of Varian Construction
Co., a Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR) and Certified Ageing in Place
Specialist (CAPS), Bill was qualified for the task at hand. Even so, the
scope of the project has been so all encompassing that it won a CBIA Sand
Dollar award before the project was even complete.
From day one, a second
story for the master bedroom suite and a new kitchen were at the top of
their wish list. “We’d always wanted to have our bedroom upstairs,”
said Bill.“This is a wooded setting and the view from the second
floor is beautiful.We grew up in the Boston area and missed living in
a two-story home.”
The kitchen was more of
a necessity. “We both love to cook, and were always bumping into
each other in the other kitchen,” Judy explains. “We wanted
a large kitchen open to the living room so we could keep an eye on the
kids and socialize with friends while cooking. I wanted a lot more storage
and room for all of my cookbooks.”
The addition would consist
of a kitchen and living room, built in place of the existing four-car
garage, with a second floor above.
In the finished product,
ceilings at 10 feet add volume. Extras such as a fireplace in the open
living room and considerable moulding, including wainscoting along the
stairwell, create the feel of a traditional Northern home. The kitchen’s
dining area sits in an alcove of windows, a feature that welcomes natural
light.
With storage galore including
cabinetry built into the island, generous spice racks on either side of
the 6-burner Viking range and multiple preparation areas, the kitchen
is a work station for serious chefs. Features such as a raised dishwasher,
under-cabinet lighting and drawers that glide open with the flick of a
finger promote the ageing-in-place concepts of universal design.
“It was important
to us that everything had a function,” Bill said. “This kitchen
does not have one inch of wasted space.” Aesthetics were not sacrificed
for function, however, and features such as granite
countertops, antique-glazed cabinetry and glass fronts on some cabinets
lend character and a sense of age.
Along the way, the project,
which was being accomplished on evenings and weekends in deference to
paying jobs, evolved in new directions. A den and a powder room were added
when it became apparent that the children would need a place to study
within close proximity to the family.
New rooms benefited from
finishing touches. The den has floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. The powder
room has access to the pool, making it an ideal pool bath. A new entrance
to the home was built and includes a door with a beveled glass insert
and matching window panes on either side.
The upstairs is a sanctuary.
In addition to the master bedroom suite, it contains Bill’s study,
a game room and Judy’s favorite room in the entire home: an air-conditioned
place to store everything from luggage to holiday decorations. With a
bathroom that includes a steam shower, his and her vanities and a claw
foot tub, the master bathroom is almost like a spa.
In the original home,
the master bedroom suite will become daughter Catiebeth’s room.The
old kitchen will be turned into two rooms; a playroom and a command center/office
for Judy.
When finished, the home
will be approximately 5,000 square feet under air. Because the old kitchen
remained intact while the new one was built, the project assumed the look
of a jigsaw puzzle with pieces gradually moving into place. “If
you have to do an addition, this is the way to do it,” Bill muses.
“Because the building was taking place in the old garage, our lives
were not disrupted.”
With the price of new homes
escalating as available land becomes precious, home additions, especially
second-story additions, are becoming commonplace. Varian Construction
has completed remodels in such neighborhoods as Grey Oaks, Collier’s
Reserve and Quail Creek. Immediate past president of the CBIA and past
chairman of the CBIA’s Remodeling Council, Bill Varian has been
known to use his own home as a showcase for clients.“We put a great
deal of thought into every material that went into our home,” he
said. “To understand the various types of lighting necessary for
a functional kitchen or the way that details such as crown moulding create
seamless transitions room to room, clients often need to see it first
hand.”
In a home with a good
amount of floor traffic, children or pets, for example, Bill might recommend
laminate flooring that emulates wood in place of the real thing, because
of the reasonable cost and durability. The Varians have been so impressed
with the Pergo installed in their old living room 10 years ago that they
selected a wood-pattern laminate for their new living room and one emulating
bamboo flooring in the den.
Today, the kitchen is the
heart of the new home. In many ways, it’s even better than Bill
and Judy had planned. During a recent family reunion, the kitchen’s
8-foot island became a buffet, which enabled guests to move around the
room with ease.
“We had not even
considered that use and were thrilled when everything came together so
well,” said Bill. “This addition was carefully planned to
fit our lives, and that’s the way it should be.”
Courtesy
of VARIAN CONSTRUCTION CO.
239 332-4240
www.varianconstruction.com
Written by Sam Moser
Photography by Giovanni Photography
