Ravine Retreat
Published March 30, 2010 at 1:41 pmSouthfield, Michigan
Jim and Jeanie, have been clients of ours for 20 years. We have remodeled bathrooms, added a master bedroom, decks, windows, and many other improvements. This phase required addressing the size and layout of the kitchen and dining area. Our task, in providing more space, light and air for the kitchen, was to open the whole interior to the landscape. Our clients have lived on the West Coast and traveled through the high desert. They asked us to work with the colors of desert mesas in magnificent sunsets.
The existing kitchen was small and partially closed off from the living and dining areas. The thing they liked most about the kitchen, and wanted to keep in the new plan, was the skylight.
The plans was to add 6 feet to the dining and kitchen, towards the street, supporting the existing trusses with a girder truss and using new trusses over the addition. This allowed for no beams to cut up the space and divide the new kitchen.
The construction documents:
We added a crawlspace for the new addition, used T1-11 siding to match the existing siding, installed oak floors to match the existing, and installed maple cabinets that the clients got from Direct Buy. Outside we build a new swale to divert rainwater, and built a bridge over it to the front door.
Custom Cherry Shelving Unit
Client’s testimonial:
A great experience. Mr. Nichols is a very talented designer who delights in working with the environment and the effects of natural light. He worked with us very closely to achieve the integration of the site (a ravine) and the spaciousness of the interior. The look is transitional, modern, yet using a lot of natural materials (different wood finishes, granite, etc.) and very welcoming. He was able to create a total living space that works well for family living and for entertaining. It was a pleasure working with him. He also was our contractor. Highly recommended. Share