An Addition Grows Into A Redesign
Useful Lessons From Hiring An Architect

Wisconsin State Journal :: HOME :: J1

Sunday, August 17, 2003
Pamela Cotant

When Roger and Carolyn Putnam decided to invest in their house by putting on an addition, they didn't want to simply add more space.

"We wanted it to be special," Roger Putnam said.

At the same time, the Putnams weren't sure of the best way to get what they wanted. So they hired architect Gary Ebben to design the addition and make changes to the original home at 726 Western Ave. off Monroe Street on the near West Side.

"I told him, I want you to see things that we can't see,'" said Roger Putnam, director of media relations at Wood Communications Group of Madison. "He's transformed this entire house."

The Putnams essentially doubled the value and size of their original home, which was 1,383 square feet, not including a finished room in the basement.

They took the big leap after realizing that they liked the neighborhood and to stay in the area, they would have to spend a lot. They also weren't finding anything they liked better than their own home.

"We basically just said, what's the difference?" Roger Putnam said.

The addition and changes to the existing house were constructed by Palosaari Builders of Lodi. The designs were created to add drama while updating the home with an open layout and more natural light.

The design also was intended to take advantage of the surrounding mature trees.

"Before, everything was sort of separate rooms and you basically had to go poke around the corner to see (the kids)," said Carolyn Putnam, a speech therapist in the Madison School District.

While the front of the 1935 home still blends with its neighbors in a block near the old Dudgeon school building and the UW Arboretum, the back and one side now feature a dramatic, contemporary twist.

The addition has an angle on one side that added interest and allowed the creation of a window seat in an original bedroom occupied by daughter, Hana, 11. Ebben chose to visually link the addition to the original home by putting on an aluminum lattice.

The grid work is found on a front window, on the angled side of the home and against the spiral staircase that leads from a lower deck to a balcony off the master bedroom.

The grid was designed so that it follows the lines of windows and in that way doesn't obstruct views from inside the home. The home was covered in concrete plank siding, which replaced vinyl siding and was one of the features designed to make the home more maintenance-free.

Inside, the Putnams both enlarged their dining room and created a half bathroom on the first floor where the kitchen once stood. Round, white columns were erected between the dining room and the hallway to keep an open feeling while creating a sense of separation.

The addition contains a new kitchen, which overlooks a family room a few steps down. Because the kitchen is open to the family room, both rooms look out to a series of 8 foot windows and a glass door at the back of the house.

The door opens to the deck overlooking the back yard.

"To have a kitchen and living area that really directly communicated with the outside was really appealing to them (Putnams). It's something they didn't have with the old house," said Ebben, whose business is Gary Ebben Architect of Brooklyn.

A black granite breakfast bar separates the kitchen from the family room, which has a slate floor and a fireplace flanked by built-in cherry cabinets that match those in the kitchen. The basement of the addition is a finished family room with a row of three large windows.

The second floor of the addition is a new master bedroom suite. The back wall of the bedroom is identical to the mostly glass wall in the family room below.

The glass door in the bedroom opens to the balcony overlooking the canopy of the trees, giving a treehouse feel. The master bathroom has a cherry vanity with a reddish brown marble countertop and two sinks, a large oval soaking tub and a step in shower enclosed with glass block.

The original bathroom upstairs was changed little except to move a door so a pedestal sink could be replaced with a sink in a vanity. Two original bedrooms include the room occupied by Hana and another for daughter Lucy, 7.

One of the biggest changes was to the front entrance. Originally, the front door opened right into the living room and the stairway was closed off by a wall. Ebben suggested the Putnams open up the staircase by putting in an open railing and removing a third but tiny bedroom above.

The result is a custom stairway combining braided stainless steel cable with cherry railings.

"When you walk in you feel as if you're more in an entryway," Ebben said.

In describing the role an architect can play in major renovation projects, Ebben said he may consult on an hourly basis or offer a range of design services that cost from 4 to 12 percent of the construction costs. He said there are a number of reasons to hire an architect who specializes in residential design when building or renovating a home.

For example, architects are trained to create a design that takes advantage of environmental aspects such as lighting, views and ventilation, he said.

"There's a world of new technologies that most homeowners and most residential builders aren't aware of," Ebben added.