Stacks of firewood serve as a fortress for what at first glance seems a modest vintage ranch in an established Salem neighborhood. The interior, however, nixes any idea that this is an ordinary place.
Through an energetic give-and-take between the homeowners and the staff at Structures, a design and build firm in Roanoke, this ranch tells the story of a home a family loved, but knew it had to change as the family did.
The occupants are an international couple who wanted a place that would accommodate their two children, a menagerie of pets, and a commitment to details and the environment.
The story begins with the mighty elm tree in the backyard. Although they did not buy the house because of this magnificent tree, “it was a type of hook” that clinched the deal, the husband confesses.
He and his wife, who prefer to not be identified because of family tradition and the husband’s profession, relocated to Salem from Alaska more than a decade ago. They searched for a place close to the heart of a community but still accessible to the outdoors, where they enjoy mountain biking and hiking. The wife especially liked the bones of the house, including the open kitchen with a skylight. The place felt contemporary, and especially appealing to her Austrian background.
One drawback: There were only two bedrooms, fine for a couple, but not for a family. But they were totally settled into the property. The wife’s biologist-father from Austria even added plantings during his visits, basing his choices on the ecosystem of the area.
When it came time to expand the living quarters as the children grew older, the couple sought help from Structures’ designer Adam Cohen and project manager Rob Leonard. The husband and wife refer to the professionals as “house whisperers,” saying they made the family’s ideas a reality by listening and matching details to dreams.
The professionals also gently led the couple away from unworkable suggestions, such as a solar water system that would not have operated fully effectively due to shade from the elm tree.
“Retaining the health of the tree was a big driving force for the project,” says Leonard. “We had a series of meetings and really listened to what the owners wanted. They wanted to not impact the tree. They wanted to bring in as much light from the south as possible. They wanted to keep as many of the existing skylights as possible.”
A back deck was demolished and part of its foundation was kept as support for the addition, to eliminateas much excavation near the tree as possible.
The addition is cantilevered like an eyebrow, curved along the back of the house. The end project resulted in a first floor enlarged by some 748 square feet, with glass covering more than half of the exterior wall of the family room and master bedroom.
“This brought in the rear yard, which made it seem like they are living in the woods,” Leonard says.
Money saved by using the old foundation allowed other changes that enhanced the home’s livability, especially the replacement of aging cabinets with hospital-grade cabinets made of high pressure laminate. The homeowners worked directly with staff at Cabinetry with TLC in Roanoke on that part of the project.
The enhanced basement area created by the addition includes a guest bedroom and a large recreation room that can serve as a teenage gathering spot or a “man cave.” In addition, nearly 400 square feet of unfinished space was added in the basement for storage space and future expansion.
All original skylights stayed in place except for one where the old and new roof lines came together. Three solar tubes were added, however, two in the front bedroom and one in a bathroom.
After five months of planning, when the project was near startup, the couple had to move out during construction. A storage pod was placed on site and loaded with furnishings and items that needed to be stored in conditioned space, and the family of four slipped off into a nearby rental home.
During the construction, the family also took its standard summer trip to Austria, keeping in touch with the project through the internet. When the wife and children left for vacation before the wood flooring finish was selected, the husband packed samples of wood floor finishes in his suitcase for the wife to see and select from.
The homeowners rave about the thorough communication between them and Structures’ staff . They even sent what they called “texted postcards” from vacation.
On the exact date that the Structures contract called for completion, Leonard handed the keys to homeowners at 5:30 p.m.
