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This is taken from several different articles published in the Herald Times about projects where we built the cabinets.
Click on the thumbnails at the bottom of each article
Fixing a small kitchen
By Carrol Krause
Herald-Times Homes homes@heraldt.com
4/9/2011
Once upon a time, people wanted their kitchens to be separate from the entertaining areas. Kitchens were viewed as utilitarian spaces that didn’t need additional lighting or glossy finishes; they were often windowless or small, simply a place to conduct a task. But that type of kitchen doesn’t work well for many homeowners today.
Iris and Estelle’s attractive condo was built in the 1980s. The only part of it that failed to satisfy was the small windowless kitchen. “We’d been thinking about changing it ever since we moved in five years ago,” Iris noted. Three narrow doorways connected the original kitchen with the nook, living room and rear hall. The kitchen was separated from the adjoining nook by a counter and overhead cabinets with a pass-through space between. The refrigerator stood alongside the hallway door and the placement inadvertently deepened the doorway. “It gave you the effect of walking through a tunnel,” Iris remembered. “When the fridge died, that was our impetus for changing things.”
When considering a drastic change that involves moving walls, it’s important to talk with an architect. The owners consulted with architect Jim Rosenbarger. “Jim is not about ‘if it’s bigger, it’s better,’” Iris commented. “Instead, the first thing he said was ‘You have to get some light into this room.’ The nook is on the north side of the building, so virtually the only light we were getting was reflecting off the building across the street and bouncing in through the pass-through.” Jim envisioned a completely new use of space. He proposed removing the wall between the kitchen and nook to create a unified space twice the size of the original kitchen. The narrow door to the dining room would become an eight-foot-wide opening, thus unifying the two spaces. The fridge would be moved to the side wall and a difficult corner area would be reclaimed as a hallway linen closet instead of a kitchen cabinet. The homeowners were in agreement that they didn’t want granite countertops. “We don’t have granite, we don’t have stainless steel appliances,” Iris emphasized. “Because this is a 1980s building, we wanted to retain the architectural integrity with the rest of the house. So we chose all-white appliances and white Corian countertops – nineteen-eighties! The white subway tile backsplash matches the white appliances, yet it’s all very contemporary and comfortable.” “We didn’t do anything about the highly textured ceiling, because in 2030 they’ll be putting texture back on there,” laughed Estelle. “The only thing we didn’t keep from the ‘80s is having ‘the little woman’ working by herself in the kitchen,” Iris said with a smile. Jim Rosenbarger made sure that the new kitchen would receive ample light by specifying twice the number (and height) of windows in what was formerly the nook. Placing a seating area right beside the new windows would have meant creating another barrier between the main kitchen and the outside; so seating is now arranged at the window end of the new long central island. The central island has a raised section of counter that the owners have dubbed “the leaning post,” because during entertainments guests are sure to come into the kitchen and rest an elbow upon it. The original kitchen had three different corner cupboards, and things were always getting lost in the deepest recesses.
The new cherry cabinets were made by Plum Creek. “The surprise is that Plum Creek is not massively more expensive than Ikea,” said Iris. “And they can customize them to whatever size you need. Now we have not one cupboard in the whole place where we have to grope in the back, trying to reach something. How we love it!”
Dave Sharp of Sharp Designs did the construction and is impressed with the ergonomics and the difference in light that the space now enjoys. “Light is definitely very important,” he said. “I’m a cook myself, and this is a great kitchen to cook in. There’s lots of counter space, and this island really works well. This is the first kitchen I’ve done that had all drawers below the counters.”
Below the countertops are handsome and accommodating drawers with full-extension openers. Instead of opening cabinet doors, dropping to one knee and rummaging for a pot in the depths, Iris and Estelle simply pull open a cherry drawer and remove the needed item. Deep, wide kitchen drawers like these are appearing more and more frequently because they’re attractive and much more accessible than conventional cabinets.
The new induction cooktop is a marvel, and boils water unbelievably swiftly. “It’s so easy to keep clean,” Iris emphasized; “There are no plates to be pulled up and washed, no places for food to fall down and get stuck.”
Estelle and Iris love their new kitchen and very much appreciate their architect and their builder. “We now have a great entertaining space as well as a great everyday space,” Iris summed up. “When we go away, the thing we miss most is the kitchen.”
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AN ADDITION THAT FITS
Story by Carrol Krause Herald-Times Homes
April 16, 2011,
When people drive past Barb Lund’s landmark house they don’t notice the recent addition. They’re too busy looking at the color.
“We bought this in ’76, and in ’79 the colors went on,” Barb explained. “We were the very first house on this side of town to have wild colors…now you see them all over the neighborhood.”
Barb, a well-known potter, has a studio with kilns behind her home and is firmly committed to her home and her neighborhood. Her 1904 gable-ell home has always been a longtime family home, with only two owners before her. But after thirty-five years in the house herself, first raising a family and then on her own, Barb began considering what she could do to make her home more suitable for elder living.
Last year she asked Golden Hands to build an addition that would provide an accessible bathroom and a large kitchen/ dining area. Barb had been considering an addition for years and discussed her ideas with IU’s Frank Young, who drafted plans for her. Golden Hands, specialists in working on older homes, carefully built onto the back of the house while she lived in the front part.
Great care was taken to make the addition blend harmoniously with the existing architecture.
“People come over and can’t tell where the new addition is, although to me it’s obvious,” she commented. Golden Hands installed a new bathroom, created a beautiful new kitchen and finished off a new mudroom and storage. Skylights illuminate what would otherwise be a windowless rear hallway.
The new bathroom is located in the space formerly occupied by the kitchen. Every surface reflects a soft orange tint, a warm and energizing color. The marbleized Marmoleum floor, the exterior of the original clawfoot bathtub, cabinets and countertop, even the tiles of the new walk-in shower are all orange. The large shower enclosure has no sill and is completely accessible.
“If I have to, I can put a chair in there,” Barb explained. “And there are pull-down grab rails on both sides of the toilet.”
The kitchen, in keeping with the color theme of the outside of the house, is painted in soft blues with a pale green ceiling.
“A lot of this kitchen was built as a reaction to the old kitchen, where the table was in the middle of everything and I had to climb over it to get anywhere, and there was no place to hang a towel. In this new kitchen, all the new cabinet handles are towel-hangers!” She smiled.
“I couldn’t decide whether kitchen islands were really practical or just a current fashion statement,” she continued. “The location of many of them seem to permanently bruise your hips, but this one really works. Ben Sturbaum did a lot of the interior work, and when we were positioning the island we figured out how far it would need to be so I could still bend over to get things out of the stove. So the space between the island and the sink was custom-sized to fit my build.”
Because this is a real working kitchen, the end of one counter extends beyond the cabinetry underneath in order to allow an apple-peeler or meat-grinder to be clamped on. On the far side of the island is an open space with two wooden kitchen tables to accommodate guests.
“I’ve had thirty people in here comfortably,” Barb observed with satisfaction.
Upstairs, above the new kitchen and dining area, is a lovely guest bedroom used when her grown children visit. What appears on first glance to be a closet turns out to accommodate a toilet and tiny sink. There’s abundant built-in storage and the room is painted a warm yellow. The stairs were specially designed with lower-than-standard risers to accommodate Barb’s knees.
“I love color,” Barb said with relish. “I don’t wear wild colors, but I love it on the house. There are two shades of blue on the outside. The dark blue is the color of the tea kettle we had; the light blue is the color of a coffeepot that was in Jens’ family and came from Denmark; and the yellow we just liked. I spent hours at Lowe’s trying to come up with the colors for the addition. Chris Sturbaum had doubts about the colors at the beginning but once it all went up, he liked it.”
The result is one of the prettiest kitchens in Bloomington, a kitchen that suits the house of an artist, a kitchen whose light fixture is covered with decorations to suit the season.
“Every chandelier needs castanets and Easter eggs,” she laughed.
The old house has gained new vigor with the building of the addition.
“I grew up in a 1740s house in Connecticut,” Barb finished, “so to me, this isn’t an old house at all, but just a middle-aged house. I love this house! I’ve been very happy here, and I fully intend to live the rest of my life here.”
Contact Chris Sturbaum of Golden Hands Construction
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Nurturing a home
Story by Carrol Krause Herald-Times Homes
March 5, 2011,
When Rita and Jack first saw their home, it was love at first sight, although they weren’t in the market.
“We already had a house, we were very happy there and we had no intention of moving,” Jack recalled. “A friend told us that there was a great house for sale across the street from her. We drove over, but we were totally opposed to the idea of looking at a house.”
“We pulled in the driveway,” Rita remembered. “It was springtime, and everything was in bloom, it was a lovely yard. Jack looked at me and said ‘We’re in trouble!’ We loved the house already. ” The contemporary home was exceptional in its craftsmanship. “It was built lovingly and well, as if a cabinet-maker had built it,” they both noted. The woodland yard that surrounded it was beautiful as well, filled with birds and occasional deer. Rita and Jack bought it with no regrets.
Their wonderful family home was soon filled with cherished objects. In every room they hung paintings and sculptures by artist friends as well as a number of textile works made by Rita, a skilled weaver. There are family antiques and several elegant chairs hand-crafted by a beloved uncle. Everywhere are objects that remind them of family, friends and pleasant memories.
Nonetheless, even the most perfect house is constantly evolving, and change is inevitable.
“Our design object was to connect this beautiful yard with the home,” Rita observed. “Before we did all this, there was an interior and an exterior, with no connection. We had to go into the laundry room to see the back yard.”
“We respect the house,” Jack emphasized. “Whenever we’ve done work, we’ve tried hard not to mess it up.”
The biggest change was the removal of an existing greenhouse addition and the construction of a remarkable family room in its place. Due to the sloping terrain the room is lower than the level of the main floor; the beautiful staircase has an outstanding handmade metal and glass railing by local artist Reza Pishgahi. There are large patio doors and an abundance of windows; beams traverse the cathedral ceiling.
Dave Sharp of Sharp Designs was responsible for the top-notch remodeling.
Throughout the house, six windows were added to improve the views of the yard, along with a few skylights. A much greater amount of light now penetrates the house. One might suspect that all these new openings in the wall and ceiling mean that the house is less energy efficient, but the attic was foam-spray insulated to good effect. Although they are now heating a substantially larger space than before, their bills for heating and cooling are significantly lower than before the work was done.
More recently, Rita and Jack wanted to replace their stove with a larger model, but this meant cutting into the existing countertop and nudging the cabinets to both sides. They asked Dave Sharp to do the work for them, but he cautioned that major changes like this always work out better when there’s a plan. So they asked architect Jim Rosenbarger to redesign the space.
“Jim told us ‘You need a window in your kitchen,’ and proposed that one wall should be shifted backward into the large laundry room, to provide more space in the kitchen,” Jack recalled. Plum Creek built all-new cabinetry using a quarter-sawn oak, characterized by fine, dense grain patterns.
The existing kitchen island was enlarged and tweaked, but the unique thing about it is the countertop. Today, granite counters seem almost obligatory; but this is a sure sign that a trend is ready to change. Stone countertops can be chipped or broken, and any glass that happens to get tipped over is sure to shatter. The once-humble Formica countertop has been fighting back with new textures and patterns, some of which mimic stone or tile. Many people dismiss Formica because they believe that sinks must be top-mounted with it, but this is no longer the case. Rita and Jack chose a slate-like Formica countertop from Chip’s Countertops, with a flush-mounted stainless sink. The effect is sleek, Minimalist and very contemporary.
“The footprint of the kitchen didn’t change a lot,” said Rita. “The oven moved; but the triangle is the same. I didn’t really appreciate how much the extra space would improve things.”
“The plan evolved in a natural way,” said Jack. “Pieces fell into place as we went along.” A brick pillar wasn’t in the original design, but was added to reflect the existing brick pillars near the entry. The bricks had been reused during a former home project and the owners wanted to use them again. The bricks had originally been salvaged from the old Owen County Bank building and a school in Spencer, so this was the third time they had been used.
Jim Rosenbarger designed a new master bath as well, stealing a bit of space from the big bedroom in order to make enough room for a step-in shower in the bathroom. The walls of the bath and shower are a striking veined marble tile.
“When we first walked in this house we could see how careful and stable it was, how well everything was built,” Rita finished. “Whoever built this was careful and thinking long-term. We feel responsible for treating it well. With the things we’ve done, this house will be here for a long, long time.”
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SLEEK SOLAR by Carol Krause Herald Times Homes 7/2/2011
One doesn’t usually think of a passive solar house being built on the north side of a steep and wooded hill, but in Bill L.’s case it worked out perfectly. Conceived by Herndon Design, the house skillfully accommodates the sloping terrain.
The home’s roof slants up the hill, opening toward the sun. Designer Russ Herndon inverted standard triangular clear-span trusses to create the roof and the tilted ceiling beneath it. The angled shape of the home muffles the sound of traffic from the nearby state road and helps deflect winter winds.
Passive solar design generally requires a solid concrete or masonry floor that absorbs the sun’s warmth during the day and releases that warmth at night. Bill’s floor is polished concrete slab, acid-etched and then stained a warm brown color (dark colors absorb more heat than light colors). Because the sun’s path across the sky moves throughout the year, the roof overhang prevents the sun from heating the floor during the warm months.
“Between the spring and fall equinoxes the sun doesn’t come in to the house because of the roof overhang,” Bill explained. “But by the winter solstice the sun is low in the sky and shines all the way through the house to the far side.”
A heat pump and a small wood stove are all that’s needed to heat and cool the 1400-square-foot house. Air conditioning is not usually needed unless the humidity becomes oppressive.
The steep terrain dictated two different levels to the home. Project designer and draftsperson Leslie Noggle pointed out, “This form allowed us to take advantage of the existing steep grade by stepping the garage down a few feet to the driveway, while keeping the living spaces level with the original clearing.”
Every room except the guest bedroom and guest bath has floor-to-ceiling windows that face uphill and are filled with a spectacular view of the hillside, which is covered with lush Indiana wildflowers, prairie grasses and trees. Throughout the home there are partition walls that stop short of the ceiling; the bedrooms and bathrooms do have full walls for privacy, with interior clerestory openings. “The inner walls share light within the space,” Russ pointed out, adding that all the openings along the inner south wall have extra-wide pocket doors instead of hinged doors. “When opened, they provide a 60-foot long sight line,” Russ noted.
Bill takes great pleasure in the home’s open sightlines. “I really like the way light filters through,” he commented as he gazed the length of his home. “I don’t need to turn on lights when I go into a room.”
In the bathroom, the walk-in shower requires no special flooring, just the same incised and colored concrete found everywhere else throughout the house.
“It’s great!” Bill emphasized. “Because it’s concrete, you can’t hurt the floor. A lot of people have prejudice against slab floors, but I think it’s just great. It helps equalize the temperature between summer and winter.”
Designer Leslie Noggle was not the only Noggle to work on the project. The house turned into a family production when Leslie’s father, builder Dave Noggle, won the bid to construct the house. Leslie’s sister Chelsea painted the walls and acid-etched the concrete slab, her brother Teddy did all the electrical work, while Dave’s wife Sarah – a talented weaver – is weaving custom curtains for Bill.
The tall windows in the master bedroom wrap around a corner of the room and provide a panoramic view of the wooded hillside. The far end of the room is a sitting area where Bill can relax and do his writing.
“I’m really happy with the way this space [the bedroom] worked out,” Bill commented. “I’ve had coyotes and foxes walk right up outside the windows at night, as if they were looking in. And the full moon the last few nights has been really wonderful. I like the way the house blurs the distinction between indoors and outdoors.”
In every detail, the house is well-planned and comfortable. The kitchen is attractive, with granite counters and a compact work triangle, and there’s a built-in bench inside the front door where visitors can sit while shoes are removed. There’s even a “guitar closet” that houses Bill’s collection of musical instruments. At the back of the home is a screened porch, large enough for a table and chairs so the owner and his friends can dine in peace outside without being bothered by insects.
The house seems at one with nature, with its views of wildlife and native plants. It’s ecological, it was affordable, and it’s very attractive. Whether playing music, working at the computer, sitting with a book, dining with friends or simply gazing out the windows, the home is comfortable year-round.
“It’s great to come home to every day,” Bill said with obvious feeling. “It would be hard to improve on my situation.”
Contact Russ Herndon of Herndon Design at 812-822-1919, . Contact builder Dave Noggle at 812-320-3333 . Contact designer Leslie Noggle at 812-320-5865 or at noggleslie@hotmail.com.
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A condo’s new kitchen
Story and photos by Carrol KrauseHerald-Times Homes • homes@heraldt.com
December 3, 2011
About six years ago, knowing that I-69 was going to come through Monroe County, Tom and Diane G. made the decision to leave their custom home. Tom had designed it himself, and it was nestled in seven acres of deep woods, off of Highway 37 north of town. Instead, they bought a condominium in Bloomington, one of a grouped series of 37 units with similar floor plans.
The condos had been built in the mid-1980s. Although their unit was handsome and in good physical condition, the kitchen was original, and it was showing its age. Recently Tom and Diane reintroduced custom design back into their lives by completely gutting and remodeling their kitchen. The new design, naturally, was done by Tom.
“I have a third of an architect’s degree, just enough to be dangerous!” Tom said with a smile. (He studied architecture while on sabbatical in the 1970s.)
“The kitchen was old, and it needed freshening up,” he explained. “As long as we were going to do that, why not design a kitchen that worked better?”
His plan called for widening the opening between the kitchen and the central hallway of the condo, which meant relocating appliances and countertops.
“The kitchen wasn’t really large enough for an island,” Tom continued. And it was dark to work in. Although the original layout featured a soaring window in the nook, the view from the kitchen was blocked by a soffit with cabinets suspended beneath it. Tom’s new plan called for removing these impediments, providing clear and unobstructed access to natural light from anywhere in the kitchen.
But when you widen a doorway and remove overhead cabinets, the challenge is to avoid losing valuable storage space. Tom needed to reposition all the elements so as to enhance the overall usability.
Dave Sharp, of Sharp Designs, was hired as project contractor.
Tom envisioned two new kitchen counters, roughly L-shaped, which would face each other across an open central floor space. The handsome new cherry cabinets (built by Plum Creek) would extend to the ceiling and include some glass fronts, while the under-counter cabinets would follow a recent innovation in kitchen design by offering a number of deep pull-out drawers. Drawers like these, hung on full-extension hardware, can accommodate heavy loads, anything from large collections of pots and pans to stacks of plates, cups and saucers. They are far easier to access than conventional under-counter cabinets with swing-out doors, which often require the user to drop to one knee in order to reach deep into the back.
They selected new countertops at Quality Surfaces in Spencer crafted from soapstone with dramatic crystalline intrusions. Soapstone is becoming increasingly popular in recent remodels. Interestingly, the soapstone they chose looks dark gray unless it is well-oiled or waxed, which turns it an elegant dark green. Tile backsplashes were added around the perimeter of the kitchen.
The floor of the original kitchen was sheet vinyl. Tom and Diane wanted to upgrade the floor to match the existing engineered wood planking in the living room and dining room, and this also seemed to be the right time to replace all the other floors throughout the condo. The manufacturer still offered a product that closely resembled the original flooring in both color and width. It is not pleasant to live in a house that’s undergoing intensive remodeling, so Dave Sharp’s team laid much of the new floor throughout the condo while the owners were away on vacation.
Thanks again to Dave’s planning, the kitchen was non-functioning for only a month or so. During that time the old refrigerator and the microwave were moved down to the lower level, and Tom and Diane adapted their cooking and eating accordingly for those few weeks.
The result: a contemporary kitchen with stainless appliances, contemporary light fixtures, beautiful new cherry cabinets and gleaming soapstone countertops. The formerly dark kitchen is now bathed in natural light. Cabinet storage and counter area have both increased.
“The space works a lot better than the old one,” Diane commented. “I actually have empty shelves left!”
Tom particularly enjoys a small but useful detail: a raised portion of the perimeter of the countertop, which shields the sink clutter from view from the dining room. Because kitchens tend to become the center of any gathering, this raised portion also provides a great place for friends to stand while chatting with the cook. It’s also worked well as a buffet line for larger gatherings.
“The kitchen has been done now for several months,” Tom said, “and it really seems to work. We’re very pleased with it.”
“Even though I resist his ideas, he comes up with some good ones,” Diane laughed.
Contact Dave Sharp of Sharp Designs at (812) 334-9960, Plum Creek Cabinets at (812) 824-7008, and Quality Surfaces, Inc. at (812) 876-5838.
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