And while the couple ended up adding only 200 square-feet to the rear of their 1,350-square-foot cedar-shingled 1920s home, the first floor was completely refigured, a sort of remodeler's game of Dominos: The kitchen was moved to where the dining room was, the dining room was moved to the rear addition, the bathroom was located in the former kitchen.
Goals: Expand kitchen, allow better traffic flow and closet space, make better family spaces, showcase the work of tile maker Nawal Motawi.
"The kitchen was a disaster. It was a tiny little thing. It was wedged into a corner. There were awkward spaces. There was no room to move around, " said Bruce Curtis, founder and owner of Washtenaw Woodwrights. "Now, everything is more open. It's not cramped."
The house already had a number of unique features, including alternating width exterior cedar siding, Curtis said. Adding Nawal Motawi's nationally respected arts and crafts-style Motawi tiles added to the home's special appeal. The tiles made two appearances in the remodel project: A supporting role as the kitchen backsplash and a leading role in the bath and shower.
For the bathroom tile, they selected a tapestry wallpaper design new to the Motawi line. It was a rich, Persian-looking motif.
"Naturally, we went crazy in the bathroom," Motawi said. "It was a dream installation." The bath and shower is a virtual Motawi Tile museum. The floor and walls are covered in tile, including a highly detailed recessed area in the shower for storing shampoo and soap. There's even a custom-made, one-of-a-kind tile grate over the heat vent in the same wallpaper motif.
Motawi had been hording tiles that had been overheated, bringing flecks of red out of the green iridescent tiles. While the tiles were beautiful, they didn't match the color line and couldn't be sold as first-quality. But she had saved enough for the bathroom project.
The kitchen backsplash was tiled in a vivid Art Deco design, the same pattern used for the donor wall at the Ann Arbor YMCA, Motawi said. "It was pretty daring."
The family had to hunker down for the five-month project. "We called it our kitchen-interrupteous period," Motawi said.
The kitchen was moved and enlarged, opening it up to the rest of the downstairs spaces. A small window was added within the backsplash for a peek outside. Cherry cabinets were added along with fireslate countertops. The cement-based countertops are smooth with a matte finish that's slightly mottled, Curtis said. The refrigerator was placed in a wall recess that took space from the abutting bathroom, saving more space for the kitchen.
"They didn't need the space for the bathroom, and it took away that bulky feeling from the kitchen," Curtis said.
The dining room ceiling, which was lower than the traditional eight feet, was improved with a tray ceiling, adding extra height and a more open feel.
But it was the series of arches that brought the project together. While the original first floor had an arch, three other arches were added, intersecting and allowing the rooms to flow into each other.
"It makes it symmetrical," Motawi said. "I love the arches."
The biggest challenge was figuring out how to use the space, Curtis said. The design was done in-house. "There were a lot of iterations to get the design where they wanted it," Curtis said. "At the same time, you have to be careful and not blow the budget."