Addition Over $250,001

Originally built in the ‘Street of Dreams’ era, with emphasis on its street presence, the stately home needed help to improve its function and form. The Tenhulzen team scaled the dormer to maximize desirable north light and enhance the architectural appeal centered over the garage doors below. To meet the needs of this family of seven, Tenhulzen Residential added three times the square footage and made the space feel five times bigger.

Due to structural engineering limitations, they could not fully vault the ceiling with exposed collar ties, so the homeowner opted for improved energy efficiency—including a mini-split system to condition the room. Five zones of dimmable lighting keep the room flexible for designated areas to play cards and video games, lounge and watch movies. A barn door helps to insulate the activity from the rest of the house. The team tapped a sink into the existing plumbing system, allowing for an optimized underlit kitchenette with a beverage cooler and microwave.

To eliminate the need for posts in the garage, the team engineered 18” deep floor trusses spanning from the front to the back of the entire garage. The homeowner requested that the originally designed cantilevered balcony be expanded to a ground-level fitness room, and then they transformed the roof into an expanded roof-top deck off the addition. Suitable for a future portable hot tub, the new roof deck with a lighted composite railing system is a prime retreat for afternoon sun and evening entertainment. With access from the garage, the slab-on-grade exercise room features two folding door systems conditioned by a two-zone mini-split system.