French
Classic

Originally built in 1972, this modified two story house in a great Lake Minnetonka location just purchased by its new owners needed a major remodel and additions, and a complete exterior makeover. The new homeowners wished a more contemporary style home with spacious and up to date master suite on the second floor. The other concerns included the fact that existing kitchen needed a complete overhaul and updating. In fact the entire main floor, as with the original style of its time, was compartmentalized, dark with isolated spaces.

The homeowners also wanted a space for a new study, as well as reworking the existing living room and front entry foyer. and its lack of sense of arrival and appeal The architect rearranged the existing front spaces by relocating the front door and creating a new space study in place of the old entry. The entire work was done by very little amount of actual addition to the house. Beside the front entry porch and the bay French door with access to the new patio, the existing footprint was not altered. The result was a completely fresh look of a French classic architecture.

The new second floor addition was constructed over the existing single story portion of the home and provided the space for a new master bedroom suite and provided additional mass and allowed for for a two story ceiling in the living room. The new entry foyer was moved from its original confined location to a more central location and open to the living room, while making the new space available for the new study in its place at the front of the home.

The existing screen porch on the side of the house was “non-conforming”, meaning encroaching into the setback area when it was originally built. However, as it was “grandfathered in” the architect was able to save the structure and however renovated, it was included into the new design. The existing bedrooms on the other side of the second floor was then rearranged to complete a four bedroom combination.