This famous line written in the 1786 poem “To a Mouse” by Scottish poet Robert Burns, refers to a mouse that prepares its nest for winter, only to have it destroyed by the poet while he is plowing a field.
Centuries later, Susan and Mike were preparing their own nest—building a home in Greenville, South Carolina, where they were certain they would spend their retirement years. Plans included a first-floor primary suite, wide doorways, and other universal design elements which would allow them to age gracefully in their home.
Well, let’s just say, their plans went awry. “I joke that my husband failed at retirement,” Susan says.
Actually, Mike retired young and soon realized he had another career path he’d like to follow. A new job moved the couple north to Greater Dayton during a time period where home inventory was low. The Tudor they found in Oakwood was certainly a dramatic shift from the home they just built.
While it wasn’t quite what the couple was hoping to find, Susan says, they got a “great vibe” from the place. “We toured some homes where the stairs would squeak,” she says. “This place felt very well built. Sturdy.”
The circa 1932 home was not especially suited to aging in place. The primary suite was on the second floor, bathrooms were rather narrow and needed updating, and the kitchen was a fairly tight galley-style space.
“I love to cook. I LOVE to bake,” Susan says. “This was not a cook’s kitchen.”
The couple has five children whose homes are spread out across much of the eastern half of the United States. But when occasions arise where they can all be together, much of their time is spent gathered in the kitchen.
“Cooking is what our family does together,” Susan says. “The kitchen has been an important part of every house we’ve ever had.”
The right match
Once they purchased the home in January of 2022, the couple knew they wanted to renovate the kitchen and update both bathrooms, but it took them a while to get the process underway.
“We talked to several different smaller contractors who ghosted us,” Susan says.
Finally walking through their neighborhood, she saw a Greater Dayton Building and Remodeling truck. A friend who has lived in the area for 30 years told Susan the company had a good reputation. When they contacted Greater Dayton they were put in touch with Matt Jones, senior designer. Jones has lived in Oakwood for over 20 years and is well-versed in older home renovation.
“We do a lot of work in this area,” Jones says. “The houses are unique from an aesthetic point of view. The challenge is designing a kitchen with modern amenities and usefulness that looks appropriate in that setting. We pride ourselves on taking something old and fitting something new into it without it being clunky or awkward.”
Setting priorities
During the first meeting with Jones, Susan and Mike shared their list of remodeling priorities. First, the primary, then the guest bath, and finally the kitchen. The guest bath’s footprint remained the same, but the primary bath’s shower was reconfigured and a three-by-three-foot section was borrowed from an adjacent sitting room to allow for a double vanity and a privacy wall for the toilet space.
But when it came time for the kitchen renovation, that’s where Susan’s wish list and Jones’ creativity joined forces.
The original thought was to use the existing footprint but open the space to the sitting area, which was an addition to the back of the home built in the ‘80s. Then Jones came up with a plan to claim this space for a much larger kitchen. “The addition didn’t meld particularly well with the existing house,” he says.
With mixed feelings about giving up this family room space, with its abundance of windows and natural light, the couple ultimately agreed that it would be wonderful to open the whole kitchen to the back yard.
“A lot of effort went into how that was going to look,” Jones says.
Making the transition
Once work on the kitchen began, the project took three months to complete start to finish. Susan credits the on-time finish to the fact that Greater Dayton doesn’t start a job until all the components are in their warehouse and the subs are on board.
During that time, Susan and Mike enjoyed meals in the home’s more formal dining room, admittedly because there were no other options, but also because using this space has always made meals feel special for family dinners.
“It’s important to me to actually use our dining room,” Susan says.
To make the family-room-to-kitchen transition work, three separate clusters of drafty windows were replaced with two double sets of gridded casement windows that are more in keeping with the home’s Tudor style. This reconfiguration allowed for a wide swath of countertop space and a centered professional 48-inch Wolf cooktop and powerful range hood.
The new windows allow fresh air into the kitchen and can be used as a pass-through when the couple entertains.
What was the original kitchen, now serves as a butler’s pantry/bar of sorts. There’s a second refrigerator there and friends and family members know that’s where the cold beverages are kept.
A spacious 7-½ by 4-½-foot island includes a farmhouse sink and seating for four, perfect for conversation during meal prep. But when working alone, Susan says she loves the countertops on the stove wall and the space they give her to work thanks to the absence of upper cabinets.
“It’s just so open and light. I stand to the left of the stove and look out the windows to the back yard,” she says. “There’s a combination of lightness, openness and functionality that I am really enjoying.”
RESOURCES
Design Matt Jones, Greater Dayton Building and Remodeling Construction Greater Dayton Building and Remodeling KITCHEN Appliances The Appliance Gallery Countertops Mont Fantastico, Kitchens By Rutenschroer Range backsplash Mont black bamboo pearl porcelain from Florida Tile, installed by Ken Hudak Flooring Florida Tile Time 2.0 Silver Natural, installed by Sexton Flooring Cabinets Perimeter: Galveston in Mist by Quality Brand from Miami Valley Counters; Island: Chelsea #6 in maple with Smoke stain; Butler’s pantry; Kendall in Cherry Hazelnut from Dura Supreme, installed by Douthwaite Woodworking BATHROOM Countertops Mont Fantastico from Creative Countertops Tile Perpetuo hex on floor, from Daltile; Artic white matte on walls from Florida Tile, installed by Ken Hudak Cabinets Kendall in cherry hazelnut from Dura Supreme, installed by Endurance Property Group
Article By Karen Bradner | Photos by Dawn Smith
Article originally appeared in November 2024