When expats Sandi and Jason moved to Cincinnati for Jason’s job, they brought with them a global style of living. “I’ve lived in Europe and Asia,” Australian-born Sandi says. “I knew exactly how much house I could get on my land.” And Sandi knew she could get almost double the house on her Hyde Park lot. After working with architect Matt Evans, of Arcanum Architecture, to come up with the design, Sandi and Jason hired Justin Doyle Homes to demolish their old home and super-size their space to create a more open, functional home.
Love thy neighbors
Sandi and Jason did not want to move out of their Hyde Park neighborhood, but their home was no longer functioning for their family, which includes a teenage daughter and a Labradoodle named Coco.
Sandi knew her neighbors had been happy with Arcanum’s work, so she apprehensively scheduled a meeting.
“I had some reservations about working with Matt because our neighbors’ house obviously isn’t contemporary,” Sandi remembers while looking out her living room window at the neighbors’ traditional, cottage-style home. “But when I showed him a photo of a home that was close to what I had envisioned he said, ‘I worked on that house.’”
At that moment, Sandi put complete trust in Evans who took her vision and helped design a home that included an attached two-car garage, larger footprint and user-friendly floor plan.
Sandi trusted Evans so much that she took his suggestion when it came time to hire a builder. “I interviewed three builders,” Sandi says of Evans’ referrals. “We decided to work with Justin Doyle Homes because of their online system.”
Connected to construction
Matt Terrell, regional manager of Justin Doyle Homes, explains how their online construction management center allows homeowners to log in to a command center for their home construction project. “Clients can see their schedule, they can find all of their sub-contractors and supply lists,” Terrell says. “It also gives them an easy way to email everyone involved with their home.”
This feature was beneficial to Jason while he was away on business, but he still checked in with Sandi to make sure she was staying in the loop.
“My husband travels a lot for work, so it was key that he was able to log in to the system and still feel like he was part of the process. Every time we’d speak, he would have questions,” Sandi remembers with a chuckle. “He’d call me at night and ask if I’d been by the house that day. If I hadn’t, he wanted to know why. He would fixate on things, so it was easier for me to be on-site most days. I think they got sick of me.”
All joking aside, Sandi says her project manager, Aaron Hoober, was her go-to guy and great to work with.
And like all construction projects, this 12-month demolition and new construction process had its hiccups. Terrell recalls that the main constraints were during demolition and centered on the lot size and close proximity to neighbors in their established neighborhood. “We knew we couldn’t just go in and tear the house down, because we couldn’t risk damaging the neighboring houses,” Terrell describes. “We also had to be strategic in getting large equipment on the lot.”
“There were also issues of infrastructure—such as water,” Terrell says. “There are some things you just don’t know until you start digging.”
Contemporary concepts
Sandi and Jason knew they wanted a contemporary home, which is not the norm in the Cincinnati market. “The market dictates what we are building, so we don’t get to build many contemporary homes,” Terrell says.
“Everyone who worked on our house said they enjoyed getting to do something different,” Sandi adds.
Terrell goes on to explain that as more people move from overseas to the Cincinnati area there is more of a market for contemporary design.
The homeowners knew they wanted their home to have clean lines, starting on the exterior where the two-car, attached garage was a must-have item for the family. “It gets cold here in the winter,” Sandi says. “I hated having to walk outside to get to the garage.”
The only place the garage could be situated was at the front of the home, so the front door is actually located on the side of the home. The door on the couple’s original home was on the side as well. Sandi says, “I find it much more private to have a door on the side of the house.”
Plus, the entry switch was in sync with Evans’ overall plan. “I have always been influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright,” he says, “And this house, like many of Wrights, has a side entry for privacy.” He adds that Sandi’s massive cantilevered roofs and vertical stone mass were greatly influenced by Fallingwater as well.
Cianciolo Designscape created an inviting landscape ushering guests from the driveway to the home’s entrance. This area features lovely statues and fountains from Renaissance Garden Ornament.
When guests enter the home through a four-foot by ten-foot pivoting glass door, they are ushered into an open entry flooded with natural light. Up a few steps, the main level of the home explodes with color as the kitchen comes into view.
Purple palette
“I was tossing back and forth between red and blue… I don’t know how I wound up with purple,” Sandi says with a laugh.
“I guess it was a compromise between your two choices,” Terrell responds.
When Sandi met with J&N Distribution and Design about the construction and color of her kitchen cabinetry she stressed the importance of the perfect shade of purple.
“It couldn’t be too bright, and it definitely couldn’t be too pastel,” she adds.
“Sandi brought a purple shoe to the meeting,” Terrell remembers.
“Yes,” Sandi remembers. “They took my shoe to the guy mixing the paint and he matched it perfectly.”
While the cabinetry has the look of lacquered aluminum, they are actually constructed of wood. The lacquered effect comes from the high-gloss paint.
Inspiration in the kitchen
The family prefers a fusion of cuisines. “Traveling allows you to taste new foods and open your palate,” Sandi says. “I love Italian and Jason loves French food.”
Sandi enjoys cooking at her range, which has a backsplash featuring a portrait of Buddha she took while working on her photography degree. “It was originally black and white, but I thought it would tie in nicely with the cabinetry in the same purple,” she explains. “It is simply printed on vinyl, so this is an experiment to see if it will withstand the heat. It’s been six months already, and it still looks good.”
Sandi and Jason entertain frequently in their home, and they wanted double islands that guests could gather around at parties. However, they wanted the option of reconfiguring the space, which is why the second island is on wheels. “My husband wanted a barbeque, so when we entertain on the covered patio, we can move the island to open the flow of traffic in and out of the house.”
Wide-open spaces
“The fact that we have no walls makes this space,” Sandi says of the main level of her home. “I didn’t want a defining line between my kitchen and living room, so we used an abstract pattern to transition from the hardwood to the tile.”
The living room and dining room floors are all Brazilian Pecan that Sandi specifically requested be laid in a random pattern. The living room offers relaxing seating, while the dining room is the perfect place for an intimate dinner party that can open onto the front terrace. “I didn’t want a chandelier,” Sandi explains of her unique lighting. “I prefer nice, smooth lines. It is just a reclaimed piece of wood that serves as a feature without being in your face.”
The homeowners couldn’t be more pleased with the end result of their massive demolition and rebuild. Unfortunately, there isn’t much time to enjoy the fruits of their labor as the family is headed back overseas for a few years. “We already have amazing people lined-up to rent the house while we’re gone,” Sandi explains. “We’re excited to head back overseas, but we will definitely be back to enjoy this house.”
Resources: Architect: Matthew Evans, Architect, AIA, Arcanum Architecture, LLC.; Builder: Justin Doyle Homes; Landscaping: Cianciolo Designscape; Lighting: Elan in entry, Ferguson; Stairs: Elegant Iron Studios; Flooring: Brazilian Pecan and tile, Floor and Decor; Windows and doors: Jeld-Wen, McCabe Lumber; Front door: Solar Innovation Pivot Swing Door; Fireplace: Dayton Fireplace Systems; Kitchen cabinetry: J&N Distribution and Design; Kitchen countertops: White quartz; Kitchen faucets: Moen; Appliances: Custom Distributors; Outdoor kitchen cabinets: J&N Distribution and Design; Outdoor appliances: Coyote Outdoor Living; Exterior stone: Boral Red; Rock: Ledgestone; Statuary and fountains: Renaissance Garden Ornament; Shelving and cupboard organization: California Closets