The Convenient Old House - Still the Aristocrat of Bungalows: An "Ashmore" in Bryn Mawr The Convenient Old House

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Still the Aristocrat of Bungalows

The Sears "Ashmore" House
424 Oliver Ave. S.
Minneapolis, Minnesota

A New Kitchen

Tom and Carolyn Jensen appreciated the beauty in the original character that remained. Carolyn in particular, devoted herself to enhancing this character during their ownership of the house. Initially she focused on selecting period appropriate wallpapers, paint colors, and light fixtures to replace fixtures that weren't original. Eventually she decided to tackle the kitchen as well as considering improvements to some of the later alterations.

Drawing of street elevation with changes
Elevation showing entrance window and door changes. Large Image
Although filling in the front entry to create an entry vestibule and replacing the pergola porch with a sunroom added functionality, they decreased the original character. The problem with the front entrance wasn't inherently one of adding windows, it was more specifically how it was done. Although there is a loss of character when a porch is enclosed, the windows contract with the original porch structure that was originally in place and the essence of the original proportions remains the same. That anyway, is the case when windows are used that exactly fill the void.

Unfortunately, when the porch was originally enclosed, the windows weren't sized for the existing opening. This resulted in areas of wall of various widths between the windows and the original porch framing. This problem was compounded due to the small trim used around the windows as well as this wall infill being painted the siding color instead of the trim color.

The solution was to properly size new windows allowing for new trim, the width of the original window trim, which would just fit within the original porch framing. This adjustment also meant that the size of the front door would change slightly but this didn't matter because the existing door needed to be replaced with a door that was more appropriate to the house. It's quite amazing to see how this subtle change can transform the appearance of the porch. The initial alterations were always obvious. The more recent alterations look like they could have been original to the house.

This same problem existed on the sunroom. When the pergola porch was enclosed, the two side windows weren't sized properly. However, because these windows weren't as visible and because of the additional cost involved, these two window openings weren't changed. However all of the sunroom sash were replaced with new sash with the same geometric lite pattern as the original house windows. A sag that existed in the sunroom bay window was also removed and the bay was reinforced.

The majority of Carolyn's efforts were focused on the kitchen. There was plenty to do here. The kitchen was lacking in storage space and was lacking in any kind of character appropriate to the house. There was no storage at the back door, which functioned as there daily entrance. With 2 kids it was critical to have a place for coats and a place to sit and remove boots and store them. Finally, they needed a pleasant place where 4 people could eat.

Breakfast nook
The new breakfast nook recalls the original. (American Bungalow photo) Large Image
To gain a bit more space, they gave up the small closet in the adjacent back bedroom for the kitchen. With this additional space, along with the space originally occupied by the two-seat "Pullman breakfast alcove". It was possible to create a new, larger eating nook for four people that opened into what was originally open porch instead of opening directly into the kitchen. This space from the original open porch became a mud area, with a bench, storage for boots and shoes, as well as open hooks for coats. While not a separate room, The clutter can be tucked away inside the cabinets, which become an extension of the kitchen.

Kitchen
Kitchen before addition of frieze wallcovering. (American Bungalow photo) Large Image
The kitchen workspace was reconfigured to maximize storage. The original room was wide enough that cabinets were added to the long inside wall with the new configuration of the eating nook. This became a convenient place for refrigerator, wall oven, microwave, and pantry cabinets. This freed up the original cabinet locations for range, sink, dishwasher, and plenty of counter space.

Rather than recreate the original "service-space" character, the owners chose to create a character more consistent with the original house to reflect the kitchen's important role in today's families. Custom quarter-sawn white oak cabinets that recalled the original dining room buffet were used along with a honed granite counter. Motawi accent tiles were placed in a field of custom made tiles from North Prairie Tileworks for the backsplash.

The Jensens were recognized for their efforts with the home's inclusion in Bungalow Nation by Diane Maddex, as well as being featured on the cover of the Fall 2005 issue of American Bungalow magazine. Most recently, the kitchen was included in The New Bungalow Kitchen by Peter Labau.

Read more about "The Ashmore" House:

Please come back to follow the work in detail as it progresses.

Architect:
Joseph G. Metzler
SALA Architects, Inc.
326 East Hennepin Ave., Suite 200
Minneapolis, MN 55414
612 379-3037

General Contractor (Kitchen):
Reuter Construction, Inc.
4748 Nicollet Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55409
612 823-7059

Copyright ©2006 The Convenient Old House