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Still the Aristocrat of Bungalows

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

Planning the Suite

Our expectations of homes today are very different then they were when "The Ashmore" was built. One aspect of convenient living that we have come to expect in modern times is the idea of a master suite. When "The Ashmore" was constructed, with its 6 bedrooms and single bathroom, this wasn't anything unusual. Today, the norm is the master bedroom suite with dedicated bath and large closet or dressing room. When this home passed on to a Paul Kirkman in June 2006, he wanted to create a master bedroom suite with a level of detail and character that matched the other major spaces in the home.

Since he lived alone and would only have occasional guests using one of the extra bedrooms, Paul felt he could do without adding another bathroom on the main two levels as long as the main floor bathroom remained located were it would be easily accessible to guests. At the same time it was important that it be located adjacent to his bedroom and dressing room. The original bathroom location was chosen as the ideal place for the new master bath. It was located just steps from two existing bedrooms that could be combined to form a single bedroom, and a third bedroom on the other side that could be converted for use as a dressing room. These rooms were connected by the bedroom hall that could be closed off from the rest of the house to form a private suite. When guests were staying in one of the upstairs bedrooms, the bath's location off this hall provides access to guests at the bottom of the stairs. And of course there was also the obvious advantage of plumbing already roughed-in to this area.

Plan of suite
The final suite floorplan. Large Image
While the location of the bath was straight forward, the arrangement took a bit more time. One of the shared goals was to keep from altering the exterior in any way so this meant working with the existing windows. The space for the new bathroom also incorporated the two original bedroom closets on each side of the original bathroom. The bathroom had a pair of windows with sills about 38 inches above the floor. Each closet had small window about four and a half feet above the floor. The sill height of the larger windows was too low to be compatible with a vanity or a shower. Paul's initial notion was to center his tub in front of these windows but further investigation revealed the available width perpendicular to the window was just a bit to narrow to have room for a vanity, shower, toilet, and linen cabinet. A new plan was required.

After exploring how the various component pieces of the bath could nestle together, a new plan emerged. If the areas on each end that incorporated the small windows would accommodate the tub, shower, and toilet that would free up the central area with the two large windows for circulation with a vanity located away for the windows. Upon trial, there was just enough room for the shower and a toilet compartment that incorporated one of the high windows. Working around an existing linen cabinet and clothes chute on the other end, there was adequate space to create an adjacent tub alcove that incorporated the other high window. Actually there was just a bit of space left over so that a new storage cabinet could be added inside the bath.

Keeping the bathroom where it was originally left the three original first floor bedrooms. Paul originally thought that he could use part of one of the bedrooms as a dressing room and add the remainder of the bedroom space to the adjacent bedroom to create a larger master bedroom. A closer look at his space requirements for bedroom and dressing room indicated that this approach wouldn't provide him the space he had been anticipating so a new plan was hatched. Instead the decision was made to combine the two adjacent bedrooms into a single large master bedroom and use the other bedroom as a dressing room. This solution would provide for the easy future conversion of the dressing room back into a bedroom or office if desired at a future date.

The problem with combining the two adjacent bedrooms was that neither of their sidewalls aligned. When the common wall was removed it would look like exactly what it was--two misaligned rooms with the common wall removed. The focus shifted to what, if anything, could be done to unify the two spaces.

The reflected ceiling plan
The reflected ceiling plan details the ceiling layout. Large Image
A couple of different approaches were tried; both attempted to define a larger primary space with a smaller alcove off of it. The first approach created a single long continuous space with an alcove extending in opposite directions on each end. One alcove would accommodate a window seat and two built-in dressers. The other would accommodate the head of the bed. The second approach shortened the existing hall to create a larger square space with an alcove off the end and the same small alcove with window seat and dressers.

Paul preferred this second approach because it provided a larger room and more flexibility in placing the bed. However, the small alcove wasn't well defined. First, because it wasn't centered in the main space, it was feared the space would look more like a long room with the corner missing instead of a square room with an alcove at one end. The attempt to define the small alcove wasn't helped by the fact that the window alcove extended beyond the confines of the small alcove.

The architects believed that some kind of architectural element would help unify the main room and small alcove, while at the same time provide an organizing element to provide additional definition for the small alcove. They found the element they wanted in the form of a coffered ceiling. They were able to establish a module that clearly defined the confines of the main square space even there wasn't a defined fourth corner to the main space because of the passage into the window alcove. The pattern repeated in the small alcove and was symmetrical in front of the window alcove. With the ceiling worked out, the basic organization of the suite was now set.

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 (Bedroom suite):
Mike Otto Construction, Inc.
210 Dean Avenue E.
Champlin, MN 55316
612 245-5826

Copyright ©2006 The Convenient Old House