Category: Kitchen remodeling, over $100,000
Location: Edina, Minn.
Contractor and designer: John Sylvestre, Sylvestre Construction, Minneapolis
By adding just 800 square feet to this 1960s rambler, Minneapolis design/build firm Sylvestre Construction was able to create a more family-friendly house. The designers enclosed an adjacent porch to make room for a new kitchen with a long, sleek island and create a larger dining room with a 12-foot sliding door that opens onto the back patio.
The designers also created a family room in the space that was the original eating area. The crew added a 2-foot bump out along one wall to fit built-in cabinetry for the television and computer. The addition fits beneath the existing roof for more cost-effective construction. They also removed the fireplace and added a wall of windows to tie the room to the back yard.
The judges gave the project high marks for sensitivity to existing structure and cost-effectiveness. They also praised the details that tie all the rooms together, including the built-in cabinetry and wood flooring.
