Retro Condo Renovation
Objectives: This North Shores townhouse has been the family vacation & gathering spot since 1971, and holds great memories of wonderful times & childhood evolution. Sagging floors, roof-deck leaks and salt air had all taken their toll. The family decided to keep the condo as a legacy property to use & enjoy in the coming years. The quest was to update the condo, keeping the feel & flavor, but making it more comfortable & functional for an extended family that includes kids, dogs & messy guests.
What we did:
- Structure: Like many similar structures in the neighborhood, the floors and roof in this 1970-era condo had sagged significantly. We added steel beams (concealed within the original framing) to straighten the structure. This also allowed us to eliminate a post in the dining room.
- Floor plan: On the second floor the elimination of the dining room post and the widening of the kitchen doorway dramatically improved traffic flow in the once-claustrophobic kitchen. In the first-floor master bedroom we created a larger bath and a walk-in closet by relocating a few partitions.
- Energy & Comfort: A chronically wet crawlspace & leaking roof deck had created moisture problems and musty odors for years. The home is now protected by a new Duradek roof membrane above and a carefully detailed crawlspace liner below. The musty odors are a distant memory.
- Clean & Fresh: The timeless beach feel of the new kitchen &bath cabinets and wood & tile floor, coupled with the original furniture, evokes the memories of years of family meals & heart-to-heart conversations centered around the table lovingly referred to as “the damn orange table”.
