The NARI Spring Home Improvement Showcase is a tour of 11 newly remodeled homes. You can view the homes from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Visit www.trustnari.org for more information.
When John and Ann Schuman bought their house on Lytham Road in Upper Arlington, John promised his wife they would do whatever was required to make the house suit her needs.
Eleven years later, they joke, he is finally making good on that promise.
By adding 400 square feet to their two-story, 3,500-square-foot home in a project carried out by Grandview-based J.S. Brown and Company, the Schumans enlarged their kitchen and gained a first-floor laundry room, mudroom and covered porch.
“It’s much more comfortable,” Ann says.
The three-and-a-half month project started around the end of August and concluded around the end of January, says J.S. Brown and Company owner Jeff Brown. The addition was crafted in a way that matched the home’s existing décor and style.
“When we walk away, we want people to not know that we’ve ever been there,” Brown says.
John and Ann have three sons: John, 19, Nicholas, 17, and Jamie, 14, the latter two of whom live at home. During the construction, the family decided to stay at their house. As work progressed, a temporary kitchen moved to the dining room, then the living room and, finally, the basement. Now, however, the family can enjoy a kitchen that is twice the size of the previous one.
The kitchen features a new island, stained to match the darkest part of the floor’s grain. New appliances were added, along with a new backsplash, granite counters and cabinetry. Lighting consists of recessed can lights in the ceiling, under-cabinet lighting and wall sconces.
They also removed a wall formerly between the kitchen and family room, opening up the space.
“It was not connected very well to the family room,” Brown says of the kitchen’s previous layout.
The new floor plan also supports a more organized lifestyle, as items that were normally dropped in the kitchen upon entering the home can now be deposited in the mudroom. The space features bench seating, shelving and hooks to drop coats and bags, along with a desk area. The laundry room, which was previously in the basement, is now off the mudroom and includes shelving, cabinetry, a fold-down ironing station and a refrigerator. Both rooms have tile floors.
Previously carpeted, the family room’s flooring was redone in hardwood. Cabinetry was added on either side of the fireplace, which was repainted and outfitted with a limestone hearth.
While the Schumans replaced all the windows in their home, they also strategically added a second window in the family room, which has a two-story, cathedral-style ceiling.
“It brightened up the loft and the family room,” John says.
The loft – used by John and his sons as a game room – and family room also benefited from the removal of a seldom-used spiral staircase, which had served as a secondary entry to the second floor. They replaced the loft rail and stairway handrail system. New hardwood floor was added to replace the space occupied by the staircase.
Though the rest of the house’s hardwood floors were refinished to match the new flooring, this time the Schumans opted for a darker tone than they had before. The new handrail system for the stairs is a combination of iron and dark wood to match the flooring.
The porch features five pillars with a gabled roof. Kentucky blue stones with a limestone perimeter make up the flooring. The blue stone gives the area a formal and rich-looking feel, John says. The spot also has a great view of Reed Road Park – perfect for sitting.
“It’s one of my favorite parts,” John says.
Sarah Sole is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
