Photo courtesy of Nicholson Builders
Natural light is abundant and reaches far into the home with the new two-story foyer design.
When Mike Fought, president of Nicholson Builders, and his crew started work on homeowner Andy Vasani’s renovation, they weren’t aware that Vasani was already having second thoughts.
“During the first week of actual construction on the job, Andy told me that what we had designed and talked about was not what he wanted,” says Fought.
After the initial shock wore off, the Nicholson team, including architect Erik Maxwell, entered into a total redesign of the staircase and foyer in the Vasanis’ New Albany home.
“Without the client pushing us and Erik’s talent in coming up with good solutions, we would not have ended up with such a great result,” says Fought.
In the end, the result, thanks to Andy’s change of heart, worked out well for both the Vasanis and Nicholson Builders. The transformation of a one-story foyer into a two-story grand foyer with a stunning, curved staircase was exactly what the homeowners wanted, and the project was named 2017 Contractor of the Year (CotY) National Winner for a Residential Interior Element by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.
Photo courtesy of Nicholson Builders
Photo courtesy of Nicholson Builders
Photo courtesy of Nicholson Builders
Photo courtesy of Nicholson Builders
Photo courtesy of Nicholson Builders
Photo courtesy of Nicholson Builders
Photo courtesy of Nicholson Builders
Photo courtesy of Nicholson Builders
The award-winning design created an architecturally unique staircase that presents itself upon entry at the front door of the home. The design was intended to address two issues Andy had with the home.
“The flow of the house was not great, and (lack of) natural light was an issue throughout the house,” he says.
To solve these problems, Nicholson incorporated glass and curves into the staircase to open up sightlines and allow more natural light to reach further into the home. Andy says the design works as planned.
“After the renovation, and by not compromising on anything, every corner and every room of the house are livable,” he says.
Few renovations come without challenges.
“The biggest challenge and most difficult decision was the relocation of the existing geothermal system,” says Fought.
The Vasani home had a geothermal system located in a closet on the second floor, and it had to be moved in order to configure the staircase as intended. With some creativity and perseverance, Fought’s team solved the conundrum by relocating the system to the garage.
Both the family and the Nicholson team credit good communication as the key to their successful collaboration.
Bob Valasek is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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