Old houses are alive with history. Their very walls, it often seems, are imbued with tales of those who have called them home - of birthday parties, lovers' quarrels, birth, death and the mundanities of everyday life. The physical traces of life, too, can often be found in old houses. Gouge marks in the floor tell of chairs hastily pushed, water stains tally the proof of lovingly tended plants and pencil lines in doorways mark the growth of children, stretching from year to year. But what if some of the history of a house was buried and forgotten? Would the very bones of the home cry out for discovery?

Before remodel

One older, brick Tudor in Kirkland may have been practically screaming its tale when its owners decided to embark on a remodel in 2006. When the couple had purchased the home it had been configured as a duplex. They had rented the upstairs space for ten years while living on the ground level, but had decided they no longer wanted to continue in this arrangement. Knowing that the home had once been a single-family dwelling, they decided to convert the home back to its original layout with the help of Master Builders Association member, Chermak Construction and designer Keith F. Beddow.

The couple told Chermak that the previous owners had been the ones to convert the single-family home to its present state as a duplex. Tragically, they had done so when their son had been killed in World War II and they had brought his family to live with them. The previous owners had built a floor over the staircase and the remaining stairwell had been turned into a closet, "making for an interesting shoe storage," Project Developer, Mark Lowe of Chermak quipped. The upstairs duplex had then been made accessible by a wooden staircase tacked unceremoniously on the back of the home. "This project felt like an archaeological dig" said Lowe, as they uncovered the hidden staircase and reconnected the top half of the home.

Secondary kitchen removed in favor of a generous walk-in closet
off the master bedroom

With the upstairs returned to the home, nearly 700 feet of living space was added, but the redundant floor plan and such touches as a second kitchen seemed unnecessary at best. To create a seamless single-family home, the upstairs was completely gutted and a Tudor-style dormer added, further opening the space and offering a gorgeous view of Lake Washington and the Seattle skyline. The upstairs family room became a new master bedroom and bath, while the kitchen was converted into the suite's walk-in closet. The two bedrooms were then transformed into a laundry room and den/second bedroom with its own bathroom.

Master bath: one of two baths and a laundry room
added in place of the original single guest bathroom

After the rooms were reconfigured, Chermak dedicated themselves to "returning the home to its original glory" by adding period details and finishes throughout. Bath fixtures and tile were carefully selected and a window was built from original leaded glass by the homeowner and installed in the central stair by the contractor. Chermak also reworked the radiant heating system to fit the new space.

With the upstairs finished, Chermak turned their attention to the rest of the home, which had inconveniently lacked a back door, making the backyard less accessible and resulting in countless frustrating barbecue moments over the years. To ease the angst Chermak took out a window on the first floor and brought in a brick mason to enlarge the hole, put in a door and match the complicated trim detail to the original brick.

Throughout the entire project, lead carpenter Brad Lewis and the team at Chermak worked to ensure a seamless transition from duplex to single-family home, both inside and outside the house. When the project was complete it was nearly impossible to tell from the street that a remodel had occurred, as both the dormer and the new brick work were carefully chosen to match the existing house. The interior of the house, however, was a different story, as the homeowners gained nearly double the living space and the satisfaction of having returned the home to its roots.

After remodel: New dormer added. Great care was taken in the design of the
dormer to ensure it was in keeping with the original character of the home