Fair Oaks:
Vintage Charm, Modern Comfort
"Less is more," famed architect Mies van der Rohe once said. Who could have expected the philosophy to be applied to a rebuilt Cape Cod?
Situated on a corner lot close to Taylor Park, the home on Berkshire in Oak Park burned in 2000 and sat empty for about two years.
Hugh Halverstadt and Craig Endicott bought the 60-plus year old home, and instead of tearing it down, hired Oak Design & Construction to design and lead a significant remodeling effort. Oak Design transformed the house from a burned-out hulk to a striking home with dramatic curb appeal.
In addition to adding bay windows that extend from the ground to the top of the second floor, Oak Design finished the second floor, which had been an unfinished attic. A laundry room, three bedrooms and two bathrooms were added, including a master suite with a large bathroom and walk-in closet. Skylights in the bedrooms capture natural light and finished storage space and half closets in the crawl areas maximize storage. To accommodate the newly built master bath, Oak Design constructed a dormer off the back of the second floor.
To make the house wheelchair accessible, Oak added wider doors throughout and built a more generous staircase from the basement to the second floor, which could integrate a chair lift in the future if needed.
On the first floor, Oak created an open floor plan to make the house feel bigger yet more comfortable. The vestibule creates a sense of openness and lets you choose to walk left into the living room, complete with a fireplace and built-in book shelves, or to go right and enter the dining room.
Down the hall is the kitchen, an office and a first floor bedroom. Unlike many of today’s homeowners, Hugh and Craig wanted to use their dining room frequently, so the remodeled kitchen was reconfigured to make cooking and serving easier. A small breakfast nook was added next to a window and a double oven installed.
Just off the kitchen is a 14’x18’ family room that, in the house’s original incarnation, served mostly as a pathway to the garage. Hugh and Craig wanted to create a new, dramatic space, so Oak added a barrel vault ceiling and arched windows to make the room feel bigger and a bar area for entertaining. "We love to look at the trees and wanted to bring light into the house," says Hugh. "Oak really built on our ideas and added a lot of value. The crown molding, the wood floors - everything is first quality."
Says Oak Design’s Steve Gruszka: "Before the remodel, this was a house that didn’t have a lot of space. We made it bigger, but also made it more efficient. It’s a great house to live in, and years from now its resale value will be greatly enhanced."
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