Stone Residence Minneapolis, MN

AIA Minnesota and the Star Tribune Home of the Month Winner

The main emphasis of this residential remodeling project was to take a small urban house and make it feel larger, brighter, and more open. Because of the limited site, it was important to remain within the original footprint and neighborhood scale. The owners needed more room to accommodate their growing family, but they loved their city neighborhood. Rather than move into a larger suburban house, they looked for ways in which their current house could accommodate their needs.

Site size was a deciding factor for adding a second floor. There was not enough room on the site to build an addition and still retain enough side and back yard space to keep the site from feeling crowded. Therefore, a second floor was built over the existing first floor without changing the foundation.

The exterior design borrows many elements from the surrounding early 1900s bungalows in an effort to compliment the streetscape of the neighborhood. The second floor addition, with wood shingle siding, takes its cue from other nearby homes. The dark shingles blend with the rooflines of the adjacent one- and two-story houses and brings down the scale of the house. The design also retained many elements that are original to the 1917 house, including the first floor craftsman windows, the stucco exterior walls, the bird's eye maple flooring, and interior wood detailing.

The interior was altered to harmonize with the family's more informal and contemporary lifestyle. Small rooms on the first floor were opened up to form a large, open family space. The layout of the kitchen, living area and dining area encourages interaction and creates a sense of togetherness. The 19' high ceiling and the second-story windows in the living area give the house a bright and airy feeling.

The design of the second floor included two bedrooms, second bath, den, and a studio space, which offered more room for this growing family. The front bedrooms enjoy a balcony beneath a mature maple tree, another benefit of remaining in an established neighborhood.