Whole house remodel, Mequon

The home of Mark and Jacqueline Gold looks like a typical two-story Colonial from the outside, but a renovation project by RCI — Remodeling Center Inc., has updated the interior layout of the 1978-built house.

The Golds had been in the house for 10 years and contemplated moving, says Jacqueline Gold. But they loved their Mequon neighborhood and the school system so they opted to remodel instead.

Virtually no space was left untouched on the home’s first floor. The project included a modern office addition for Mark, updated powder room and dining room, laundry room with lockers, remodeled foyer, media-friendly family room and gourmet kitchen.

Their initial plans were to bump out the kitchen, Gold says, but they instead reconfigured existing space within the home, keeping the home’s original footprint. "What we decided to do was reutilize the dining room area better," Gold says. Other than the four to five times a year the family used the space for special occasions, Mark had been using it for an office. Now he has his own space in what was part of a 2 1/2-car garage.

The kitchen features an oversized island made of 2-inch thick concrete and Jurassic green granite. Gold says the island is a gathering spot as she gets her children off to school. "We use that pretty much every morning for our breakfast," she says.

Cabinetry is two-toned in cherry and painted wood; the same painted wood is used on the bookcases in the adjoining family room. The copper colors in the mosaic tile backsplash are highlighted by the custom copper-color paint on the soffit, a suggestion from the painter. The floors in the kitchen and family room are Tiger wood, though the Golds chose tile for the floor in the kitchen work area for maintenance reasons.

Mark Gold says his one request in the kitchen was a hot-water tap so he could brew his tea; Jacqueline says that has turned out to be one of the conveniences that the entire family is enjoying.

Following is a partial list of other projects on the Milwaukee/NARI Spring Home Improvement Showcase. For more information, go to www.milwaukeenari.com.

Renovators Ltd.

Kitchen and bath remodel, Wauwatosa

Adding more space was a priority in this kitchen and bath remodeling project. The existing dinette space was removed providing more kitchen area while the dinette was moved to the addition. New maple cabinetry, hardwood floors and a patio door were included in the kitchen remodel. The bathroom renovation involved relocating the fixtures. The front foyer was opened up by removing a small pantry, creating an easier access to the kitchen area.

MyPenthouse.com

Second-story addition, Fox Point

When they wanted to expand their Fox Point home, Dan and Puneet Moos decided their only option was to build up, since building out would leave them with no yard. They turned to MyPenthouse.com., a specialty division of Creative Horizons Inc. that specializes in second-story additions.

They added 1,359 square feet of space — three bedrooms, custom closets, two full baths and a laundry room. An open staircase leads to a bamboo loft with a wrought-iron railing. Downstairs, the family gained a gathering room that is brightly lit as a result of the open design.

Bartelt-Filo Design Build Remodel

Garage conversion to family room/kitchen renovation, Whitefish Bay

The kitchen of Ted and Beth Matkom’s Dutch Colonial had last been renovated in the 1950s and was dark and cramped. The attached garage on the south side of the home prevented natural light from coming into the kitchen.

To remedy this, designers from Bartelt-Filo proposed opening up the kitchen to the garage. This solution gives the family a modern-day living space and is still in keeping with the style of the home, such as the knotty pine woodwork detail in the kitchen. The rest of the original garage was turned into a family room and a detached garage was built elsewhere.

B & E General Contractors Inc.

Two-story addition, New Berlin

This two-story addition includes a four-season sunroom, spiral staircase and a balcony observatory enhanced by loft skylights. The new master bathroom features in-floor heated tile and a custom stained-glass door that leads to the observatory balcony.

Brillo Home Improvements Inc.

Sunroom addition, Wauwatosa.

The existing patio of Loren Kaiser’s ranch home, adjacent to the kitchen, served no functional purpose and blocked natural light from entering the kitchen. To remedy the situation, the idea of a sunroom addition was born. Six Pella patio doors now allow natural sunlight into the kitchen through the sunroom. Pella double-hung operable transom awning windows were installed above each door and three motorized, remote-controlled Velux skylights with shades were installed to provide maximum lighting. The original garage was demolished and a new, expanded garage includes tripled rafters with equal spacing for an open concept, and a space beneath the garage was converted into a workshop.

Carl Krueger Construction Inc.

Interior remodel, New Berlin

An addition was built on the side of the garage and interior walls were removed to provide more space in the home. The laundry room and coat storage area were renovated along with the fireplace where natural stone was added and windows were installed. Counter space was added by including a raised snack bar and custom cabinets in the kitchen and family room area.

The OAR Group Inc.

Kitchen, master suite, bedroom and mudroom addition, Elm Grove

These environmentally conscious homeowners chose to build green when they opted to nearly double the size of the 1950s ranch-style home. Some of the green remodeling materials included the reuse of existing bricks to create a brick ledge in the foundation, concrete countertops in the kitchen and bamboo flooring throughout the kitchen and dining area.

The new master bedroom has a walk-in closet with two additional linen closets. The master bath includes a walk-in shower, separate whirlpool tub with natural stone tile and a double-bowl vanity. A nursery and large eat-in kitchen completed the new addition.

Winters Group

Sunroom addition, Brookfield