Hyde Park Carriage House – Before & After
FRONT ELEVATION
BEFORE: The original 1939 carriage house had been divided into three separate apartments when the owners bought it, along with the main building. The front building was originally constructed as four apartments, and remains that way to this day.
GUTTED: Sunset’s team completely gutted the building’s interior. No easy task, as pointed out by the owners. There were at least three of everything to be removed, as in kitchen sinks, stoves, water heaters, tubs, etc.
FRONT ELEVATION
BEFORE: With all debris removed, plans approved by the Historic District’s Architectural Review Committee (ARC), it was time to give this “sow’s ear”
(the owners’ fond nickname for the project) a new life.
AFTER: Historic district rules can be extraordinarily detailed. For example, the carriage house facade had to return to its 1939 roots with faux garage doors required for the front elevation.
COURTYARD
BEFORE: The courtyard between the two buildings was overgrown and dangerous.
The stairs were to be removed, but the 1939 concrete pergola would remain.
AFTER: The new second story balcony also serves as an elegant entryway for the homeowners. Refurbishing the pergola and adding a fountain provide additional focal points.
COURTYARD BALCONY
BEFORE: The stairs were no longer necessary, but the columns provided the design inspiration for the new balcony’s support system.
AFTER: The stair’s ghost stringer pattern on the brick wall remains
to pay homage to the building’s carriage house past.
FOYER
BEFORE: The homeowner works on a project in what will become the home’s open foyer.
Note the entire interior has been gutted.
AFTER: The home’s open concept is revealed as you cross the threshold at the right.
LIVING AREA
BEFORE: After the plumbing trenches were completed, multiple floor levels
needed to become one. Additionally, many structural issues had to be addressed
in order to support the open concept.
AFTER: Open sight lines were very important to the homeowners. The far green wall in the before shot is now the media and fireplace wall in the above photo.
LIVING AREA
BEFORE: See the daylight streaming through the second floor? All hardwoods and subfloors were removed to have access to adequately strengthen the joists.
AFTER: From the far corner perspective it is evident the kitchen, the entire family room
and dining area tie into open concept living.
KITCHEN
BEFORE: ‘Vintage’ makes way for contemporary.
AFTER: Honed granite and polished travertine are just a few of the
contemporary finishes favored by the homeowners.
ENTRY, STAIRS & BALCONY
BEFORE: The open stairwell and balcony prep begin. The attic and gable’s window are visible at the top of the photo. For the moment though, still a great project space for the homeowner!
AFTER: The entry door, staircase landing, and second floor balcony reinforce the home’s openness and availability of natural light.
MASTER BEDROOM
BEFORE: The attic had to be pressure washed before insulation could be applied.
Keep your eye on that beautiful little window…
AFTER: Each upstairs bedroom enjoys its own triangular window in the gable-on-top-of-hip roofline. This glimpse of the sky serves to illuminate the vaulted ceilings.
THE COLUMNS
BEFORE: The homeowner carefully restores a set of 1904 fluted columns
which traveled with them from Chicago, over 30 years ago. The columns had been
in storage until their perfect home revealed itself.
AFTER: The one-hundred-nine-year-old columns are the perfect compliment to the exquisite architectural details in the second-floor hallway.