TO accomplish their vision of the ideal home, the owners tasked architects Jed E. Duhon and Jennifer Vrazel, principals at Studio Steinbomer. “Jed and Jennifer did a fantastic job of taking our vision for what a home should be and how our home needs to work and turning it into a great set of plans,” said homeowner Nicola Davies. “And our builder, Mulligan Construction, took the plans and turned our vision into reality.”
Their traditional 1954 ranch house was a three bedroom, three-and-a-half bath home at approximately 3,700 square feet. A two-phased renovation began by relocating the stair and the front entry, addressing flooding issues on the lower walkout floor and replacing the leaking pool as a first step to a future, more extensive remodel. Nearly a decade later in early 2020, they added a new second floor, fully gutted the existing house and added a fourth bedroom with ample space for long-term guests, an exercise room and another deck for outdoor entertaining. The family now enjoys a 6,200-square-foot home with five bedrooms and six-and-a-half baths.
Studio Steinbomer were the architects for both additions and renovations. “It was all planned out as part of the first phase/renovation, and refined/finessed during the second phase,” said Jennifer. “Design decisions that were made in the first phase were carefully made so we didn’t have to ‘undo’ work during the second phase.”
Despite its size, the home is not imposing. At street level it appears as a one-story brick and stucco home with attic dormers, while in the backyard, it rises two stories above the pool and decks and is secluded from neighbors, creating an oasis in the middle of the city that accommodates outdoor family dinners as comfortably as larger parties and events.
But repeated mysterious and lengthy power outages spurred the homeowners to investigate solar options, ultimately deciding to invest in the innovative technology. “The grid is a little unstable in our area and we like to know that we can manage off the grid, without a noisy gas generator,” said Nicola of their decision to install a Tesla roof.
“The Tesla roof is comprised of solar shingles,” added Jennifer. “It’s not a system of solar panels on a roof — the roof itself is solar capacitors. It charges batteries within the home to power the home, and then goes to the power grid. The Tesla shingles are light weight, so no additional roof reinforcing is necessary.”
The six batteries that power the roof were calibrated to meet the family’s needs, and many functions of the house can be controlled remotely through apps. In addition, the family’s Tesla car chargers allow the roof to charge the car and, in case of emergency, the car to charge the house. In a major event, the house can be powered for up to two weeks with the system adjusting the battery load, and turning off lights and moving energy around to ensure the battery power is used optimally. “We don’t even notice when the power goes out most times,” said Nicola.
The homeowners chose not to work with a designer, preferring to make the selections themselves. Being very sustainability-conscious, they avoided items that would end up in landfills and tried to use recycled materials wherever possible. Built- in bookshelves were a priority, as were reading nooks.
“We worked hard to select items, finishes and colors that felt comfortable to us rather than things that felt trendy or popular. We selected from a wide range of designers and stores, from high-end and custom pieces to low-end items from Ikea, Home Depot and Lowes,” shared Nicola. “I looked for pieces that fit well in the space, felt like home and were well reviewed, without regard to the perceived prestige of the designer/manufacturer/retailer. I like to mix items from different styles and time periods, and I love textures and subtle white-on-white patterns.”
This family of five spends significant time at home, with two kids in online school and home offices for both parents, so it was important that there be enough privacy for everyone to work from home simultaneously, with other recreational and activity spaces to offer a change of scenery. In the end, Studio Steinbomer delivered a stunning remodel, providing a functional yet comfortable space for everyone in this active family.
Studio Steinbomer 512-479-0022 | Steinbomer.com