Total Renovation & Addition - 1963 Brick Ranch
Hello - we’re embarking on a major renovation project and this is going to be my place to chronicle our progress.
I have a couple of threads over on the Kitchens forum, as that was one of the major things we tackled in Phase 1 of our complete house renovation, and I started 1 or 2 threads in the very early stages of Phase 2, about 9 months ago.
We’ve had the house since June of 2021, started Phase 1 in June of 2022, moved in in November of 2022, and here we are finally breaking ground for Phase 2 in January 2024. It’s been a process.
Backstory:
We purchased the house, located on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, from the estate of our next door neighbor after he died. It was truly a hot mess - filthy, stuffed with junk (as in hoarder house), totally overgrown yard, and filled with Chinese drywall from after Hurricane Katrina (2005.) But it’s on a relatively large lot for the area, we love the neighborhood in this little beach town, and it definitely had some decent bones.
Basics:
1963 red brick front facade rambler
1700 sq. ft.
2 bedrooms
1 bathroom
Living room, dining room, kitchen, large “bonus” room
2-car carport
125’ x 108’ lot
Phase 1 focused on the inside, strictly making it livable:
- Gut to remove all Chinese drywall
- Total renovation of full bathroom in hall
- Add ½-bath to the outdoor (in the carport) laundry room
- Divide the large bonus room between the carport and kitchen into a mudroom/pantry plus a 2nd guest room
- New plumbing and HVAC
- Remove wall between kitchen and dining room to create an eat-in kitchen
Unfortunately, we didn’t end up with the best contractor for Phase 1, but we got through it and we’ve really enjoyed living in the house for the past 14 months. Now, with the sale of our primary home from which we’ve fully retired, we ready to start Phase 2. (That translates to we have the $$ needed to get it done!)
The scope of this project is pretty big:
- An addition off of the primary bedroom which consists of 2 walk-in closets and a ensuite bathroom
- All new windows
- New metal roof
- Total rehab of the house’s exterior
- Pergola type structure in front of the house
- 24 x 36 foot detached 2-car garage with 2-room “living-space” attached (pool room/mancave/extra spot for guests/whatever)
- Inground pool
- Extras: Whole house generator, outdoor shower, new driveway, covered patio area off garage/poolhouse
In between the 2 phases we cleared the over-run yard, ripped out the horrible chain link fence, and had a privacy fence constructed around the backyard
Here are a few pictures, first of what it looked like when we purchased it:
How we've lived in it for the past year:
We cleared the yard a few months ago, and this is what they got accomplished today, the very first day of work:
An exciting beginning!
Comments (7)
Susan W
3 months agoFirst, I’ll say we live in a southern beach community where probably 75% of brick houses are painted. I just put that out there because I know many people are horrified by the idea of painting brick and my husband would never have considered it if we had a brick house in the Northeast we were lived all of our lives. But down here, it seems to be a thing.
This house is sided on 3 sides and brick in the front. As you can see from my photos in the original post, the siding is in very bad shape, so we’re replacing it and painting the brick. I’ve read that Sherwin Williams can match Hardie Board colors and I’m getting samples of both a textured and smooth variety. Anyone have experience with matching a color or thoughts or advice in general? (Advice other than “don’t paint the brick” please!)
This is the look I'm going for - it's the Pearl Gray
These are the 2 samples I ordered:
Susan W
2 months agoDang, but framing goes fast!
The power company is putting our lines underground since we are upgrading the system and it's new construction. Will get rid of that big ugly thing off the carport roof. That's nice...
Head is nearly exploding with all of the decisions to be made!!
Related Discussions
Floor Plan Help with Major addition/renovation
Comments (2)Here is our second story fl plans. The current structure where we live now was turned into the great room and kitchen...it's a vaulted ceiling a story and 1/2. I also have exterior images as well...which I'll share. So excited to hear any and all ideas/input!! :)...See MoreRanch Addition - Proposed Layout
Comments (91)A few things: the fireplace where it is now is obviously not ideally located - so if you want to keep it and want a gas burning one, then I'd move it into the living room and integrate it into some built-ins along the outside wall. (no TV over it though - makes the TV too high. TV if needed there, can be off to one side). It doesn't, as mnmamax3 notes, need to be connected to the existing chimney - just needs a vent to the outside with adequate clearance. There are some quite lovely gas fireplaces these days, and they certainly do avoid the mess of a wood burning one (though I LOVE our airtight wood burning fireplace). The other thing - I actually preferred the layout of the master bedroom that you had before. The walk-in closet takes up a lot of space and while you do get another "free" wall in the bedroom, it doesn't actually give you more or more efficient storage and makes your bedroom a lot smaller. And - I'd add more windows - definitely one in the second bathroom, and possibly another set of windows in each of the bedrooms. One other question: access to the back yard. I'm assuming that you don't barbeque and also don't anticipate or want an easy transition to your private outdoor space in the back yard? Which is fine, if this is your lifestyle and you plan on staying in this house for a very long time and aren't thinking about resale, but I do know that many people have knocked out walls and gone to great lengths to renovate houses built in the 40s and 50s that didn't provide the now expected easy access/transition to outdoor living spaces. I recognize that this would require a major rethink of the kitchen/access to basement, but I think it needs consideration if it hasn't already been thought about. I can pretty much guarantee that the transition you have currently to the outdoors won't be viewed as easy or convenient once food/drink is involved - carrying stuff around the corner and down steps and out a door may seem trivial on paper, but in reality...it's a big disincentive to go outside to eat! I say that having owned a variety of houses with varying ease of access. If this was my house, I'd probably blow out the back wall of the kitchen for sliders to a deck, and reconfigure the space. I also still think the huge amount of main floor storage is a really bad use of "prime" real estate. Should be living space... rockybird was onto something with the reconfiguration he/she showed (moving hall over, LR gets bigger)....See MoreExterior Renovation Ideas, 1950s Ranch with Two Entrances
Comments (7)Just put an addition on my house as well, and it looks very similar to yours, only I have a front porch. Because my house has a hip roof, we were only able to go from an 8 to a 9 foot ceiling for the back addition. Otherwise, it would have looked weird in the front of the house. Your architect will be able to help you with that. I would go somewhere from the front door to that walkway between the garage with the addition in back. I'm not a pro, so don't take my word for it....but I think the placement of the roof lines with that area will make the most sense. You'd be surprised what an update it will make! Lucky for you, your garage is in line with your house.....my was at an angle and made for a VERY tiny laundry room coming in from the garage, but it's just the two of us now and we will make it work. I could only make my addition 20 feet wide because of the angles of the different roof lines and hip roof. It doesn't appear you have that problem, so could make a fairly large addition out of it! I'll try to attach some pictures of mine to give you some ideas of how it transitioned into my roof line. I, too, have two entrances like you. One we use the heck out of, the other one just for moving big things in and out of the house! LOL!!...See More1950s Orange Brick Ranch - New Roof and Gutters
Comments (10)When your budget allows, get a cottage style door. The one you have now feels Victorian. Think about getting a panel with windows for the garage door. Remove the railing. It is a visual barrier to you entry. Plant only perennials there. Add a few plants along the foundation. Be careful not to plant too close to the house. Allow a foot at maturity between the side of the house and the plant. Chose different heights and leaf color. Include some evergreen and some flowering. Don't plant anything that will grow above the bottom of the windows. This color, but not this style would look great!...See MoreSusan W
last monthGuess who is no longer painting her red brick house?
Me. Me. It's me!
Our retirement beach house is now going to be fully Hardie Board sided! Amazing how things can take a turn once into a project.
I've totally changed my color scheme, going for what I hope to be a calm coastal vibe now that I'm no longer dealing with the brick. As always, the photo is not terribly accurate as it represents samples actually leaning against the front of the house in bright sunlight. I love it in person.
Big things happening today, as all of the new windows finally arrived. New metal roof should be here next week...
Susan W
last month
Connecticut Yankeeeee
last monthSusan W
last month
Connecticut Yankeeeee