CG&S Design-Build

Sep 2013

Built in 1976, this home had a compartmentalized master bath with no true character or elegance. The vanities were located in one room, and in the connecting room, the toilet was placed as a space divider between the bathtub and shower. The closet was accessed from the bedroom, across the hall from the bath. The new owners wanted to immediately renovate the bath, in a modern/eclectic style, to create two separate vanities, with easy flow to the shower and tub. They also wanted an adjoining, walk-in closet. The entire bathroom was gutted and the walls were removed. Additional space was captured from a hall linen closet and from an adjacent bedroom. The new layout includes a central frameless glass shower cube flanked by his and hers vanities. A Treece freestanding tub is located in a niche between shaker style storage cabinets. The toilet is now housed in its own room, out of site. Finishing out the space is an expanded closet and dressing area. While the layout on its own is an improvement, the finishes and craftsmanship of the room make it stand apart. The white porcelain tile accent wall is complemented by the thin blue vertical glass backsplash tile and the linen textured floor tile. Custom alder cabinets are topped by marble counters. The glass of the shower was carefully crafted to sit in the channels of the tile base, stabilized by a metal rail connected to the accent wall. Because of its placement, the free standing tub featuring air jet massage, required a remote air turbine, which is hidden in the bottom of the adjacent cabinet. The owners are enjoying the updated bath and large closet and dressing area. The shower is accessible from either side of the room, and the tub is an accent piece on its own. Materials include: MB Wall Tile: Custom Tile Services,Tuileries Arabesque Porcelain Blanc MB Floor Tile: Custom Tile Services, Kimona Porcelain in Morning Dove MB Vanity Tile: Custom Tile of Austin, Groovy Glass Stix in Nocturnal Sea Int doors (need to verify where in house): BMC Glass Shower: Anchor Ventana, Frameless 3 sided enclosure MB Closet Carpet: Schroder Carpet, Briarwoode/Drop of Pewter MB Vanities Cabinetry: Amazonia, alder shaker doors MB Vanities Stain: Brenton Christian, stain and seal MB other cabinetry: Amazonia, paint grade MB Cabinet Hardware: PPOC, spindle pull polished chrome MB Door Closet Hardware: PPOC, modern keypad entry set Hermes lever polished chrome MB toilet pocket door hardware: PPOC, edge pull polished chrome, rectangular flush pull chrome, pocket door bolt polished chrome MB Vanity tops: Moe Freid Marble & Granite, Compac Carrera Tub: Signature Hardware, Treece freestanding Tub Toilet: Toto, Drake Two-Piece Toilet Washlet: Toto Lavatory: Mirabelle Faucet: Ferguson, Kohler Margaux Tub Filler: Cheviot Products Shower Fixtures: Kholer Margaux

Austin, TX

Sep 2011

Give it zip. was our client's plea for the re-creation of their existing 1989 home. It was time for a comprehensive renovation and expansion to the blah and maze like 3660 SF, two story house. Chief complaints included: Too compartmentalized, too cramped, cannot entertain, no office for millions of papers, no accessible guest suite for aging parents, kids outgrowing their rooms, dated kitchen and baths, forgotten backyard, uninviting front entry. The house also flooded on occasion. In response to these challenges, all existing spaces were updated, enlarged, and opened, and a new home office and guest suite were created, increasing the area to 4910 SF. Outside, a new pool and outdoor living areas were added. New xeriscaped yards include berms and an arroyo to intercept and redirect pesky floodwaters. The finished home integrates two themes: regional rustic charm on the exterior and comfortable contemporary cool on the interior.

Austin, TX

Apr 2011

The owners of this hillside home were out of the country during an extended freeze and returned to find interior water damage caused by burst pipes. They used the restoration process as an opportunity to redo the house in a style more fitting to their personal aesthetic and to match their existing Mission style furniture. They were attracted to the arts and crafts period of architecture and wanted to incorporate artisanship into the design. They also wanted to use period hardware and lighting fixtures. In the living room, the existing fireplace was removed and replaced by prairie style windows, opening the view to the hills beyond. A new stone veneer fireplace serves as an anchor around which all the rooms pivot. An entry vestibule was created by adding a coat closet in the front room. The kitchen and dining areas traded places for better flow and to create more direct access to the rear deck. The kitchen was opened to the living area and features a butcher block island and bar seating. Storage opportunities now abound in the tall kitchen cabinetry, bar cabinetry, hall storage closet, and walk-in pantry. A new anteroom serves as a primary buffer between the kitchen and the master bedroom and opens to a walk in closet and built-in dressers. A stained glass ceiling panel defines the entrance to the master bedroom. The master bath, with the corner closets removed, is now roomy enough for a claw foot tub, shower, double vanities, and large linen closet. A high level of design and craftsmanship is seen in the attention to detail throughout the home. The original monolithic 10 foot ceilings were modified to create several coffered ceilings with indirect cove lighting to differentiate the rooms. The horizontal bands of stained white oak trim around the coves and walls line up perfectly with the windows and other woodwork. This was challenging in an older home set into a hillside and with warped floor planes, out of square walls, and out of level framing. Thorough planning went into the rift sawn white oak wood floor, laid down after the cabinetry was installed to ensure the best possible floor finish. It was measured and installed precisely around the base boards and decorative details in the kitchen cabinetry. The owners were involved in the design process throughout the project. The dining room fixture was designed and built by one of the owners and they provided the kitchen pendants, salvaged from an industrial setting. The end result of their accidental renovation is an updated, light filled home with good flow and a Craftsman aesthetic that personifies the owners' design style.

Austin, TX

Oct 2010

This project converted a small, one story cottage into a two story modern home for a young couple planning to start a family. The Owners requested a second floor Master Suite, Utility Room, and Flex Space. Since the house is located in the Shoal Creek floodplain, FEMA and City regulations required that the new home stay within the footprint of the original house. Limited to expanding straight up, we had to make use of all available square footage ( i.e.: by incorporated the original single car garage into the final home's conditioned, and combining the Stair and Dining areas.) The second floor addition is a study in contrasts: the Stairway and Loft area above the original garage was conceived of as a tall, solid form with a large overhanging metal roof that shelters a intimate covered porch aligned directly above the front door. The Master Suite Hallway addition above the rest of the house was conceived of as a wall of high windows that reads as a kind of clerestory, making the second floor in this area as transparent and open as possible. Every effort was made to diminish the apparent scale of the final home: (i.e.: using different siding on the first and second floors and painting them different colors, changing the direction of the siding, and separating the upper and lower floors with continuous banks of windows.) The Owners' interest in mid century modern design is evident not only in their furniture and furnishings, but also in the architecture itself: (the open stair with plywood railing panels, the long horizontal open shelf above the bar, the selection of individual light fixtures, the abstract pattern on the back of the Bar, and even in the choice of paint colors.) NOTE: All interior finishes and materials were selected by the Owners.

Austin, TX

Aug 2009

Although the kitchen had been redone by the previous owners for resale, our clients felt that it was dated, dark, and dank with a cramped breakfast area. They wanted to increase the square footage and add an island (with a prep sink), a message center, and a professional cook top. They also wanted to improve storage with a walk-in pantry, create a wine center and add display shelves for china. The challenges in the kitchen renovation were due to the location of the home on the lot. The home is situated on a steep slope, sitting below road grade and with a seasonal creek in the backyard. To enlarge the kitchen, the portico on the side yard was removed and the soil excavated to prepare for the new concrete foundation. Multiple drainage systems were installed to protect the home against water penetration including trough drains, French drains, and gutters and downspouts that tie into subterranean drains. The new kitchen doubled in size, going from 169 sf to 351 sf with a dramatic high ceiling and clerestory windows. The space includes a home office with a walk-in pantry, a sitting area, a dining area and adjacent buffet counter. The new appliances include a Wolf cook top, a microwave oven combination and a second oven and a drawer dishwasher (for small loads) at the cherry island. The under cabinet lighting is low heat, energy efficient LEDs. Fine detail is evident in the painted and glazed cabinetry which complements the granite counter tops and Italian tile back splashes. The even lines and precise installation of the curved wood ceiling highlights the expert craftsmanship of the project. The new porcelain tile floor seamlessly integrates with wood floor of the existing formal dining room and with the steps leading to the lower level family room. The clients are so pleased with the kitchen renovation that they rarely eat out, enjoying instead the beautiful light filled kitchen with its increased work space, fine appliances and sitting areas.

Austin, TX