Lexington, KY - Three years ago, with two small children and a third on the way, Christina and Todd Bretz were looking to increase their living space. The spacious backyard and finished basement were major selling points for the Harrod's View home they now occupy, but like many 1980s suburban homes, the dwelling also included a small, enclosed kitchen and separate formal dining room that proved to be less than practical for their bustling lifestyle.
"For me, it wasn't a functional kitchen," Christina said, explaining that the awkward placement of the refrigerator, sink and island was limiting and clumsy. Though the couple had initially intended to settle in the house for a few years before embarking on any major renovation projects, once they started envisioning the possibilities, the vision of their dream kitchen got the best of them, and they started consulting with construction companies sooner than they predicted.
"I think we were on the phone with Bill (Wheeler, of BACK Construction) within six months," she remembered with a laugh. She said they called on BACK Construction because of the company's reputation.
"I wanted someone I could communicate with and trust," she said. The project was modeled around a concept that Todd came up with, and involved tearing down two walls that separated the living room, kitchen and dining room to create one large L-shaped continuum of space formerly occupied by three smaller, boxy rooms. The kitchen was completely gutted, with new appliances, maple cabinets and a granite-plated island (designed by Designer Cabinets) installed in the space previously occupied by the dining room. And new hardwood floors, seamlessly extending from the foyer's original flooring, were extended to replace the tile and carpeting that once covered the floor of the kitchen and dining room.
The renovation, which put the family of five out of a kitchen for nine weeks, could have been a recipe for disaster, but in fact Christina speaks very highly of the overall experience. The family scheduled the project for summertime, so they could utilize the grill, and set up a makeshift kitchen in the basement.
"You always hear of horror stories while people are remodeling, but it wasn't like that at all," Christina said. "They were here every day, I knew I could count on them to be here and I knew I could ask questions."
BACK Construction co-owner Rob Hundley, who helped oversee the project, calls remodeling one of the best team sports out there - in addition to working with a variety of companies and contractors, a great deal of efficiency depends on the ability for homeowner and remodeler to work together toward a goal.
"They were great clients because they had an idea and had a vision, and we just helped bring it to fruition," Hundley said. "Typically when you take a wall down and put a beam in, you get an exposed beam. But it was important to them to have a recessed beam, so we worked with a structural engineer to figure out how to get a steel beam in there so they could have a smooth ceiling throughout these two rooms."
The finished product is a seamless, open space, where the family can cook, watch movies, play, do homework and eat family meals together.
"I bet we're in here 90 percent of our time," Christina said.