For a professional couple living in Midtown with their two kids, it was time for a change. They were happy with their overall property and their location relative to things happening in Memphis, but the house certainly needed some work done to make it more functional for their family and lifestyle.
As it stood, the original design had the house split into three separate structures, and the homeowners needed a way to combine them into one distinct building. With the help of RKA Construction, architect Charles Shipp, and designer Biggs Powell, a smooth remodel turned the home into a modern Mediterranean-style abode.
When RKA Construction came on the scene, the family had already lived in the area for several years. In fact, the husband had grown up in the area, so staying at their current residence was important to the family. The older home, originally built in 1925, was in good shape, but had a few characteristics that needed changing.
“The house had been renovated a couple of times over the years, but it was very choppy,” says Hans Bauer, director of pre-construction at RKA Construction. “You had this main part of the house, with an attached guest house that was not very usable space. And then it was attached by a breezeway, and then attached by another breezeway. What they wanted to ultimately do was blend their three pieces of the house together into one cohesive space and make it much more functional.”
The homeowners also wanted to update the bathrooms and kitchen, and turn the old guesthouse into a family room-type area with a utility space for laundry.
When it came to starting construction, RKA didn’t change much of the exterior. They left the Mediterranean-style, stucco house as-is, and also retained the Spanish tile roof. Shipp and Powell, meanwhile, identified some of the interior design choices that needed to be changed.
“It was bittersweet for the family to change some of these rooms,” says Bauer, “but they were too outdated. They had this old-school pink porcelain tub, and a toilet and sink that matched. The other bathroom was the same kind of deal, but with a green tub, pedestal, sink, and toilet. It was kind of neat, but not super-functional for the modern day.”
RKA didn’t add any square footage when connecting the three separate structures, but did dig deep into the foundations of the house when redoing some of the rooms. And when pulling the guts of the house down to the studs, the layout did change slightly to accommodate some of the renovations.
For the main house, RKA first tackled the bathrooms and the kitchen. In the master bathroom, they added a steam shower, a large tub with a marble deck, and a custom vanity. The kids’ bathroom saw the implementation of a Jack and Jill bath, complete with new tiles, new finishes, and a custom vanity.
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Hannah Joyce
Kitchen Before Construction
The homeowners felt that the house's original kitchen was a little cramped.
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Hannah Joyce
Kitchen After Construction
The kitchen was redone to be a much wider space, and stocked with new cabinets by Midtown Cabinetry and Millwork
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Hannah Joyce
Bathroom Before Construction
While the homeowners were attached to the previous designs, the bathrooms needed to be updated to a more modern standard.
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Hannah Joyce
Guest Bathroom Before Construction
While the homeowners were attached to the previous designs, the bathrooms needed to be updated to a more modern standard.
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Hannah Joyce
Master Bathroom After Construction
Out went the dated pink and green aesthetics, and in came many new features, including a steam shower in the master bath, new tiles and finishes, a large tub complete with marble deck, and custom vanities
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Hannah Joyce
New Hallway
The biggest priority for RKA and the homeowners was connecting the house’s three disparate structures. The old breezeways were transformed into enclosed hallways, making for a more cohesive home.
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Hannah Joyce
Guest Area
One of the guest areas received a new fireplace, as well as a vaulted, tongue-and-groove plank ceiling.
Moving on to the kitchen, RKA changed it into a wider space that would be easier to navigate. “We opened it up to where the kitchen and breakfast rooms are a little more cohesive,” says Bauer. “We also installed these really nice-looking cabinets by Midtown Cabinetry and Millwork.”
Next up came the first breezeway that connected to the guest room. They enclosed that space and bolstered the guest area with a vaulted, tongue-and-groove plank ceiling and a new fireplace.
“Where the kitchen and bathroom were, we had a new bathroom and utility room take their place,” says Bauer. “In that area, with the hall and that space, we did a brick paver floor, which turned out very nice. They’re not quite herringbone, but they’re in a really neat pattern.”
The guest room now also has a new back door. A staircase, which used to loop up to the second floor outside the house, is now indoors and leads up to extra office and attic space. “We enclosed everything, like we’ve mentioned earlier, to just make the whole house more cohesive,” says Bauer.
Overall, the whole remodeling process went very smoothly. Bauer’s crew began construction in late October 2018, and wrapped it up in just under a year. With the homeowners living in the house, RKA wanted to ensure they stayed in the home as much as possible.
“With any project, and on older houses especially, there are always a few lingering issues,” says Bauer. “But we got those wrapped up pretty quickly. So the family spent just under a year out of the house.”
Throughout, the family was fully committed to helping along the process. The homeowners had regular site meetings with RKA, the architect, and the designer to address any issues that might arise. “They really helped make this project easy,” says Bauer. “They were always there if a decision needed to be made, were willing to go pick up materials, things like that.”
And while even the best-laid plans can go awry, the team was able to overcome all the obstacles that cropped up during construction. Chief among their concerns were those of the aesthetic variety. “For the tower roof they had, it’s sometimes tough to find the right tile match, so that was a bit of a challenge,” explains Bauer. “Same thing with the home being pink stucco. Matching that exact color was difficult, too.”
Finally, there were the standard issues of melding new additions with older construction. “With any old home, just tying into existing systems, older cast-iron pipes, and things like that with modern electrical and modern plumbing — it’s always a challenge getting those things to work together.”
These were basic challenges for Bauer and RKA, but nothing out of the ordinary, especially when a talented team is on-site to jump over any hurdle. Bauer lauds everyone involved with the Midtown Mediterranean project.
“Being able to work with Charles Shipp and Biggs Powell was really great for us. The homeowners were very flexible about modifications and changes, and getting over any hiccups that we faced. It’s always best for a project when the people involved can really work as a team. And I felt like we all made a great team on this project.”
