“The Determan's approach exemplifies how the clusters of tiny rooms common to older houses often hold both the problem and solution. The key is finding ways to connect those small rooms into bigger spaces. In older homes like the Determans’, it was not unusual to have a butler's pantry, a kitchen, and breakfast area that can now be combined into a much larger space”, builder Eric Messer says. “We can do a lot with that.”

“The original great-room concept had one drawback: The kitchen was fully open onto the family room”, he says. “In this floor plan, the two are separate but easily accessible, giving each room the homey ambiance the Determans first envisioned when starting at the choppy floor plan of an older home.”

WHAT WAS DONE:
1) Expanded the kitchen into space occupied by a mudroom and staircase.
2) Updated the kitchen while keeping the authentic feel of the 1920s.
3) Added a 360-square foot main family room onto the back of the house, with a basement playroom below.
4) Built a deck connecting the addition to the kitchen.