Ranch homes built in the 1950’s are ubiquitous in Boulder. The post-war housing boom was in full effect, and the one level rectangle ranch was the house of choice. These homes are sturdy, well built, and fun to remodel. Their low, rectangular shape lends itself toward modern decor, and as they age, updating becomes necessary.

Kitchen Before, functional shape, dated design.

This was the case of a remodel in North Boulder that we recently completed. The existing kitchen had been updated in the late 80’s, and was structurally sound, functionally shaped, but ugly as can be!! There was a closet in the corner that housed a full sized washer/dryer, and the arched top maple cabinets, cracked tile floor, and stained countertop was just un-acceptable.

We partnered with an interior designer, Virginia Betty, and the homeowners to come up with a plan. The existing cabinets were sturdy and functional, so we decided to keep the boxes in place, and make new door and drawer fronts. We designed a new cabinet to cover the new front load washer dryer, and found a hinge system that allowed easy access to the appliances but stayed out of the way. We removed some of the physical obstructions between the kitchen and living room, and added a new bar top made from local beetle kill pine.

Beetle Kill Bar Top

The new space features dark stained, flush mount door fronts with a light white quartz composite countertop, New cork floors, and a laundry area concealed in cabinetry with functional folding space above. The new sink and faucet are a centerpiece of the kitchen, and the local, beetle kill pine bar top add an organic element to the sleek, modern decor.

View of new kitchen from front door

“Not only are we thrilled about our kitchen, but we are now your biggest fans!
This is really our first day with our kitchen, and are in love with it. We could not have picked a better contractor/builder.”
- Tasha

View of kitchen from living room.

View of beetle kill pine bar top and Alessi faucet

Dusel Custom Builders – Celebrating 7 Years! from Clay Dusel on Vimeo.

We took a condo, built in 1975, and made it a modern, custom, and energy efficient. We added west facing windows to allow a mountain view, we replaced the fireplace with a built in cabinet for storage, we did custom cabinetry in the kitchen, and we made the home more energy efficient in the process. After we worked to reduce the energy use, a solar electric system was installed to offset the remaining energy use.

See a more detailed explanation of the renovation here.

The young family in this home in South Boulder loves their location, but the early 1960’s home needed some attention. In addition to being drafty and inefficient, the house lacked a real garage, and the family wanted a separate master suite, to allow for an office on the main level. But the main problem with the house is that it didn’t take advantage of it’s spectacular site. If you can see the flatirons from your yard, you should be able to see them from you living room.

After exhaustive design work, we added a new garage with master suite above, increased the size of the great room, which will house the kitchen, dining and living room, as well as a pantry. The large west facing windows allow for a stunning view of the Flatirons, which was missing from the original house, while large south facing windows will warm the space in winter. This remodel includes an insulation and air sealing, including a layer of exterior rigid foam, which will make the home more efficient than most “code built” homes today. The exterior was enhanced with stucco, and a grand entryway to welcome guests.

Last Summer, we used the design-build precess to turn an outdated 1970’s condo into a modern, energy efficient, net-zero energy home.

The home needed a complete energy and aesthetic makeover. The client knew what she wanted, she just didn’t know how to get there.  An energy audit had pointed out many leaks and flaws in the insulation, she wanted at least a 30% reduction in energy use. She wanted to install 2 windows in the corner that faced west, toward the flatirons, so she could finally see the amazing view from inside (something she had considered since the first day she owned the condo).  She wanted more storage and a more functional kitchen.

For us, designing the kitchen, storage, and updating the space was easy.  Adding the 2 windows in the corner required the assistance of a structural engineer, but the solution was relatively simple.   Improving the insulation and making the home more efficient, however, required a higher level of thought, analysis and design.

Icenyne insulation in the ceiling and old fireplace

There were many ways to go about fixing the homes energy issues.  The vaulted ceiling was a major culprit, as the original fiberglass insulation did not seal well, and air poured through.  The windows leaked, and the 2×4 walls with (poorly installed) fiberglass insulation were no match against cold Colorado winter nights.  The question became, how do we increase efficiency in the most cost-effective manner.  To answer this question, I brought in Mark Bloomfield, of Sustainably Built  http://www.sustainablybuilt.com/ to help analyze the building.  Mark was able to use a software program called OptiMiser to run an analysis of what various proposed solutions would do to the homes energy use.  We combined that information with my budget numbers for each particular improvement, and the answers became quite clear.

On the south walls and the ceiling, we removed drywall used Icenyne open cell spray foam insulation.  These exterior faces were complicated, and the cost of replacing the siding after removal was prohibitive. Half inch rigid foam was added on the inside of the wall, beneath the drywall, to form a thermal break.  On other walls, we decided to leave the existing insulation alone, and add 2” of exterior rigid foam insulation on the outside, and re-side the condo.  The exterior insulation was able to cover the rim joist, a notoriously leaky part of all homes, and one that can be difficult to repair.  The areas where we decided to do the exterior

exterior rigid foam insulation

rigid foam had simple, cheap siding that was easy to match.
We used 2 types of windows, with the south facing windows being designed to let in as much winter sun and warmth as possible. Insulating cellular shades were added as well.  We sealed all the outlets and exterior penetrations, and added an energy recovery ventilator on a timer  to bring in fresh, conditioned air.

Comparing her November energy bills, the homeowner noticed a 44% decrease from the previous year.  We expect that savings to increase as the months get colder.

After completing the energy efficiency work, we had Namaste Solar  http://www.namastesolar.com/ install a 2.76 kW PV system, which was now able to be 40% smaller than originally designed. This system should cover all of her electricalneeds, and she will never pay for coal-powered energy again.

The once leaky, eyesore of a fireplace is now cabinets with pull-outs and bookshelves for usable storage.  The kitchen is functional and neat, and you can see the neighboring open space and the beautiful Boulder Flatirons from inside the home.  The home is now beautiful, functional, and efficient.

Custom Kitchen is simple and functional

Built in cabinets where the fireplace used to be

New windows with a view

2.72 Kw PV system

Traditionally, a standard window well feels like you are in a submarine, and from the outside, it is a dangerous pit to fall in to. These clients chose to upgrade from these traditional window wells to something much more stunning. These wells are ready to serve as a beautiful backdrop, mini-gardens, and in case of emergency, an escape route from the basement.

We love providing rustic elegance to an otherwise mundane feature.

This historic home in Old Town Louisville had everything… everything except a functional foundation. The beautiful home was out of level, sagging, and was cold and drafty. Working closely with a structural engineer, Dusel Custom Builders devised a plan to transfer the weight of the building to a new support system, and tightened up and super-insulated the crawl space at the same time. Now the home has the charm and feel of a 100 year old house, and the strength and efficiency of a brand new one (better, in fact!).

I can’t wait to completely remodel our kitchen some day.  Clay and I, of course, have big plans.  But a remodel is many years away which leaves me feeling like I have to live with my kitchen and everything that is wrong with it until we do something big.  That is, until we did something small and I realized just a little update makes a big difference.

We have a water filter in our fridge that is SLOW.  Also, the faucet in our sink in really cheap and doesn’t function well.   These two things have been nagging at me for years.  Just a couple of nights ago, Clay added a new water filter to our sink and replaced the faucet with a nice new one that is higher and bigger.  These two little changes have made such a wonderful difference in my experience in the kitchen!

Some day we will remodel our kitchen completely, and we will use our new faucet and water filter in the project.  If you are dreaming of your kitchen remodel but know it is at least a few years away, treat yourself to a new faucet, light fixture, or a new appliance in the mean time.

Take a look around your house; is there something that has been nagging at you for years?  You don’t always have to wait for the giant remodel to happen, just tackle one small thing at a time.