English Tutor 1910-1918

The homes located in the Waterbury neighborhood in the Des Moines Area present unique opportunities to take what is old and make it new. The highly desired homes in this historic area have so much character that many homes built in today’s standards fall well short of. For many who live in these beautiful homes love the character and history, but struggle with what they lack in modern amenities.

This is exactly what these home owner’s were after when they set out to update their historic home. The existing garage was large but the doors were too small for SUV’s and needed structural repair. In the end it was easier to start new. The old garage was tore down and removed. The new garage was identical in appearance but added in floor heat, housed the pool heating equipment and was also built to allow for a second floor to be added above in the future if desired.

This large home has many bathrooms on the inside, but were out of date and lacking in functionality for these home owner’s. The existing bathroom was gutted to the floor boards and wall studs to give us the ability to move the plumbing. Once the new locations were decided for the shower and vanity, we were able to install the new marble tile on the floor and in the shower. The floors in the bathroom and the shower are heated with a thermostat located on the wall for easy adjustment and comfort. A main feature in these old bathrooms were built in medicine cabinet above the vanity sink, and in keeping true to this we matched the trim work in the home and made a new built in to fit the space and be functional as well. The custom make up counter was also made in house to fit the unique space and size, creating a very specific space for the home owner’s.

Every project we take on that has a historical significance creates a different challenge for us as builders. We have the ability to identify these different factors and adjust as we need to achieve the goal and finished product our clients hired us to create for them.