It’s rare for a design team to suggest a major twist in plans after the remodeling is underway.

 

However, that’s just what happened when architect Greg Bjarko and general contractor Joe Krofchek got together to review Bjarko’s designs and inspect a 1,920-square-foot rambler in Greenwood.

 

Homeowners Frank Fuoco, an associate director at AT&T; Mobility, and Benjamin Liu, a software engineer at Microsoft, already had signed off on a mid-size redesign that included a new master bedroom and bath, some updated lighting solutions and better access to the yard. Their 1924 home, which suffered from a patchwork history of remodelings and repairs, had no cohesive style and the owners dreamed of creating a signature look blending contemporary Northwest design elements with Asian influences.

 

The addition of a son, Cale, in 2001 also had inspired the need for more space and privacy. “We wanted to keep things simplistic and open,” Fuoco says. “We didn’t envision a whole new house.” 

 

A new house is what they got, however. Upon inspecting the main-floor ceiling (the house is one story plus a basement) when they showed up to start their work, Krofchek’s team discovered major structural damage from years of neglect. Foreman Mike Olaughlin suggested that, instead of simply repairing the sagging ceiling, they remove it entirely to create an elegant vaulted ceiling that would run the length of house.  

 

“This changed everything,” Fuoco says. “We were really excited about the idea and presented it to Greg. It was a big decision but one that had to be made.”  Bjarko embraced the changes and went back to the drafting table to incorporate the general contractor’s ideas. In addition to vaulting the ceiling from eight to 12-and-a-half feet, the new plans included Brazilian walnut flooring, updated windows throughout the house, custom shelving and an entertainment center for the living room and a full-scale kitchen and bathroom makeover. The additions increased the budget by about 40 percent, but Fuoco maintains that the renovations were necessary. “The repairs to the ceiling were going to be required anyway,” he says. “It just took everything to a whole new level that spread to the kitchen, the bedrooms and more.”

 

“It’s very unusual to discover a surprise, like a vaulted ceiling, so far into a project that so dramatically changes everything,” says Bjarko of Seattle’s bjarko/serra architects. “Fortunately, it was an opportunity the clients were willing to take advantage of.” 

 

Fuoco and Liu had remodeled the kitchen once before, shortly after moving into the house in 1994, but given the overall aesthetic of the remodeling, a new look was in order. The couple did most of the kitchen remodeling on their own, from selecting and installing dark wood Ikea cabinets to adding imaginative elements such as a magnetic paint wall for their son’s artwork and awards and stainless steel cabinetry above the refrigerator.

 

Beyond raising the ceilings, the wall between the kitchen and living area was removed, giving the communal spaces an open and lofty feeling. A similar feeling was achieved in the large, dank basement. Initially, the owners thought a master bedroom should spring out from the back of the house, but, in his spirit of “thinking inside the envelope,” Bjarko reworked the old basement into a surprisingly cozy and bright master bedroom suite that includes a walk-in closet, double office space and, most important to Liu, a large bathroom with a deep soaking tub.

 

“All I wanted was a master bedroom and this tub,” Liu laughs, “and we got so much more!”

 

“From the beginning Greg said to stay within the envelope, to look at what the house has to offer and bring that out,” Fuoco says. “It was fun for the two of us to learn to understand the opportunities available in what already exists and to take part in the design process.”

 

Despite its nether location, the basement is now awash in light sources. In addition to subtle lighting fixtures installed throughout the rooms, during the day, natural light streams in via the half-size windows on the east and west sides of the house. Bjarko slightly extended the back of the house to accommodate a new, light-filled stairwell to the master suite and a glass doorway leading to a back patio and freestanding garage. (Coincidentally, and perhaps serendipitously, a runaway car during a police chase destroyed the original garage at the same time the couple was consulting with Bjarko. As a result, a new garage also was added to the to-do list.)

 

The new back entrance provided quick access to the back patio and garage, but much of the large yard, which the couple had painstakingly landscaped the previous summer, was set to the eastern side of the house and was accessible only awkwardly, via a roundabout route from either the front or basement door. Bjarko designed a sliding door entrance from the living room leading out to the side yard by way of a stylish steel-and-wood covered deck (see sidebar). The sliding doors bring an abundance of light into the house, and provide a connection, both literally and visually, to the beautiful lawn.

 

“What’s amazing to me is that even with all the changes we made, this still feels like our home,” reflects Fuoco. “Nothing was really added, but everything was enhanced.” Adds Liu, “The entire place is a surprise to us. We didn’t know what this house had inside it, but Greg and Joe really allowed us to see the house transform from what it already was. We didn’t have to force a thing.”

 

 

Architect Greg Bjarko and homeowners Benjamin Liu and Frank Fuoco face the rain on the new covered deck of their remodeled Greenwood home.	A new stairwell added to the back of the house is topped by a series of light-catching custom fir wood windows.
The master bath is separated from the master bedroom with 3/8-inch-thick, tinted structural glass.	This teal patina planter, bought from a now-defunct garden store in Ballard, happily holds five goldfish.

 

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Open House Tour
Our ongoing partnership with the American Institute of Architects Seattle Chapter (AIA Seattle) continues our commitment to bring the experience of Puget Sound-area residential design to our readers. Each issue, we showcase an architect-designed home, selected by AIA Seattle and Northwest Home, that will be open to the public for a Sunday-afternoon viewing. We invite you to tour this issue’s featured home, Greg Bjarko of bjarko/serra architecture, located at 909 N 101st St. in Greenwood on Sunday, May 18, between noon and 3 p.m. For more information on the tour and the Open House program, please visit nwhomemag.com or aiaseattle.org; 206.448.4938.