Floor Plans When owner Mike Moskal chose a corner fireplace, the crew had to redesign the wall in the living room so it would fit. They had to move the windows down and extend the bulkhead over the top of the fireplace by 2 feet. The trusses had already arrived on site, so this was a significant change. Inspired by the change, Kinter added built-in cabinets. “The artist in me got into making the whole wall look like one big unit to tie everything together,” he says. He measured the television and stereo components and ordered cabinets from the custom cabinetmaker. Moskal enhanced the look by updating from brick to granite.
The stairs to the basement on the original plan were U-shaped and closer to the rear wall. Jeff Kinter recommended L-shaped stairs that opened closer to the kitchen. The plan called for a larger window to bring light into the basement family room, but the original stairs would have come down 2½ feet and blocked the light. “The L-shaped stairs also lined up with the hallway that went down the center of the house,” Kinter says.
Kinter Construction brought in their favorite kitchen designer to shift cabinets and appliances and create a larger island. “Before we ordered the kitchen cabinets, we gutted the room and drew lines on the floor that showed the island and cabinet placement. We had Helen walk through the kitchen to make sure it was comfortable,” Kinter says.
Kinter removed the 3-by-5-foot landing just inside the doorway of the sitting room. He installed a gas fireplace instead of a wood-burning fireplace and, as in the living room, replaced the brick mantel with granite.
Kinter changed the curved wall to a straight wall to create a larger front foyer and give the Moskals a place to hang their art. He sketched out the location of the old and new walls on the floor, and the Moskals agreed with the change.
Kinter changed the front hallway from 7 feet wide to 6, to create a larger sitting room. “Hallways are the biggest waste of space,” Kinter says.
In the master bath, the final plan shifted the exterior door to make room for an extended vanity. An angled tub made room for the move.
Kinter shortened the closet and created an opening for the homeowners to walk from the master bedroom directly to the kitchen. In the original design, the homeowners would have had to walk down the hall and past the front door to reach the kitchen. “I felt we could redo that and capture that wasted space,” he says. He moved the pantry to the laundry room and made the laundry room smaller. In the original floor plan, the open laundry room had a window to the front of the house. “If someone was standing at the front door, they could see into the kitchen,” Kinter says.