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Louise and Nico Bories had already rented their Midtown Palo Alto midcentury tract house for three years when they decided to buy it from Nico’s parents who lived next door.
Since they were expecting their second child, they knew they wanted to make some major changes.
“We really like to entertain,” Nico said.
Their first goal was to reconfigure the first floor to create a great room with a brand-new kitchen and easy access to the outdoor living area.
From rental to forever home by Embarcadero Media by Linda TaaffeKitchen gains access to backyard
The new open area now allows the couple to have conversations with their guests while preparing meals. A key feature is a foldup, pass-through window to the outdoor space that connects the kitchen to the outdoor space.
Originally, there was no way to get to the backyard from inside the house. Now sliding glass doors lead from the great room to a comfy outdoor living area with seating. More sliding glass doors lead out to the grassy yard from the rear bedrooms.
A product designer, Nico put a lot of thought into every detail, checking in with his wife, the analytics pro, along the way.
“What made this interesting for me was how we were able to preserve most of the house, but pretty dramatically change that first floor and connect the main public living places with the backyard,” Architect Tom Carrubba from square three architecture said.
Fireplace removed, front door repositioned
Creating the great room meant removing the fireplace, repositioning the front door and creating a small foyer at the new entry.
“We repurposed some doors and windows,” Nico said. For those they couldn’t use, along with the old kitchen cabinets, they donated to Habitat for Humanity.
A large island delineates the kitchen area, topped by a waterfall porcelain counter that resembles marble but performs better. Three tall chairs run along one side.
All the custom-built cabinets are Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace (off white) painted oak (with patriotic blue on the island – and the front door). The stainless-steel appliances are by Bosch. One switch for the couple was moving from a gas stove to a 36-inch induction cooktop, with a pasta spigot precisely situated to clear the top of their soup pot.
“I like the stove now. It heats a pan quickly,” Louise said.
No electrical outlets break up the frosted-glass, subway-tile backsplash; instead, a row of narrow outlets sits discreetly under the upper cabinets.
Across the hall, where the old kitchen used to be and behind a barn-style door, is a large pantry and “mud” room, with plenty of room to hang coats and backpacks. At one end is a Zephyr champagne fridge, with special storage to accommodate wider than the usual white wine bottles.
Before, the washer and dryer were located in the one-car garage, along with the water heater. Now the stacked washer and dryer sit indoors, in a space slightly larger than a closet with a door that swings two ways, allowing entry while carrying a laundry basket.
Bathroom revamped
For the bathroom that their daughters share, the Bories opted for floor-to-ceiling tiles, and a pocket door separating the two sinks from the toilet and shower area. A skylight brings in more natural light.
Down the hall are three bedrooms, including a smaller primary bedroom.
“We shrunk the bedroom to enable a large, walk-in closet,” Louise said. “Then … we blew the budget on the Accent toilet.”
The master bath also features floor-to-ceiling tile, a porcelain countertop custom-built vanity and a rain shower with glass walls.
Upstairs, the fourth bedroom is largely untouched. Likely originally planned as the primary bedroom suite, it now functions as a large playroom (and possible guest room), with its own bathroom and closet. A balcony that spiraled down to the backyard was replaced with a railing.
When they first started thinking about a major remodel, the couple thought they could do it for about $500,00 to $600,000; when the first bid came in at $850,000, they knew it would be more. Eventually, it ran close to $1.2 million.
Challenges push remodel costs above $1M
What drove up the costs?
Once they took the first floor down to the studs, they could see that earlier construction didn’t meet today’s code standards. Two steel beams now stabilize the living room. Electrical service was doubled to 200 amps (along with 240 volts in the garage, because they plan to buy an electrical vehicle within the next five years). Wiring is in place for future solar heating, and they opted for a more efficient heating/air-conditioning system with good air filtration to help with Louise’s allergies.
Once they removed the old parquet floors, they discovered they’d need to put another $70,000 into the foundation. And running a new sewer line to the street (to replace an S-shaped, dysfunctional pipe) ran another $15,000.
Despite the unexpected costs, Louise felt strongly about keeping the floor-to-ceiling tile in the bathroom, the folding pass-through window and those high-end toilets in the budget.
“This is our first remodel ever, but this is our forever home,” Nico said.
“And we have no regrets. It’s been lovely,” Louise added.
