Our latest project is the #sunroomaddition in the Country Club neighborhood in Lincoln Nebraska, which has been particularly exciting for us. The main goal going into the this project was to add useful square footage for the family to gather and use that’s temperature controlled. We wanted to make this the perfect space for hosting friends and family, or for starting off calm mornings with a cup of coffee and the proverbial newspaper (because who reads actual newspapers anymore?).
“The space needs to feel open and bright” was one of the primary stipulations from the homeowner. Luckily, it’s a sunroom, so we were going to add tons of just that – sun! We added as many windows as possible, as well as two fans and a chandelier for tons of natural and vibe lighting, as well as air circulation. Additionally, we wired the walls and portions of the ceiling in the sunroom with power outlets so they can string up decorative lights, hang a TV or anything else they may want to add for decoration and entertainment.
You may notice tons of smaller windows as opposed to a few larger ones, and we put a great deal of thought into why. When the house was built in the early 1900’s, the original builders most likely wouldn’t have had access or technological capabilities to make such large glass and would have added smaller windows for durability. Which is exactly what we wanted to emulate. As always, they’re full-frame windows that are pan flashed and spray foamed shut for an extremely tight and rot-proof seal. That’ll give it a ton of extra mileage and better protection against the elements. Giving extra integrity to potential vulnerable areas is extremely important, especially for additions in older homes. It can be tricky to heat and cool additions to the home but the sunroom is fully insulated so it’ll be comfortable to hang out in year-round.
When we work on old homes we never want new additions to feel like they are “additions”. It is important we don’t ruin the look and feel with a new structure. Obviously, the brick is equally as historic as the home itself, so we were extremely motivated to keep the brick beautiful and virtually untouched. One of the details that might go unnoticed right away, but an example of the work that Carlson Projects takes great pride in, is that we actually didn’t attach anything directly to the brick to avoid cracking the 100 year old brick work. While we didn’t want to risk cracking the brick, we did want to leave some of the brick exposed to help give the room a look and feel that’s consistent with the rest of the home. This took a lot of extra time and thought for how to execute this project delicately but I think we’d all – the original builder, the homeowner, and those following along – agree that the extra care is an extremely worthwhile detail.
We’re excited about this project and can’t wait to work on more home renovations and additions on older homes. Let us know your favorite details in the comments below.
If you’re looking to get a home remodel in Lincoln or the surrounding area, drop us a line! We’d love to work with you.
