Need guidance for addition/renovation, ideas for modernizing interior, windows, etc.

Hello and greetings, this is my first post to livemodern.  I'm really excited to have found this resource and have already learned a lot by reading some existing threads.

I have been working with an architect to develop plans for an addition to my small house built in 1950.  Because of site and budget limitations I decided against significantly altering the roof lines and have preserved the existing floor plan while adding a master bed/bath, porch, and expanding the kitchen and living area (see attached conceptual).  The architect has created a bungalow look to the front, which is something that I suggested.  However, I would consider changing the look of the front porch (red brick, rails, pillars, etc.).  I loved bungalows before I really discovered modern designs. 

So, I am keen to take this plan and give it a good, modern feel inside.  I have been thinking about these topics:

1. windows and doors.  Modern types, materials, mechanisms.  Also perhaps locating them off-center in some rooms.
2. finish materials.  Floor and wall coverings, moldings, counter tops.  I like wood, and also appreciate cement and metal.
3. lighting.
4. kitchen/bath furnishings.

I hope that I have achieved focus here, but please let me know if you think I am off-track.  Additionally, I don't have a huge budget, so I'd like to investigate what could provide the most "bang for the buck".

I look forward to your replies, and thanks in advance for your time.

Hi Zack, welcome to LiveModern.

Given your goal of wanting to give your home "give it a good, modern feel inside" my advice is start building up some pictures and resources of what that means to you, as it's a very broad request, particularly given you are working with a bungalow.

My wife and I have lived in many different homes during our "corporate life," and we have always had modern interiors, mainly through our furniture choices but also via "clean line" finishes for floors,  doors and cabinets (no panels if possible) as well as using interesting materials, such as a concrete fireplace in our last two homes. At present we are building our "last house" - a modern one -- from scratch.

So I would start at the local library and see what magazines they subscribe to, with Dwell, Sunset and Domino being of particular interest. Apart them favoring "modern," Sunset will often show CA bungalows that have been modernized in different ways. Also, Dwell and Sunset have Web sites

As you may know, most mags have a Resources page that provides more info on finishes and products and Domino does that for everything it shows.

Also, you could check out the interior photos on "We're Building a New Modern Home" forum, with the probability that the poster also references finishes and products.

As you do this, be asking yourself what elements of these houses could you use in your setting and given it's a remodel, you will need a time line on when you need to make each decision, so you focus on the selection of a modern version of that element. For example, your plan shows a lot of exterior elements of a classic CA bungalow with its many elements -- brick AND wood pillars, two kinds of siding, multi-pane windows and a very detailed door. Ask yourself if you could have a "cleaner look" here through different choices. Even if you do not change much, that exercise will help you prepare for similar exercises with your interior.

Good luck and remember you can come back here, or to the other appropriate forums when you are looking for specific elements.

Previously Zack Mondry wrote:

Hello and greetings, this is my first post to livemodern.  I'm really excited to have found this resource and have already learned a lot by reading some existing threads.

I have been working with an architect to develop plans for an addition to my small house built in 1950.  Because of site and budget limitations I decided against significantly altering the roof lines and have preserved the existing floor plan while adding a master bed/bath, porch, and expanding the kitchen and living area (see attached conceptual).  The architect has created a bungalow look to the front, which is something that I suggested.  However, I would consider changing the look of the front porch (red brick, rails, pillars, etc.).  I loved bungalows before I really discovered modern designs. 

So, I am keen to take this plan and give it a good, modern feel inside.  I have been thinking about these topics:

1. windows and doors.  Modern types, materials, mechanisms.  Also perhaps locating them off-center in some rooms.
2. finish materials.  Floor and wall coverings, moldings, counter tops.  I like wood, and also appreciate cement and metal.
3. lighting.
4. kitchen/bath furnishings.

I hope that I have achieved focus here, but please let me know if you think I am off-track.  Additionally, I don't have a huge budget, so I'd like to investigate what could provide the most "bang for the buck".

I look forward to your replies, and thanks in advance for your time.

Hello Peter, thanks for your reply and suggestions. 

In the last year I have compiled a few resources as you have suggested.  I've got some copies of Dwell, and also have enjoyed the books The New American Cottage (Trulove & Kim), Good House, Cheap House (Obolensky), and Cottage (Connolly & Wasserman).  I will start meeting with builders soon, and I will have that material on-hand.

I like your idea of thinking in terms of a cleaner look for exterior elements and then carrying that approach to the inside.  In discussing this I realize I am mot married to the brick, wood pillars, and multipane windows, so my first task looks like determining some economical alternatives.  Here is a recent remodel in my neighborhood that looks appealing to me.

Thanks again for your time.