1959 Home Restoration
by Kate Kellogg
In the late 1950s, a renowned local architect designed a house on a (then) rural site in east Ann Arbor Township. Little did Bob Metcalf know he would take the same house back to the drawing board nearly 50 years later.
The mid-century modern ranch home is typical of Metcalf's award-wining designs that distinguish many Ann Arbor neighborhoods. The former dean of the University of Michigan College of Architecture and Urban Planning has won several state and national awards for his projects. Of the 80 custom homes he has designed, 68 were built in the Ann Arbor area.
An octogenarian, Dean Emeritus Metcalf might be forgiven for refusing any more major projects. Yet this particular home once again required his expertise. The current owners recognized the strength and beauty of Metcalf's original design. But previous owners had made some unfortunate "improvements" over the years. Those included an addition that didn't blend or function well with the original structure and whose materials were not of the highest quality. The newest owners—the most recent of several—also needed more open areas and space for their activities, plus a kitchen suited to their entertaining needs.
The current homeowners (who requested anonymity to retain privacy) tracked down the original architect. Metcalf produced a picture of the house as it appeared 50 years ago. That was exactly what they wanted—along with their own idea of an addition that would enhance, rather than complicate the home.
"We wanted to retain the 50s style," says a member of the homeowner family. "We loved the large windows that give a great view of the big lawn and the changing seasons. We also wanted to preserve the vertical grain fir on the ceilings and keep the original parts of the house as intact as possible."
No one was more suited to design the remodel and addition than Metcalf. He is at the construction site every morning "to catch any mistakes before they happen." The homeowners, who elected to move out during the chaos of construction, know the project is in capable hands. "Bob is the old-school type of architect who wants to be right there, overseeing the work," says the homeowner quoted above. "You don't find many architects who work like that anymore."
Metcalf is working closely with Geoff Perkins' company, Perkins Construction, the project's builder and remodeler. The collaboration works well because Perkins' carpenters are trained to work with detail-oriented architects like Metcalf. (He drew up 50 sheets of detailed drawings for this project.) Lead carpenter Rich Schmidt and Superintendent Dave Allstetter know they are expected to follow not just the general concepts, but each design detail for every window, door, and cabinet piece.
"Absolutely no artistic license is allowed," says Perkins. "You won't find any filler pieces or gaps closed with extra molding in our houses. Yet Bob works collaboratively with my guys. If they suggest a different way to do something, he is willing to consider it, and will often sketch a new detail for them right on-site."
In fact, Metcalf entrusted Perkins with the construction of additions to his own home, which Metcalf designed for himself and his wife in 1953. The couple still lives in that Ann Arbor residence. Additionally, Perkins has built many Metcalf-designed projects over the company's 23 years including the recent completion of a new house that Metcalf says will be his last.
Perkins expects to complete work on the 1959 home by the end of July. The house was originally about 2,200 square feet, counting both ground level and walk-out basement. The remodel and addition will roughly double the square footage, he says. Counting the earliest design stages, the project has been in progress for about four years.
Since so many of the design elements are Metcalf originals, Perkins is fortunate to have the architect on hand for frequent consultation.For instance, the elevated front walkway forms a bridge over a pond in the front yard.Due to some drainage issues, the crew is reconstructing the walkway, using the same composite material that comprises the remodeled deck in back. The home's exterior is made of the original wood and brick siding, along with some new synthetic stucco.
The front-yard pond and delicate landscaping are the first owner's legacy. Dr. Graham Chen, a scientist with Parke-Davis's Nerve Drug division (one of Pfizer's predecessors) had the home built in 1959. "Dr. Chen was born in Beijing, China," explains Metcalf. "He believed that a garden is the pathway through which you enter a home, and so it is an integral part of the house."
Back in the '50s, the home's site was nearly treeless farmland. Chen. a master gardener, planted trees and perennials and built the pond—long before water landscaping had become trendy in this country. "His neighbor, then chair of the U-M Art Department, said he'd often see Dr. Chen outside at 5 a.m. tending his roses," remembers Metcalf. Chen's handiwork has thrived over the years. Mature trees now shade the house, which sits high on the three-acre park-like estate. Full-length windows on the south side afford a view of gracefully landscaped grounds and a glimpse of the Huron River at the property's back border. One of the current owners is an avid gardener; he looks forward to maintaining and further improving the home's natural environment.
The new addition includes a large kitchen, pantry, four-car garage—with workshop in back—and family room/breakfast area. The remodel also entailed a major demolition: the east wing addition, built by former owners, was torn down. Perkins has replaced that portion with a new and improved version. It includes a master bedroom suite on the ground level and, in the walk-out basement, guestrooms, two additional bathrooms, laundry area, big recreation room, and exercise room. Hallway space also has been added to both levels and several rooms have been enlarged.
Nearly the entire house has been reconfigured in some way. The existing dining and living rooms were combined to form a larger living room. The old kitchen is now the dining area, and a new, more spacious kitchen has been added. Its cabinets are natural-finish quarter-sawn oak, the countertops white plastic laminate. "This material is a fraction of the cost of granite or Corian, extremely durable, and more justifiable in terms of cost," says Perkins.
Two entire counters are stainless steel, as are all appliances. Cooking and food preparation stations are arranged ergonomically. An adjacent pantry is larger than many homes' kitchens. The set-up could accommodate a culinary arts school.
"I'm really into cooking and entertaining," says the current owner. "Besides preparing meals once or twice a day for my family, I may frequently cook for groups of 30 or 40. A professional-style kitchen was important to me."
Grey tile covers the floor in the kitchen, family room and living room. It resembles the home's original flooring, which had been covered with white ceramic tile by previous owners. The living room promises to be at once warm and elegant. Originally constructed of brick, the fireplace was later refaced with marble. Since there was no way to restore the original brick, Perkins has faced it with black slate and covered the back side in quarter-sawn oak. The owners plan to adorn the tile floor with oriental rugs and add color with hanging Japanese lanterns.
One major change is the addition of a family room and breakfast nook opening out from the kitchen. This airy room provides a spectacular view of the grounds; the large southern-exposure windows have wide ledges for houseplants.
"Once we had decided to add on a new kitchen and pantry, we thought we might as well add a family room ...and my husband had always wanted a workshop," says the owner. "This project continued to get bigger as we went along!"
Outside the family room, a deck provides more space for relaxation and entertaining. Constructed of cedar and composite material, the entire deck is held together with concealed fasteners. No nail holes or screws are visible.
Superior craftsmanship is evident throughout the newly constructed and remodeled areas. Perkins' carpentry team has restored much of the vertical grain fir on beams and ceilings and replaced painted trim with oak, using detailing that duplicates the original houses' woodwork. A glass block window was installed in a front hallway, adding to the contemporary vintage of the home. Other unusual features are ingeniously functional in their efficient use of space.
For example, the owners' son's room (originally the master bedroom) leads downstairs to his own hobby room by way of an alternating step staircase. This type of staircase has alternating treads for each foot: the right step is slightly above the left step, and so on. (The first-time descent can be a little tricky.) The design allows for a steeper, shorter stairway in areas where space is at a premium. Elsewhere in the house, two other conventional staircases lead down to the walk-out basement.
The spacious new master bedroom suite is conducive to both distraction-free work and relaxation in an idyllic environment. Floor-to-ceiling windows on the south side open out to a balcony that overlooks the broad sweep of lawn running down to the river. The floor is oak, as are the built-in bookshelves lining one wall. On the opposite side is a work alcove with built-in computer space, desk and drawers, all custom-designed by Metcalf. Music will float through speakers, as the entire house is wired for sound. Beyond the sleeping area is a room that might be called a walk-in closet—were it not the size of bedroom. It is really a dressing room, complete with skylight. The built-in shelves and stands of drawers—all designed by Metcalf and constructed by Perkins— would make a professional closet organizer salivate. The master bath also has a skylight and oak cabinets as well as electric, in-floor heat. (Radiant, in-floor heating has been installed in other areas of the house.)
With five baths, two guest lavatories, and four bedrooms, the house can comfortably accommodate a fair number of houseguests. Nearly every new feature satisfies a particular requirement of the owners or reflects Metcalf's authentic vision. Unlike today's space-wasting, cookie-cutter McMansions, the house is distinctive but unpretentious on the outside, functional and quietly luxurious within. Style-wise, it represents timeless modern architecture adapted to the Twenty-first Century lifestyle. "I call my homes contemporary, because their style is contemporary for my time," says Metcalf. "Yes, there is some Frank Lloyd Wright influence; I believe he influenced all architects. I also admire the Bauhaus School of Design, founded by German architects in the 1920s and '30s. That's another style in which form follows function."
Perkins commends the owners for their decision to preserve and customize the home to fit their needs. They appreciated the architectural style enough to restore the best elements and work around the original design. "People live differently today than they did 50 years ago," Perkins says. "They need larger rooms, more openness and space."
"Today, a typical client would have purchased this property for its site, torn the house down, and built something different. It breaks my heart to hear about people tearing down great houses. I'm glad my clients took a different approach."