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Pro Spotlight: How to Adapt an Older Home to Your Modern Needs
A builder-remodeler in Beavercreek gives advice on updating historic homes for today’s lifestyles
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Who: Greg Thompson of Greater Dayton Building & Remodeling
Where: Beavercreek, Ohio
In his own words: “Homeowners are often challenged by spaces that don’t fit their needs in homes that were designed when families lived in a different manner.”
While there’s much to admire about many historic homes, updating them for modern life can be daunting. Greg Thompson, president and founder of Greater Dayton Building & Remodeling in Beavercreek, combines his experience and creativity to transform his clients’ homes. “Redesigning spaces within older homes to allow individuals and families to live the way they want and need is one of our greatest challenges,” he says.
Where: Beavercreek, Ohio
In his own words: “Homeowners are often challenged by spaces that don’t fit their needs in homes that were designed when families lived in a different manner.”
While there’s much to admire about many historic homes, updating them for modern life can be daunting. Greg Thompson, president and founder of Greater Dayton Building & Remodeling in Beavercreek, combines his experience and creativity to transform his clients’ homes. “Redesigning spaces within older homes to allow individuals and families to live the way they want and need is one of our greatest challenges,” he says.
Info gathering. Thompson’s team brainstorms to get all the client’s options on the table. “Our first step is to try to understand the client’s design aesthetic, functional needs and budget,” he says. “We do a whiteboard exercise; a lot of ideas are quickly discussed and edited in a design and budget sense. This helps us to quickly arrive at a solution that can deliver what a client wants at a cost they can afford.”
Homes can adapt. According to Thompson, today’s lifestyles often create the need for more informal spaces in which a family can live and work together efficiently. “We see this all the time,” he says. “Times have changed, and homes have to adapt. But a truly successful project delivers a solution that fits both the people and the home.”
Have an older home you’d like to update? Check out Thompson’s tips below for some great ideas on transitioning from old to new.
Have an older home you’d like to update? Check out Thompson’s tips below for some great ideas on transitioning from old to new.
1. Rethink a Formal Dining Room
Sometimes rooms and features we assume are necessary aren’t really needed, and reconsidering those areas could clear the way for other options. “A client in the Oakwood area wanted to redesign an older home to fit a modern family,” Thompson says. “By using the formal dining area as part of the kitchen, the total space of the home is put to better use.”
Now, instead of a room that’s used twice a year, the space is used daily, Thompson says. In addition to relocating the kitchen and dining space, he also added a powder room and a master closet, and reconfigured the floor plans for the first and second floors.
See more of this project
Sometimes rooms and features we assume are necessary aren’t really needed, and reconsidering those areas could clear the way for other options. “A client in the Oakwood area wanted to redesign an older home to fit a modern family,” Thompson says. “By using the formal dining area as part of the kitchen, the total space of the home is put to better use.”
Now, instead of a room that’s used twice a year, the space is used daily, Thompson says. In addition to relocating the kitchen and dining space, he also added a powder room and a master closet, and reconfigured the floor plans for the first and second floors.
See more of this project
2. Balance Style and Function
While some people need only function, others need functional beauty. “These are two approaches to the same problem, and they come with different challenges, budgets and compromises,” Thompson says. “These clients in Oakwood own a home built in the early 1900s, and they needed a master suite. They had the space but also wanted to focus on the design. We used the available space to create a master bathroom, closet and dressing room.”
See more of this project
While some people need only function, others need functional beauty. “These are two approaches to the same problem, and they come with different challenges, budgets and compromises,” Thompson says. “These clients in Oakwood own a home built in the early 1900s, and they needed a master suite. They had the space but also wanted to focus on the design. We used the available space to create a master bathroom, closet and dressing room.”
See more of this project
3. Get Creative With Space
Making layout changes to older homes can be challenging. “A client in Oakwood wanted to add a master bathroom to their early-1900s home,” Thompson says. “However, the existing layout didn’t allow for an easy conversion of a bedroom to a bathroom without creating an awkward transition from the hallway to the master suite.”
Thompson came up with a creative solution: “We created a ‘foyer’ as an entry to the master suite. This allowed us to use the available space for a smooth transition between the common hallway and the master suite, and created an added sense of privacy for the owner.”
See more of this project
More: For more information on Greg Thompson and examples of his work, visit Greater Dayton Building & Remodeling’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Making layout changes to older homes can be challenging. “A client in Oakwood wanted to add a master bathroom to their early-1900s home,” Thompson says. “However, the existing layout didn’t allow for an easy conversion of a bedroom to a bathroom without creating an awkward transition from the hallway to the master suite.”
Thompson came up with a creative solution: “We created a ‘foyer’ as an entry to the master suite. This allowed us to use the available space for a smooth transition between the common hallway and the master suite, and created an added sense of privacy for the owner.”
See more of this project
More: For more information on Greg Thompson and examples of his work, visit Greater Dayton Building & Remodeling’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
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Review by Natalie:
We renovated and modernized our master bathroom and couldn't be happier with the outcome. The entire team we worked with at Greater Dayton was professional and knowledgeable. Brian was very accessible...More