Ranch redo: From Dated to Dazzling

Local family gives home a fabulous facelift
By AMY STUMPFL
For Brentwood Home Page
When David and Stacee McCrea went searching for their dream home last year, they didn’t have to go far. About 5 miles from their house in Bridgeton Park, they found exactly what they were looking for in the Brenthaven/Crockett Hills area – well, almost exactly.

While the one-and-a-half acre property with mature trees was an ideal fit, the 1985 “ranch-and-a-half” with baby blue shutters left something to be desired. Still, the McCreas could see the potential.

“We loved the acreage, the location was great, and the house actually had a really nice layout,” Stacee McCrea says. “We could definitely see our family here, but we envisioned something more.”

With the help of Todd Spillane, owner of Solitude Custom Homes, the McCreas soon embarked on an ambitious three-phase renovation project that included everything from a complete overhaul of the home’s exterior right down to a doggie door for the family pooch.

“We met Todd through a friend that he had done some work for, and just made an immediate connection,” McCrea says. “He understood our taste and really took the time to listen. We had a lot of ideas, but Todd helped us look at the details. He took our ideas and made them better.”

The McCreas started by knocking down the wall separating the cramped dining room and kitchen to create a spacious gourmet workspace that includes a corner bar with wine cooler and ice maker, handy cooling drawers, a huge island with pull-out storage and microwave, and a lovely breakfast area with bay window. Spillane also opened up an archway between the kitchen and living room, enlarged the window over the sink and added double doors leading out to the back patio.

“Taking down a couple of walls made all the difference,” McCrea says. “Everything is so light and bright, and I love having so much room to work. We couldn’t fit six people in this kitchen before.”

About three weeks into the kitchen remodel, the McCreas broke ground on a new pool and outdoor living space that includes an elevated patio and stone fireplace with chimney.

“We’re out here all the time,” McCrea says. “It’s perfect for entertaining, and the new kitchen layout makes it so easy to bring food and drinks outside. Todd even helped us create a little parking area off to the side of our driveway, which is nice when we have people over.”

  The McCreas wrapped up the project last fall, and took a short break before tackling the home’s exterior this spring. Spillane started by applying a buff mortar rub over the traditional red brick, adding stone accents to the dormers and bay window, and custom cedar shutters. In addition, he switched out the standard front door with glass panels for elegant arched double doors with wrought iron accents and stone detail, and even added a copper roof over the bay window.

“We wanted to update the look of the home while keeping the integrity of the neighborhood,” Spillane says. “This look is very popular right now, but it’s pretty timeless and requires almost no maintenance.

“The tricky part for me was replacing the vinyl siding with face brick to create a continuous look,” he adds. “There were all these different breaks in the roof elevation and gable ends, so we had to feather in that face brick before we could finish with the rubbed mortar. It was quite a job.”

Indeed. But the result is quite impressive.

“People can’t believe it’s the same house,” McCrea says. “We still have the same 3,800 square feet, but it feels so much bigger. It’s a lot of work, but we knew we couldn’t get this kind of location or acreage by building a new house. And Todd has been phenomenal to work with. He was always here, overseeing every detail of the project and his timelines were right on the money. He was always trying to make sure that we were on the same page.”

And according to Spillane that is the secret to any successful renovation.

“A major project like this can be very stressful for the homeowner – especially when they are living in the home while we do the work, like David and Stacee did. It’s my job to communicate well up front, and give the client a realistic look at the costs, the amount of time the project will take, and what they can expect along the way.”

McCrea agrees, noting that she is already making plans for the next project – a new master suite with updated bath and roomy walk-in closets.

“We’re going to take a little time off to enjoy what we’ve done so far, but we’ve already been talking to Todd about it, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.”