This attic-to-master-suite renovation stays true to the client’s green intentions without busting the budget.
PROJECT DETAILS
> Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
> Builder: owners Matt and Chris Massman
> Architect: Greg Kraus, Otogawa- Anschel Design-Build, Minneapolis www.
otogawa-anschel.com
Greg Kraus, a project designer with the firm Otogawa-Anschel Design-Build in Minneapolis, Minn., says he’s got a simple rule of thumb for dealing with clients, which often pays big dividends in the long run.
“I always say to them, “Tell me what you consider to be your reachable dreams and what you consider to be unreachable dreams,’” Kraus says. “I think it’s easier to take a big idea and focus it down and make it fit the client’s budget than to approach it the other way around, where you’re constantly trying to fit a new element in.”
“Making a list of everything they might possibly want not only helps you go through and decide on priorities, but it also gives you the flexibility to say, “Hey, while I was doing the design, I realized we have a great space for those books you said are languishing in boxes in the basement,’“ Kraus explains.
When Kraus met Matt and Chris Massman, the couple pointed him to their largely unfinished and drafty attic and asked him to design a master suite with a bathroom, a good-sized closet, and a decent home office, while leaving room for storage and a possible second bedroom for guests. They also wanted to keep the entire space as wide open as possible. “The nice thing about working in Minneapolis is that people will call and say, “We want to do a remodeling project, and we want it to be green, and, oh, by the way, it’s a master bedroom or a kitchen or whatever,” Kraus says.
“Selling green isn’t the challenge our founder Michael Anschel has done a wonderful job promoting here in the Twin Cities and across the country as well. Sometimes the biggest challenge is finding green prod- ucts that fit the client’s budget,” he says.
To help meet the Massman’s budget, Otogawa-Anschel did the design, and the homeowners did most of the construction with the help of a local handyman.
The designer says he also relied a great deal on the reuse of material, including leftovers from a kitchen remodel the Massman’s had previously done themselves.
“They had salvaged some of the cabinets from the original kitchen, and we able to take a former pantry and convert it into a linen closet for the new bathroom,” Kraus says.
He reused the couple’s existing Douglas Fir floors, and spec’d recycled tile in the master bath.
“We also did open shelving, rather than closed cabinets, so that we could save on the amount of material used,” Kraus says. While the designer says he typically avoids using carpet in projects because it traps allergens and is often “in itself, a kind of nasty product,” he did use a little bit in this project, choosing a wool carpet with a natural backing and then tacking it down with a low-VOC adhesive.
“One of the things that helped us achieve our green goals was the openness the client wanted,” Kraus says. “Keeping the space open allows natural light to flow through the space and reduces the need for artificial light. At the same time, the space allows for a cross wind up there, creating a natural cooling effect in the summer.”
“Again, it was a matter of being green, but also doing it within budget constraints” he continues. “So what you have in a case like that is a challenge to be creative about manipulating the existing space.”
In creating the office area, Kraus removed the existing dropped ceiling and then wrapped the structural posts running from floor to ceiling with recycled Douglas Fir, which creates the illusion that the rooms are separated by big, heavy timbers.
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