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Houzz Tour: Schoolhouse-Turned-Home in Chicago
A family of seven settles into a dream modern-industrial home that reflects both their green philosophy and their fun, casual lifestyle
Imagine turning a schoolhouse that's more than a century old into a modern-industrial home — exactly what principal architect Jeff Goulette and general contractors Chris and Roc Roney had to do when their clients approached them to renovate their house, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. Goulette's clients had a specific vision in mind: They wanted a house with a modern interior that blended with the old building and had many green features. And they wanted to stay within a modest budget.
"Any other purchaser of this property probably would've torn down the existing structure. But our clients were adamant about teaching their five kids the benefits of environmental responsibility and working with what they had — beginning with the way they lived in their home," says Goulette. The result is an innovative and sustainable space filled with colorful and functional details.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their five kids
Location: Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago
Size: 8,500 square feet; 6 bedrooms, 2.5 baths
That's interesting: A mill shop was set up onsite to expedite the repurposing of wood beams, planks, columns and floor joists.
"Any other purchaser of this property probably would've torn down the existing structure. But our clients were adamant about teaching their five kids the benefits of environmental responsibility and working with what they had — beginning with the way they lived in their home," says Goulette. The result is an innovative and sustainable space filled with colorful and functional details.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their five kids
Location: Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago
Size: 8,500 square feet; 6 bedrooms, 2.5 baths
That's interesting: A mill shop was set up onsite to expedite the repurposing of wood beams, planks, columns and floor joists.
| A home with five school-age children has to work hard for the family, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the study area. Industrial-chic metal chairs sit side by side fronting the homework desk area, lit by task lighting, natural light from surrounding windows and dropped bulb lighting. There's plenty of storage space for papers, books and art supplies, plus elbow room for each child to sit comfortably. Goulette and his team retained and exposed the existing interior timber floor joists that had been covered by plaster and drywall for more than a century. They also salvaged many of the wood joists in the basement and roof, turning them into new finished flooring planks, countertops, benches and ceiling treatments. Desk: James R. Clum Custom Cabinetry |
| Anyone who has lived through a Chicago winter knows how dependent the entire city is on fossil fuels to battle temperature extremes — but not this home. Using a geothermal system, the structure was engineered to draw on the consistent ground temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit from wells dug 600 feet deep to efficiently heat and cool the interior. |
| Lincoln Park is filled with newly constructed homes, and according to Goulette, others with different priorities would've torn down the brick-clad structure and started anew. "Our clients have five school-age children, so they really wanted the home to be fun, functional and educational from the get-go," says Goulette. Floor cushions customized to form a casual sectional provide a gathering space that's right outside of the kids' rooms, marked by the sliding barn doors. |
"It may sound intuitive to provide natural light to any home, but city homes are especially difficult to manage in this respect due to the proximity of neighboring buildings that block sunlight," says Goulette. His team's solution was to install nine skylights, strategically placed to saturate dark portions of the house with sunlight.
No matter what the weather's like outside, the master tub is always drenched in plenty of light. Goulette inserted a floating shelf between the wall's wood panels, minimizing interruption of the sight line.
The live-edge kitchen countertop gives gorgeous, unexpected curves to a space that's filled with sharp edges and angles. Frameless cabinets blend seamlessly into the warm wood interiors.
| Here's another perspective of the kitchen, which shows how much cabinetry and storage space is available. The windows on the left show just how close the next building is to this house, underscoring the importance of the strategically placed skylights and ambient lighting. |
| Right outside of the kitchen is a semicovered patio that's veiled by a nearby tree's canopy and orange shade sails, giving the kids a place to play within view from the inside. |
Goulette used salvaged wood caps on colorfully painted drywall walls, adding brightness and splashes of color to an artfully composed stair atrium.
Installations: custom by SGW Architects
Installations: custom by SGW Architects
A well-lit mudroom with ample storage and two benches makes a great place for this large family to start and end their day.
| The library's casual and mismatched display of books on the floor, kids' artwork and prints signals that this reading area doesn't take itself too seriously — perfect for a house full of kids. |
| Solar lighting tubes weave through the architecture of the music room and other parts of the second floor. "This family uses very few electrical lights in the home during the day, which in the end saves on energy and utility costs," says Goulette. |
This laundry area has two washers and one dryer — a luxury for some but a necessity for this large family.
Drying racks: LeifHeit Telegant, 40 inches
Drying racks: LeifHeit Telegant, 40 inches
Splashes of color from exposed ducts, towels, kids' artwork and a tiled accent wall enliven the children's bathroom.
A trio of globes dangles next to each side of the bed, near spiral bedposts, contrasting with the various horizontal lines of the master bedroom; this fresh take on bedside lighting really softens up the room.
| Here's a different perspective of the master bedroom, showing the foot of the bed and window-side banquette — the perfect place for Mom and Dad to steal a quiet moment or watch the snow fall with their kids in the winter. |
Ideabook published on June 14, 2012.
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Great read, thanks :)
I congratulate the family that had the guts and where-with-all to take on this task of remodeling/repurposing this old schoolhouse with taste and love. For without caring love of old buildings we'd all end up in tacky boxes in the 'burbs.
Congratulations for a perfect rehab....this is something to be proud of for sure!
Green: compared to tearing it down (even if the bricks and lumber were recycled) and starting over ... definitely.
Is it oversized for the size of the family? Perhaps. Not all of that 8500 square feet is in usable floor space, as shown by the atrium, which was the old school's staircase. They also mentioned a basement ... repurposing old buildings doesn’t give you the luxury of designing for the smallest possible spaces.
And calling $2.5 million base building with a gut rehab and vast amounts of custom millwork "modest"...... well you don't have to be a "socialist" to cringe at that misuse of the word.
I don't understand how having three washer/dryers is less green than one. What we are saying then, is that washing your clothes sequentially (rather than all at once) is easier on the environment. Some may argue that it took more energy to build those "extra" appliances, but having one's washer get used three times as often means it will wear out that much faster and need replaced three times sooner, so no net savings there either.
This is definitely not a small house, but I also wonder if there's some unused basement and attic in that number too. Lincoln Park is not a cheap place to live but it is perfect if you work downtown or in a nearby neighborhood--you are paying for a quality of life to be there.
The things they did environmentally with their heating is just phenomenal.
Thanks so much to the family for sharing.
Somehow 2.5 baths for 7 people seems conservative. Especially in light of having 3 laundry washing systems (which could be using the new water systems).
I find this home (not just a house) warm, inviting, condusive to many activities at once. I find this home easy to live with. It is not my home and I could not afford it nor do I need it, being one not seven...but that is no reason to vilify this family.
And one last note...about the washers and dryers...come spring (or after a house full of company) I wish I had three of each! More power to this family. Now no one has to stay up half the night to get clothing washed and dried as I did when my three children were home. And those drying racks on the opposite wall from the machines...genius!
And in closing, there is a much larger renovated school in Garrett PA that is home to a couple without children and the wife's parents live in a renovated church in Shanksville PA! Yeah to repurposed buildings!
The laundry room is bright and close enough to the bedrooms for kids to help out. The drying racks work very well so that the clothes dryer is rarely used.
Floor, ceiling and roof joists, subfloor planking and wall studs were removed, cleaned and sorted so that the finished surfaces could be designed from the boards available. And so wide plank wood floors, treads and risers, counter tops, ceiling planes, wall panels, back splashes, niches and light shelves where assembled.