When this young family came to us, they knew they needed more functional space, and their home was too compartmentalized for how they liked to live. They longed for a more open plan, and needed at least one additional bedroom.

But, when it turned out that the foundation of the house was crumbling and would have to be rebuilt no matter what the remodel entailed, we had to rethink the game plan. It turns out, rather than building up with a new story, the way to go was lifting the house, and converting the shallow basement into a bright, open, new finished floor.

With the house jacked up, the crew poured a new foundation underneath, then set the house back down some four feet higher than it had rested before. Some simple regrading of the front yard created a walk-out front entry. Moving the kitchen, dining room, living room, office nook, and powder room to the new ground floor meant there was plenty of room on the former first floor for the bedrooms the family needed. Plus, with the main living spaces at the ground level, there is finally an easy link between the indoor and outdoor spaces.