Paul Residence - The ANT Group

Paul Residence Part I: July 2017

Project Objectives

The Paul residence, located in Orange, CA, was built in the 1960’s but never had any work done to it. The goals for this project include updating the home in the Craftsman style with modern amenities that make living comfortable for the newlywed owners now in their 50’s. We’ve also been tasked to create spaces for entertaining and for where their children and grandchildren can stay and visit. The Pauls had some innovative ideas about how they wanted to reconfigure the four-bedroom space upstairs to accommodate family, as well as for a front porch that was inviting for neighborly visits, and an open entertaining area in the back of the house by the pool. As of this publishing in July 2017, the project is under construction.

The home is to include:

Large, enhanced master bedroom upstairs
Upstairs bunk room and a loft
A downstairs home office that could later be converted to the master bedroom
Large kitchen with custom cabinetry
Great room facing the front yard
Front stained glass window
3-car garage with a space where the owner could work on his cars
Outside covered patio near the pool
Outside play area for their grandchildren

Project Objectives

The Paul residence, located in Orange, CA, was built in the 1960’s but never had any work done to it. The goals for this project include updating the home in the Craftsman style with modern amenities that make living comfortable for the newlywed owners. We’ve also been tasked to create spaces for entertaining and lodging their children and grandchildren when visiting. The Pauls had some innovative ideas about how they wanted to reconfigure the four-bedroom space upstairs to accommodate family, as well as for a front porch that was inviting for neighborly visits, and an open entertaining area in the back of the house by the pool. As of this publishing in July 2017, the project is under construction.

The home is to include:

Large, enhanced master bedroom suite upstairs
Oversized bunk room and a loft upstairs
A home office that could later be converted to the master bedroom downstairs
Large kitchen with custom cabinetry
Great room facing the front yard
Outdoor covered patio near the pool
Outdoor play area for their grandchildren
3-car garage with exterior space where the owner can work on his cars
Custom front stained glass window

Challenges

There were several challenges facing this project, including:

Obtrusive roof: The home’s appearance was dominated by an enormous roof. It was so large and intrusive that it not only dominated the look of the house, but also made the internal rooms smaller than they needed to be.
Odd laundry: The laundry room was inconveniently located, oddly sized, and needed to be moved to create space for a home office.
Limited kitchen space: The home had a dining room the Pauls did not plan to use, and a very small kitchen. So the two rooms will need to be merged into a larger kitchen area, including a sizable island and new custom cabinets.
Crumbling outdoor living space: The outside of the house was in very bad shape. The yard was primarily dirt, the pool was cracked, and the back wall of the house was extremely large and disconcertingly flat. The plan includes fixing these exterior problems as well as adding an entertainment patio by the pool in the back yard and a play area for the grandchildren.

The ANT Group is a full service, one-stop shop and Jim goes above and beyond – he’s been the anchor throughout our project. The technology he uses helps us visualize our project so we can
make better decisions. If I had a DeLorean and a flux capacitor and could go back in time, I would hire Jim all over again!

– Scot & KelliJo Paul

Solutions

Every solution for this project was the result of excellent communications between the client and architect. I listened carefully to what the owners wanted—both form and function—and sketched out ideas to creatively meet their needs. My concepts were often met with instant approval—so much so that Mrs. Paul joked about wanting an MRI of my brain while I’m working so she could see what makes me tick.

On the first floor, we reworked the floor plan to better focus the square footage on the functions desired by the owners. This meant eliminating the dining room to offer more space to expand the kitchen and great room. This also included converting the laundry room into the Pauls’ home office. And because this is the last home the Pauls plan to occupy, they wanted the office designed in a way that would allow it to later become the new master bedroom (for when the Pauls get older and can no longer easily navigate the stairs).

In the enlarged kitchen, the Pauls asked The ANT Group for a custom designed furniture piece for the main island, including a 4’2” x 10’2” marble or granite single slab surface. The original subcontracted cabinet designer had a difficult time collaborating and working within the designated kitchen floor plan, so The ANT Group filled that role and provided a solution that met the Pauls needs and design aesthetics—and saved them nearly $40,000!

The greatest challenge, however, involved the roof. It was large, obtrusive and sloped so low that it minimized the space allowed for the bedrooms on the second floor. Despite the added costs, the owners agreed that the solution was to take off the existing roof and replace it with something more traditional.

Once the roof was resolved, we were able to combine three of the upstairs bedrooms to create a semi-private living area—composed of a bunkroom and loft living space—for the family to reside in when visiting. With the home located only 20 minutes from Disneyland, it made sense for the space to mimic an apartment so frequent and extended visits with children and grandchildren are more comfortable.

For the master bedroom, we pushed out the front of the house to create more space. This allowed us to add a proper master bath with a large shower, double sink, tub, walk-in closet, and a separate toilet room.

The Pauls have been so pleased with The ANT Group’s work on the remodel that they’ve now hired us to do the interior design for the home. They’re so happy, they even plan to incorporate The ANT Group’s logo into the customized stained glass window that will be placed in the front of the house, as well as into a bronze brick that will be laid into the front walkway! A clear demonstration of the value of clear and frequent two-way communication.

More Coming Soon: This Project is a Work in Progress!

As of July 2017, the Paul Residence is currently under construction. We plan to update the story as we progress, including more information about tools and technologies used on the project, overcoming construction challenges, and more!

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