Kerns-Leece Remodel

This project is a whole-house remodel to a ranch-style home in the Ferry Street Bridge neighborhood of Eugene that was originally built in 1953 and subsequently remodeled in the late 1990s.

The clients regularly host large family gatherings, and they wanted a comfortable place for their kids and grandkids to come together and hang out. In the old house the kitchen and dining room were separated from the living room, and the living room was separated from the backyard. They wanted to open everything up, have space for a large dining table, have the living room connected to the backyard, and especially wanted the kitchen to be a central, comfortable place to cook and entertain. Additionally, they wanted to upgrade their bathrooms and create more room in the garage to store and work on their large collection of bikes.

We swapped the dining and living room locations and expanded the footprint slightly so that the door from the garage opens directly into the house instead of the backyard. In the living room we added a large four-panel slider facing the backyard and just outside of it a large, covered patio with room for a grill, dining table and lots of comfortable seating. We expanded the kitchen footprint and added an island and large peninsula with seating to make it more functional and able to accommodate the large group that often gathers there. We added a 36” induction cooktop with custom hood, 42” refrigerator, two 30” wall ovens, and lots of storage for food and wine and dishes and gadgets, and we did it in such a way that even with a group of cooks and onlookers it is easy to work in.

We reconfigured the guest bath to provide more closet space in the primary bedroom and completely upgraded all the finishes and fixtures. In the primary bath we replaced the large built-in tub with an elegant freestanding one, installed a tile shower where the fiberglass unit was, replaced the vanity and linen cabinets and all the fixtures, and replaced the wood floor with tile. We widened the entry to make it more inviting, and in the garage, we added a small ‘bike shop’ where the clients can store and work on their array of bikes for both big and little people.

Now the clients have a home that is not only comfortable for them but also comfortable for their large, wonderful family.