Qualified Remodeler Magazine

MAY 2017

Qualified Remodeler helps independent remodeling firms to survive, become more professional and more profitable by providing must-have business information, namely best business practices, new product information and timely design ideas.

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fter their garage burned down, the own- ers of a home in Elm Grove, Wisconsin, wanted to build a bigger, attached struc- ture to accommodate their growing fam- ily. e original garage connected to the house through a covered breezeway and required people to climb several steps on each trip because the garage as well as the backyard resides on an elevation 2.5 feet higher than the home. "Luckily [the fire] didn't get all the way to house, so the owners started interviewing contractors from there to rebuild the garage," says Matt Retzak, project designer and coordinator for Bartelt. e Remodeling Resource, a full-service residential and commercial remodeling firm based in Delafield. "While that was happening, they wanted to check a bunch of other boxes off the list." e clients tasked Bartelt Remodeling with creating a true entryway, expanding the kitchen and establishing a second-story master suite in addition to constructing a new three-car garage. ey also sought to retain and enhance the original character of the home, which had been a barn until 1938 and exhibited rustic charm with features such as exposed wood beams and painted finishes. UPGRADED GARAGE e original garage had been a machine shed for the farm, but it encroached on the neighboring property, so Retzak aimed to situate the new garage within the lot lines. Although he plotted the structure about 10 feet farther from the property boundary, Bartelt Remodeling had to procure a building variance, nonetheless, before the company could begin construction on the new garage. "We wanted to make a three-car garage work rath- er than a two-car garage," Retzak says. "e site was challenging; there's a lot of topography. It drops off quickly. e garage is [elevated] and then you're taking five steps down to get to the main level of the whole rest of the house." Retzak designed a spacious mudroom to connect the garage with the home and help the family enter and leave the house more efficiently. e area includes custom lock- ers to stash coats and backpacks, which keeps the kitchen Bartelt transforms converted barn into modern farmhouse with reconstructed garage, kitchen and master suite. By Kyle Clapham A Before QualifiedRemodeler.com QR May 2017 25

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