AFTER PHOTOS

This project is a tear-down and rebuild. This 1960's ranch sits on a beautiful lot in Ann Arbor Hills. The house is poorly built and in disrepair including major problems with the foundation. Some things cannot be salvaged, and it
was best to tear it down and build a new custom home that would reflect the beauty and essence of the neighborhood.

December 2, 2011

This is the old house. Most of the disrepair is on the inside.

The new design drawing shows a Tudor styled home, brick and
stucco. More stately and a better fit for the neighborhood.

December 7, 2011

It is always amazing to realize that demolition takes so little time...

Step 1: Put the garage in the dumpster.

Step 2: Demolish the rest of the house.

Step 3: Clean up the mess.

December 23, 2011

The foundation has now been completely removed. The concrete
walls were broken-up on-site and used as a base for the new driveway.

And because not all surprises are good... upon digging we found a very high water table on the property. Here we are excavating into the
street to tap into the main storm drain line.

January 4, 2012

Don't let the small number of photos for this update fool you...
this was a major pain!!!

The new storm drain is run into the property, under the water main.

The drain tile is bedded in peastone, and a perforated drain tile is set along-side at the bottom of the trench, all to help drain the water away from the house.

January 12, 2012

but the water keeps on coming...

Further excavation in the basement in search of good soil (to no avail) yielded a major surprise... The poor soil conditions found under the basement, showed evidence of an ancient swamp/small lake bed in this area. The evidence, you ask? we found gray ‘marl’ type soils with small shells in it! 

We are undercutting the basement footings here, digging down to soil that can bear the house’s weight and then backfilling with stone, some areas as much as 6 feet.

January 16, 2012

Finally the bottom of the basement is being set– a level grade of stone.

Loading the final layer of crushed limestone, 
compacting the stone every 12 inches.

February 1, 2012

Concrete footings have been poured. Insulating blankets have been
removed with the temperatures hitting 50 degrees yesterday and
today. Form work for the basement walls are ready to be unloaded.

February 4, 2012

Form work for the basement walls being set up.
Nine foot tall basement walls are planned.

Foundation walls are all set. The perimeter drain tile is set at the outside of the footing, to drain away any water that collects on the basement walls.

February 10, 2012

The wood frame is a block-out for a basement egress window. The step-down at the top of the wall is a ledge for the exterior brick to bear on.

Now the waterproofing membrane is
seen on the outside of the foundation walls.

February 28, 2012

After the foundations were finished, framing of the first
floor began. Engineered “I” joists were used.

At this view, we’re looking at the rear of the house.
The window openings are in the sunroom and dining room.

Wall construction continues working its way around the house. These windows on the east side of the house will look out from the living room.

March 6, 2012

In the dining room, looking toward the living room.

Standing at the back of the kitchen, with the sunroom beyond.

Second floor construction has started.

Looking at the garage with the guest bedroom upstairs.

March 15, 2012

A time lapse video showing the last few weeks of framing.

March 23, 2012 

The attic trusses are being lifted into place.

Up inside the attic.

Looking down into the elevator shaft.

Roof sheathing is going up, and the roofs are taking shape.

April 1, 2012

Roof framing continues on the backside of the home.

Inside the living room. There will be a small vault
in this area when the project is finished.

The current front elevation.

April 26, 2012

We’re installing the roofing, most of which
will be an architectural asphalt shingle.

The prominent roof at the front will be
a metal roof as a strong accent piece.

May 9, 2012

Window are being installed throughout the house.

Some windows are a bit harder to reach than others.

Inside the dining room, looking toward the living room windows.

May 21, 2012

Metal roof installation on what will be the powder room.

The wood fireplace in the dining room. A second gas
fireplace was also installed in the family room.

May 28, 2012

A time lapse showing roof framing, sheathing, and shingles.

June 13, 2012

We dug this large trench to run the new sewer & water lines to the house.

Rough plumbing is being installed inside.

The stunning mahogany front door, with sidelites and transom.

and the side door near the living room.

June 22, 2012

The brick and stone is going up around the house.

All the outside corners are getting rough stone details.

A close-up of the brick and stone together.

June 30, 2012

A time lapse showing brick installation.

July 2, 2012

Interior arches have been built. This view is from
inside the kitchen, looking toward the hall and sunroom.

Looking from the living room, toward the dining room.

July 15, 2012

Brick is finished and the timbers have gone up. Next up is the stucco.

The rear elevation. The timbers will be painted a dark brown like the windows.

July 28, 2012

Exterior insulation has been installed in all the walls.

Work on the guts of the house is finished. Drywall will go
up next, followed by paint, trim, flooring and cabinetry.

August 24, 2012

Next up... focusing on the exterior.

Stucco is going up between the timbers.

On this elevation, the stucco has already been installed.

Here you can see the texture of the stucco. The trim boards will be
painted dark brown, creating good contrast with the stucco.

September 19, 2012

The timbers are being painted on the front elevation.

They are finished on the rear.

The side elevation, looking at the kitchen.

October 8, 2012

In preparation for the driveway, we graded the
area and installed a base of gravel.

Then we laid down a standard asphalt driveway.

October 16, 2012

Exterior nearing completion with landscaping and patio going in.

November 30, 2012

It’s been a year but the project is finished, both inside and out. Our clients are moving into their new home,  just in time for the holidays.

From a bland 1960's ranch to a gorgeous Tudor, this beautiful custom-build home now graces the corner of its Ann Arbor Hills neighborhood. 

First, the exterior; with brick, shingles and mahogany...

As beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside...