Step by Step: Ongoing Renovation Reflects Owners' Needs
By Cheri Ghan & Mary Dahm
Stroll into Dan and Mary Hooley's Southwest Columbia home and you're instantly taken with its welcoming charm. Built in the 1920s, this stately stucco home had lots of small rooms, a single bathroom upstairs and a sleeping porch - common to many homes in the neighborhood and time period. The house reflected many Arts and Crafts influences that created it, including broad planked doorways, and dark wood stain throughout.
 When they first bought the home in 1995, Dan and Mary knew they wanted to make some changes. They had used Kerry Bramon Remodeling and Design on their previous residence, and knew what to expect. "The KBRD people arrived the day we closed, and they were here the day we moved in," Dan says. In a month's time between closing and moving in, KBRD had rebuilt the downstairs hardwood floors, installed new water pipes, stripped woodwork, built a new mantel for the fireplace and repainted.
Remodeling in Stages
The Hooleys have worked in stages to transform their house into what they envision, each time with the help of the KBRD team. As one might imagine, not all the projects were large, but the Hooleys are happy that KBRD gives each project - no matter its size - the same care and attention. "One of the things that's nice about Kerry is that he is willing to do the small things," Dan notes.
 In 1996, they converted an upstairs sleeping porch into a three-season room - first in 1996 by building walls and installing windows, and then again in 2001 by adding insulation to the room and floor. KBRD also replaced a decorative window and rebuilt original storm doors.
By far, the biggest project the Hooleys have done with KBRD has been their kitchen. In 1996, the couple added a bay window to create a more spacious breakfast nook. Additionally, the removal of a small partition wall between the nook and prep areas opened up the kitchen space (see Floorplan B, below). The Hooleys worked with in-house designer Angela Holloway to re-work the existing space with the aid of computer-assisted design. They were able to visualize the changes before any construction began. "We could see things from different angles and see what it was going to look like from the outside," Dan says, noting that the computer was especially helpful when evaluating different window styles and sizes.
In 2004, the kitchen was doubled in size by the removal of a dividing wall between the existing dining room and breakfast nook. "We didn't even think of taking the wall out initially," Mary said. "But then we thought we could get about seven inches more if we did have it out. Now it's so much better than 'seven more inches.' It's fantastic having it so open."
Throughout the entire process, Holloway was mindful of maintaining the home's history and architectural feel. "We worked really hard to keep the wood continuous. They had a specific look in mind for the kitchen that we focused on," Holloway said. New custom cabinets with pull-out drawers, a built-in lazy Susan, and butcher block countertops help to modernize the space, while the kitchen's wood floors tie the overall look together and maintain its historical integrity.
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