Brekken's 1921 Heirloom Bungalow: Restoration Story

The McGlynns are the end of the road for a story filled restoration of the Brekken Bungalow. The scope and scale of what is possible with a classic bungalow is explored here, all three floors were dramatically detailed to modern times. The end result is cohesive of period classic and efficiency and finish of today. A sleeper from the curb, while her foundation size and scale is delighting the residents on all three floors.

This renovation story was completed by Todd & Jill Smith of Tangletown and designed by Deidre Webster. It was a case study of sorts, as to the depth of the rabbit hole of renovations that can be achieved with today’s building practices applied to a lath and plaster stick framed california bungalow.

Like all projects of this scale, the timing ran about 4-5 months past planned completion and several digits over budget, this is largely due to the commitment to product excellence on behalf of the developers, wanting to leave an end product that they themselves could reside within.

Brekken was secured in the fall of 2019, and work began that winter with demo, designing planning and permitting. Much of the original structure was assumed buildable for today’s code official, however the attic framing and roof trusses proved to be inadequate for the load and plans created for the upper level. Engineering was needed and 15-20 LVL beams were installed to carry roof load across the upper level and down through the walls to the footings below in basement. These crossroads decisions were met with decisiveness on the behalf of the Smiths, who took the high road on all surprises with trades and the building process.

Deidre Webster handled the mock-up drawings of the kitchen, owners suite level and basement, while urging the owners to keep the original elements of the home intact. Covid reared its venom in the way of lead times for materials, and tile factory shutdowns of the some of the custom kilned suppliers forced Deidre and the Smiths into some audibles, which they handled wonderfully.

The basement was one of the most striking turns in the project, three egress windows provided the light needed to make this sprawling cozy zone a light filled space. While modern HVAC gave the design plan the room to pack so much value below the ground- guest suite, media & game room, laundry & brooklynite bath to finish.

This original bath was preserved thanks to some magical coordination by Deidre Webster, our efforts in bath preservation seem to be paying off, which in turn will hopefully provide more impetense to future purveyors to celebrate the vintage//survivor bath, rather than building one from the trend of the moment.

These porch facing windows were moved to another spot in the house to accomodate for the entry door, which was relocated into this wall to create a proper front entry mudroom, and allow the great room more privacy from the curb, and eliminate the need to egress entry into the space.

The trades who commanded this project were steadfast and dedicated for the entire 9 month remodel. This photo below was one of the many discussions over altering the foyer entry point to the bungalow.

Closed cell foam is the only way to fly for 1/2 story remodels in Minnesota, they produce an airtight lid on the structure, improve structural rigidity and eliminate the prominent attic bypass issues that so many of these bungalows struggle with, no roof rake, no ice dams, no drafts, the trade off? Much more costly than your standard batting insulation.

The Brekken was unique in that it had original dormers, the one below became an french door walk-in that the McGlynns will be building to suit this winter. Anya Kordonowy our esteemed Chief of Staff provides scale for this original 1921 dormer.

This project like many, would not be possible without the guidance of our design team. Deidre did an amazing job working with the budget and constraints of the project managers to deliver a feel that suited the home and the Kingfield marketplace. Hats off to her and the Smiths for producing this storied turnaround of a forgotten classic.

Work in the Kitchen is not complete, as Raz & Chris are coordinating with our cabinet maker to build a skinny island for the space, Chris is a chef and the kitchen is a major collaborating and bonding space for the family, we will update the story as this amendment unfolds, in dark stained quarter-sawn oak of course!

Congrats to everyone involved in making this bungalow a beacon for what is possible with an old structure and modern design and construction. Congrats to Raz & Chris, and hopefully the Smiths are planning a ski trip to reward themselves for such an accomplished restoration.