When
a couple is very discriminating about the home and neighborhood
in which they plan to raise their children, they will go to
great lengths to create the ideal home.
That's what Jeff and Alicia Sweeney did when they found an
existing home in an established neighborhood. "We wanted the
house we lived in to be the way we wanted it. We could have
built a new home, but the neighborhood was very important, too.
So we found an older home in a great neighborhood," Alicia
Sweeney explains. For Alicia, a risk management consultant, and
husband Jeff, a real estate executive, a great neighborhood
meant one that was quiet, consisted of close-knit families,
convenient, and centrally located. "[Rose Isle is] the ideal
neighborhood," Alicia says.
Jeff
and Alicia sought out PSG Construction because of several
referrals including one from Alicia's boss, George Smith,
President/CEO of Wharton-Smith, a large specialty contracting
firm. Smith had hired PSG to renovate his own home.
"For a contractor to be comfortable with another contractor
renovating his home says a lot," Alicia remarks. "From what we
had heard, we knew PSG would do it right and wouldn't cut
corners. We didn't want any hassles because we're so busy. What
we had in mind is what we got from PSG."
PSG
Construction teamed up with residential designer and president
of The Orlando Design Group, David Brauer, to create the kind of
home the Sweeneys were looking for. PSG gutted the entire
interior of the 1950's home, and bumped out the front and back
of the house to create additional square footage for a large
master suite and full third bathroom.
A
grander entrance and more expansive feel was what the couple
wanted, Brauer recalls. This was achieved by adding matching
columns in the foyer on the exterior of the house for a dramatic
entrance. "The ceilings were raised in the foyer, living room
and dining room for a more spacious feel. PSG used existing
framework to raise the ceiling and create a tray ceiling in the
living room. They reconstructed the roof in the family room and
living room with room with conventional framing to get a higher
tray ceiling.
"We
do a lot of entertaining and wanted a very open house," Alicia
says. "We wanted it to accommodate a lot of people. It turned
out exactly how we anticipated. The layout functions the way we
had hoped. We just had a gathering of thirty people and it
didn't seem like there were that many people because of the flow
and openness of the floor plan."
The
kitchen was expanded and updated, and an office was designed off
the living room to meet the needs of the two professionals.
Another requirement Jeff and Alicia had was to create large
secondary bedrooms.
"We
have one child now and plan on having another," relates Alicia.
"Our plans were to be in this house a long time and wanted the
bedroom space to accommodate teenagers. We also wanted a
bathroom large enough for two children to use."
The
two secondary bedrooms are spacious, equal in size, and share a
bathroom equipped with two medicine cabinets, two sinks, and two
drawer stacks.
Because Alicia says the family "always seem to have someone at
the house" or a function going on, the house was designed to be
very functional and maintainable. Tile floors create a sense of
spaciousness and function, while lending a Spanish feel
throughout the common living areas. An intricate inlaid tile
pattern prominently greets guests in the foyer.
Renovating older homes in soughtafter neighborhoods is a growing
trend with Central Floridians who are set on creating an
exclusive lifestyle for themselves.
PSG
SOURCES
Design - Orlando Design Group
Furniture - Shaelyn's Interiors
Cabinets - Artistic Kitchens
Windows - Kinco Windows
Wood trim - Residential Building Supply
Air conditioning - Standard Air Services
