Project Profile: Sonneville Home Addition

Legacy Builders Group first met Steve and Nancy Sonneville at the Home and Garden show while they were in the process of searching for and interviewing contractors for their home addition and renovation. Steve and Nancy knew of Legacy Builders Group’s solid reputation from other work the company had completed in the area. Bill sat down with Steve and Nancy to learn more about their needs and goal and shared Legacy’s Design-Build Planning Process with the couple.

“We have a lot of holiday family events at our home and we needed more room for large gatherings.  Also, the northern exposure of our existing family room often left the house dark and dreary, even on a sunny day.  Our kitchen was old and dated and needed a better layout,” said Nancy Sonneville.

After the initial meeting, LBG presented the Sonnevilles with preliminary designs, a project concept with a potential budget range and a design agreement.  Once the design agreement was initiated, LBG began the design development.  For this project, Legacy Builders Group matched up one of its architects, Russ Moody, to join the project team. Once the home owners reviewed the designs, the team fine-tuned the plan, developed and finalized the design.

“The planning process was very thorough.  The architect provides several options for our consideration and we were pleased with the creativity he applied.  The cost was first estimated in a range and then refined and narrowed until we had a good understanding of the project cost.  Once the plan was selected, the decisions we needed to make were clearly documented along with the timing for each decision,” reported the Sonnevilles.

The full project included updates to the kitchen and living room as well as the addition of a screened porch and outdoor living space. The existing kitchen was very dated, tired and worn out and on the small side. It no longer met the owner’s needs. Part of the addition was an expansion to the rear of the home to increase the overall size of the kitchen.  A larger island with prep sink was added to make the space more conducive to the Sonnevilles’ cooking style and entertaining preferences. LBG’s plan also included custom hutch-style cabinetry designed to showcase family heirlooms.

It’s also not uncommon to find a house full of people at the Sonneville residence as they love to entertain, enjoy large family gatherings, hanging out and playing games together. Another part of the addition was a larger living room (or sunroom) with a lot of natural light flowing into it. This area was designed with a tray ceiling and increased ceiling height to provide a nice open feel. This space was adjacent to an existing family room and the new kitchen. All the spaces were designed to be open and supportive of one another.

“As a project, the work went very well.  We knew what to expect and when things would be done.  We were able to communicate with all of the craftsmen and construction workers as questions or issues came up,” said Steve. “The project remained mostly on schedule, even though the bulk of the work happened during the cold winter months.  We were not surprised by any escalating costs.”

A screened porch was added off the rear of the new living room addition with wood ceilings, ceiling fan, recessed can lighting and a unique tile design in the floor make this a very cozy room. LBG also created a unique outdoor living space for the family with a stamped concrete patio and a raised garden wall to accommodate Nancy’s love of gardening.

“The new porch has become ‘the place to be’ for casual meals during the seasonal months.  We are thrilled with the curved raised planter box that outlines the new patio.  This allows Nancy to garden without getting down on the ground.  Without exception, visitors to our home are amazed with the layout and beauty of the remodeling work,” said Steve.

“It was an absolute pleasure working with Steve and Nancy,” said Bill Haussler. “We had a lot of fun in our design and planning meetings as we collectively worked to land on a design that fit their needs. Our production team was very fond of working with the Sonneville’s as they showed patience during difficult times and always showed respect and valued our production team. We are grateful for the opportunity to have gotten to know Steve and Nancy.  We hope they create many family memories in their newly remodeled space and we look forward to working with them again to remodel their second floor bathrooms. “