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Cass House, NY
Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 10:51 am
by Guest
Can you elaborate on the Cass House a little bit more?
You mention the FLWBC had access to the house for their Tour. I saw the house from the outside and it looks to be in restored condition. What happened on the inside?
I doubt the Staten Island house was
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 8:15 am
by rgrant
The original plan called for a small kitchen adjacent to a family room about the size of a roomy breakfast nook. I suspect they converted the entire space into a kitchen, which would amount to little more than a redefinition of the use of the family room space. It is probably restorable without much trouble if the remodelling was contained within the original footprint of the house. The kitchens in the two other examples of this prefab that I have seen have both been altered without any damage to the architectural integrity. The bath is much the same thing. I don't understand why people like immense bathrooms, but they do, and FLW's baths tended to be minimal. (Remember that even Heurtley converted one of the bedrooms into a "period" bath room.) I would not criticize the owners for making this alteration, either.
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 1:15 pm
by Guest
I disagree. While they are at it, maybe they should also enclose the carport so it functions as a garage too.
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 2:00 pm
by rgrant
Enclosing the carport would constitute an alteration to the design of the house. If, instead of a few chairs and tables about a tiny family room, the undersized kitchen is expanded to function more efficiently, there is no ateration to the layout or any significant change to the finish. Changing the bedroom into a bath may be stretching it a bit, especially if it involved altering the fenestration, but carefully done, it could work without any serious consequences.
Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2005 11:54 pm
by av8r1
I too agree with RGrant. With FLW you get carport. One should learn to live with them if FLW homes float your boat. As far as kitchen/familyroom mods go, the J.Kibben Ingalls house in River Forest, Illinois is proof that mods can be performed correctly. The new updated kitchen/family room are not within the the original foot print of the home. However, the addition conforms to the original language and design intention of the 1909 home.
Pdean
Dallas Tx.