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Comfortable established on country property overlooking Orlando’s Lake Hart, this newly constructed craftsman style home could easily pass for a bungalow built several decades ago. Desiring “something rustic” to remind them of their Midwest roots, the owners were attracted to the unpretentious style of the craftsman design.
What makes the 2,300 square foot an undeniable success is how it tastefully blends in with its country environment. Inside and out, the home constructed by PSG Construction, Inc. and custom designed by Lucia Custom Home Designers, Inc., features characteristics associated with the craftsman style particularly popular in the 30’s and 40’s. “This plan works extremely well on the country property because the home consists of ‘earthy’ details like stone and wood that are so natural in a country setting,” Paul Gidus of PSG Construction says.
The three bedroom, three bath home includes a great room, eat-in kitchen, sunroom, two bedrooms with an optional fourth bedroom/bonus room. All the features of a thoroughly modern floor plan are cleverly mixed with craftsman characteristics. As a result, it possesses an inviting appeal that sometimes escapes larger, more pretentious designs. The owners describe their new home as one giving them a “really warm feeling.”
“The key to designing a period home is recreating the warmth and comfortable feeling of a house that’s been there forever,” Jim Lucia of Lucia Custom Home Designers explains. This may explain the rekindled interest in the craftsman home as more and more people desire to experience genuine comfort and informality in their homes.
Exterior craftsman details on the home include fish scale siding, cultured stone, stucco and wood finishes. A recessed porch, open rafter tails and tapered-box columns contribute to the elevation’s character. Unique to the exterior finish is an iron screen door custom designed to match the mahogany front door. The overall effect is an almost ‘snug’ look-typical of the craftsman bungalow.
Thanks to good design that addresses contemporary lifestyles, the 2,300 square foot home appears more spacious inside. The Voluminous 19′ open foyer, and open floor plan connecting the great room and eat-in kitchen, and balconies overlooking the great room make the home actually seem much larger. Special craftsman details inside are an oak staircase, stained wood trim, wood floors with inlaid tile, and tapered square columns of stained wood. A highlight is the furniture-grade built in entertainment center/bookcase surrounding the fire place. An authentic barn beam serves as the mantle. Constructed of stone and wood the entertainment center/bookcase repeats architectural features of the craftsman period. Maple-tone trim throughout the house and columns in the living areas lend to the home’s comfortable personality.
Part of the project’s overall success rested on how the actual construction was carried out. Paul explains, “I think PSG Construction brought a great deal of knowledge to this project. We’re recognized for our work as renovation specialists.” But Paul believes it was this very expertise that gave them the edge in successfully building the new home. “Our company is well-versed in properly researching finishes, details and fixtures in order to accurately match them in remodeling projects. The ability greatly contributed to the success of the project. We were also able to bring in all of the right subcontractors and suppliers to execute this design,” Paul says.
With just the right mix of nostalgia and modern comforts, the newly constructed home offers the owners the best of both past and present…perfectly.
