Creative Remodel Embraces The “Quirkiness” Of Unique Historic Home

Wednesday, May 30th, 2018

In the late 1940’s, Chicago industrialist Carl Strandlund created nearly 3,000 “Lustron homes,” which were made of prefabricated porcelain enameled steel panels. The homes were designed in response to the housing crisis following WWII, and were shipped in pieces and assembled as kits around the country. The homes—ranging from about 700 to 1,140 square feet—were considered symbols of modern living and were meant to “defy weather, wear, and time.” One of those Lustron Homes remains on Cedar Hill in the Sequoyah Hills neighborhood of Knoxville.

When an architect and her husband relocated from Chicago to Knoxville several years ago they knew they wanted to find an architecturally unique home. “We were intrigued by the history of Lustron homes,” she said. “They were built in the late 40’s and there aren’t very many left, certainly not very many that have been well maintained. Many have fallen into disrepair, or homeowners have altered some of their defining elements by installing drywall over the metal panels on the interior and such. But thankfully, the previous owners over the years had taken good care of this one.” Once the homeowners had two children, however, their needs changed. While they appreciated the minimalism of the home, they also needed it to function more like a traditional home—yet they didn’t want to compromise the historical integrity of the Lustron home. Unsure of how to move forward, they decided to consult with home construction contractors.

“Everything we had in mind was very unique to the home, and it was important to me to find a contractor who was more than just a builder,” the homeowner said. “We wanted someone with a design background and an eye for details, who could understand why our vision was very important. We wanted to maintain the feel and historic character of the Lustron home but not be limited by it. We needed simple and modern, but nothing extravagant or overly traditional, like crown molding. This just required a different level of design and construction.” Special considerations included the porcelain-baked enamel panels inside the home. The panels can’t be repaired if you drill into them like drywall can, and you have to be very careful when removing any of the original components. “Working with the Lustron part of the home could not be about trial and error, which caused some hesitation for us in planning the renovations. I was concerned about finding a contractor who would be a great fit for this project.” she said. After talking with several contractors, the homeowners had a second meeting with Grant. “He came back with a sketch,” the homeowner said. “Contractors don’t usually sketch, but this showed us that he heard what I said and was able to visualize and draw it. That gave us a lot of confidence.”

The homeowners and Grant worked together to refine the layout, while realizing that there were some creative and structural challenges facing them. For example, previous homeowners had added a great room addition about 15 years ago, and the current homeowners wanted to raise the ceiling and bring light into that space as much as possible. They also wanted to add a master suite, yet somehow make the entire home—including the original Lustron house, the great room, and a master suite— feel continuous and integrated. The solution was to create a connecting glass hallway link, called a hyphen in architectural lingo, between the Lustron house and the new master suite, which helps preserves the historic integrity of the Lustron home. “We wanted a high ceiling in the connector,” the homeowner said, “but how to make it look right was tricky given all that was coming together at that point. We also didn’t know what would we would find when they pulled off some of the original panels, so that was an important piece for them to be able to have some freedom within construction.” The entire renovation was extensive, including:

Renovated kitchen
New laundry room
New vaulted ceiling in family room
Renovated bath in family room
Converted garage to craft room

Creative Remodel Embraces The “Quirkiness” Of Unique Historic Home

The master suite addition on the side of house includes:

Master bedroom
His/her closets
Master bath with tile shower/glass door
Separate toilet room

Now, the house is L-shaped, with the Lustron part of the home historically intact, and a great room and playroom on one end and the master suite on the other end. “We knew the project would be life changing,” said the homeowner. “The renovation touched almost every room in the house, but nothing was elaborate or excessive. The home now has great flow and function, and still has clean lines. We didn’t expand the footprint of kitchen but we got creative with using and reallocating the available space. Ashley has a great design eye and her experience with residential kitchens was a huge asset. People come in and think the kitchen is bigger than before but it isn’t.” “Sometimes it’s the most simple things we love, like the new sightlines in the house or the light,” she continued. “It feels like a brand new house. The transformation of the great room still amazes us. Nothing flowed together before but now the house has continuity, where before it was just a series of connected spaces.”

One of the family’s favorite elements of the remodel was something of a surprise. A decorative metal panel on the exterior needed to be removed to make way for a large window in the great room, but the homeowners didn’t want to put it on the addition or the Lustron portion of the home. Meanwhile, they had built a new fence to replace one taken down to make way for the addition, so Grant suggested using the decorative metal panel as a gate for the new fence. “It was such a creative way to use that metal panel. We have more of those metal pieces on the house so it made perfect sense to use it there. It was just another way he understood what we were trying to achieve and how we wanted to use the existing materials. So many people have stopped us to comment on how great the gate is. It was another way for us to embrace the quirkiness of the home.” Embracing the quirkiness turned out to be key to the success of this unique renovation project. The homeowners reflect that it was important to find a residential contractor who wasn’t going to use the same methods and techniques that they used on the last 10 houses they worked on. “It’s true that a contractor can make or break a project. Since doing the renovation I’ve heard many people say they used McCamy for this or that, and I’m always surprised because each of their houses are so different. I think that’s what makes McCamy so good—they truly care about your expectations and they care about how they deliver on those. They’re able to listen to your specific project needs and not be limited by the ‘usual way’ of doing things.”

Exterior Before

Exterior After

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Great Room Before

Great Room After

Creating unique solutions for each homeowner is what we pride ourselves on at McCamy Construction, and is the reason we’ve been consistently voted City View’s “Best of the Best.” We take pride in our work as we strive to make a difference in the Knoxville community. Whatever your dream may be for your home renovation or new home construction, we can build it. If you’re considering renovating or building a custom-designed home, we would love to meet with you. Schedule your consultation by filling out this form or give us a call at (865) 247-7068. And follow us on Facebook to see updates on other inspiring projects we’re working on!

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