Scott Willoughby Design Build Recent Projects:

Home & Kitchen Modernization

Goal: Enlarge and modernize the central portion of the home with a vaulted ceiling that blends into a new kitchen addition. Our client wanted to modernize and increase the size of the main central section of their single-storey home, and add a spacious new kitchen, eating nook and work space. The project required significant engineering and design work to achieve the vaulted ceiling from the existing eight foot ceiling height. We re-built 14 roof trusses across the middle of the home to create the vaulted profile. The 450 square foot addition was designed to blend its taller ten foot ceiling into the new vaulted ceiling without appearing as an obvious addition or seem out of place. Within the new kitchen we created a central island with a gas range, wine cooler, microwave and an overhead range hood. On the family room side of the island we built a taller dining bar level. The overall effect of the project is a central space within the home that gives a much larger feel and more open floorplan and use of space, while remaining intimate and comfortable for friends and family.

70's style kitchen update and remodel project.

Goal: Change the ceiling over the kitchen to a vaulted ceiling matching the rest of the house. This project required a significant amount of engineering to re-fabricate the roof trusses over the kitchen so that the interior ceiling slope matched the existing ceiling over the adjoining living room. We essentially rebuilt the inside of the roof over the kitchen and the end wall to conform to newer building code requirements on strength and shear integrity. The result was a gorgeous new kitchen with stainless appliances, a lot of detail in the lighting and back-splash tile-work, new cabinets, new tile flooring, and an open island with the cooktop placed in it. The resulting area of the house now has a lot of "wow" factor to it as the homeowner can entertain formally and informally throughout the area which incorporated the formal dining area, family eating nook, and central living room spaces.

Backyard Deck

Goal: Build a new composite deck along a curved pool that adds substantial recreational space to the back yard patio. This challenging project involved soils engineering and testing to substantiate our proposal to create a deck that merged flush with the existing curved pool deck. Over twenty concrete piers were formed and poured to support the new deck on compacted soils that dropped away from the existing pool that had been built several years before. Using all Pressure-Treated framing and structural materials beneath the decking, we fabricated a curved ledger that allowed us to join the new deck to the concrete pool deck, provide support for the new cantilevered deck, and create enough height to allow access to the pool equipment underneath. The end result is a beautiful three-level deck with built in low-voltage lighting that appears to simply "grow" outwards from the concrete pool deck, and gives the homeowner and their family a whole new recreational and entertaining space for their home.

1,000 square foot deck with large UV blocking sun shade.

Goal: to create a level, wheelchair accessible deck that could handle large family gatherings. The home is situated on a gently sloping property that was higher than the home in the back where the deck was to be installed. My solution was to excavate a significant amount of soil in order to create retaining walls to support and deflect runoff from the deck structure. Additionally the homeowner had a problem with runoff in the winter soaking the ground next to their foundation. I constructed the retaining walls to create a patio next to their house, with French drains and culverts within it to take the runoff away from the area. The result was a huge beautiful deck and UV protective sunshade structure, that could be wheelchair accessible from the ground outside and the home, all one level. The resulting deck appears to "float" into the sloping property and yet is protected from the seasonal high amount of runoff.

Cleverly designed kitchen remodel in smaller home.

Goal: increase the size of the kitchen by adding a formal dining room and taking down a wall. The 1940's vintage home had been constructed with several small bedrooms, one of which was adjoining the small corner kitchen. I suggested removing the wall and creating one larger kitchen and dining room area separated by a granite peninsula. I re-engineered the older-style constructed ceiling by adding an engineered beam across the new opening, taking the loads from the roof through it to the ground. This was a significant amount of work to design and produce within modern building code requirements, but resulted in a nice natural-feeling open space. The kitchen was finished with granite counters, new cabinets, built-in appliances, and a stylish tile back-splash throughout. The result is a kitchen that reflects the owners contemporary tastes and their flair for entertaining in style.

Upgrade and enhance the appeal of a basic home interior.

Goal: upgrade and enhance the appeal of a basic home interior for sale by the client. The homeowner approached me to assist him in preparing his home for sale. The home was constructed in the early 1980's and had the look and feel from that period; low ceilings in the kitchen area, a lot of corners and walls that created a claustrophobic feel, a dining area that was too small, and outdated kitchen cabinets and appliances. The home lacked a sophisticated master bathroom as well, and the guest bedroom and adjoining bathroom were outdated and worn. I suggested new flooring of Travertine tiles, and to freshen the appearance of the fireplace by tiling it with tumbled Travertine as well. The kitchen was opened up and the wall removed between it and the dining room. In the master suite, I added a walk-in shower stall and a spa tub all tiled with new Italian porcelain tile. The result was a home that was very competitive on the real estate market and closed quickly.

Update and lighten two small guest bathrooms.

Goal: update and lighten two small guest bathrooms by adding windows and all new fixtures and tile. The client desired to make her bathrooms as well-appointed as the rest of the home by modernizing the design of them and replacing all the flooring and shower walls and surrounds. I suggested glass block windows that added privacy and let a lot of light into the rooms. I also fabricated a custom vanity for one of the bathrooms and installed blue pearl granite counters in both. New faucets, fixtures, bars, lighting and fans completed the upgrade project. The result was two bathrooms that guests, children and relatives can get a lot of comfortable use from.