OVERVIEW

They didn't want to move from their Sugar House Tudor home or change the exterior with a large addition.

Greg and Nadia Letey bought their Sugar House home for sentimental reasons. "Nadia's grandparents were the first owners of the home and raised Nadia's mother here," explains Greg. The Leteys also loved the location and appearance of the 1930s Tudor.

But there were drawbacks, including the fact that the home's 1,700 square feet of living space seemed cramped for the Leteys' growing family and two large dogs. Because of the couple's emotional ties to the home and location, they ruled out moving. And because they wanted to limit changes to the exterior appearance of their classic home, they also opted out of a major addition. Finally, finishing their shallow basement hardly seemed viable because its ceiling was only 6 1/2 feet high — barely enough clearance space for Greg's 6-foot frame.

THE SOLUTION
They decided to rebuild and enclose a breezeway between the house and garage, do a small addition to accommodate a new master suite and expand the kitchen, and remodel the interior of the main level to better entertain. They also excavated the basement 2 ½ feet to accommodate a family room, kitchenette, play room, laundry/craft room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. When all was said and done they more than doubled the square footage of the original home without noticeably altering the exterior.

The Letey family made their shallow basement usable by excavating it.

Nadia tells us that her family is thrilled with the way they preserved and enhanced her grandparent's home. Greg said they've had several family parties already and the space has accommodated everyone beautifully, but even more importantly he's thrilled with how livable the home is for their family on a day to day basis.