Merger and acquisition
A facelift, addition and energy-saving features modernize a Palo Alto home

by Susan Golovin / photos by Paul Dyer

Barbara Elspas and Jason Rusoff moved into their circa 1961 Eichler-like home in 1989 when they got married. Then life took over and the remodel that they'd been contemplating for a long time didn't take place until recently.

"We wanted a bigger kitchen," Rusoff says. "We also wanted to button things up because it was really drafty and cold."

The new kitchen encompasses the space that was a covered breezeway. The once-flat roof is now a companion side of the "V" in the adjoining dining room. The top of the slope in the kitchen ceiling allowed for the addition of a bank of southwest-facing windows.

"We didn't touch the original pine ceilings," he says. However, they did darken the beams.

Black soapstone counters, maple cabinets and all new, stainless-steel appliances set the décor. A large island is a favorite place to eat. Rusoff says that they "sat on a lot of stools," before selecting the zebra wood models made by Slater Marinoff that are "just the right height."

The island is topped with environmentally friendly Plyboo (laminated bamboo plywood), an idea inspired by a cutting board the couple had always enjoyed. Under-counter, maple cabinets and shelves provide storage -- as does a nearby closet pantry with pull-out shelves.

The kitchen, dining room and living room are all open to one another and are united by a red oak floor.

"We really didn't want to replace the old floor, but we had to because we couldn't match the old one," Rusoff says. Part of the "buttoning up" included putting in all new Pozzi windows -- another reason, along with all new Douglas-fir doors, why the house looks unified.

Shallow display shelves work their way to the ceiling in the dining room. A deep red color on the wall behind them dramatizes the space and complements the cherry-wood drawers in the buffet. A triangular window that follows the roof line enhances the light brought in by the more traditional windows below it.

Pride of place in the living room goes to the newly re-surfaced burnt-orange fireplace surround where two of the six new remote-controlled skylights (one in the entry and one in each bathroom) are located.

A bathroom, shared by their two sons, was gutted, and then updated with green slate floor tiles and honed-slate counters with a recycled-glass tile backsplash. To provide room for a generous shower, a bathtub was eliminated, and the flat roof was pushed up.

The master bedroom now opens to the wraparound ipe wood deck, as does the kitchen. The master bath was enlarged by incorporating space that was once a covered patio. A wall covered with river rocks greets you as you walk in. "It comes in sheets, and the hard thing is the grouting," Rusoff says. A free-standing, narrow, oval tub sits in front of this wall. The skylit shower incorporates both honed (below) and shiny (above) re-cycled tiles.

The roof insulation and new solar panels have made a nice dent in their electric bills. "The hot tub (on the deck) was a mistake because it's so expensive to heat," Rusoff says. However, the deck with its long bench and slate (over poured concrete) water feature is a well-utilized area.

The landscaping is low upkeep: Japanese maples, olive trees, rock rose, ornamental cherry, bamboo, magnolias -- and plants that flower at different times of the year.

"Figuring out what the outside of the house should look like was a challenge," Rusoff says. This is because there were three surfaces -- the original, which consists of nubby, brown stucco and wood siding, and the addition. Ultimately, they decided against making the addition look the same. The new area is faced with a smooth, grey stucco.

Rusoff's only regret: "I wish we had done this a lot sooner."

Resources:
Architect: Gustave Carlson, Berkeley, 510-524-5181, e-mail: Gustave@gustavecarlsondesign.com

Contractor: Alex McComas, McComas Construction, Palo Alto, e-mail: alexmccomas@yahoo.com

Landscape design, contractor: Keith Armstrong, 802 Lakemuir Drive, Sunnyvale, 408-734-2344

Goal of project: Enlarge kitchen, modernize for aesthetics as well as energy conservation

Unexpected problems/hidden costs:Decided to enlarge bathroom after plans were approved; project slightly delayed

Year house built: 1961

Size of home, lot: Approximately 2,300 sq ft (added 300 sq ft)

Time to complete: 3-6 months planning; 6 months construction