Raising the roof

BOUNTIFUL — The Fergusons didn't know quite what to do. Their roof was leaking and the seven-member family was outgrowing its four-bedroom home.

But they didn't particularly want to leave their Bountiful neighborhood.

"We love the area that we are in," Craig Ferguson said. "We love our neighborhood and our neighbors. So when we looked at the possibility of building our roof, we knew we would probably get the itch and want to build a new home."

Rather than build in a new area, the family decided to add onto their 2,000-square-foot home. And with the help of professional architect Rod Mortensen, they came up with a plan that fit their style.

"We decided to add another whole floor," Ferguson said.

In May, Ferguson began tearing the roof and ceiling off of his 1963 international-style home. When finished, the home will have a new floor and 1,400 additional square feet to move around in.

"It's just a midsize normal home that now with the design elements, I think that when it's done it will be pretty nice," Ferguson said.

Mortensen helped the Fergusons design the addition, which will include a bedroom, master suite, bigger kitchen and living room. Ferguson said that his family will definitely have the space they needed.

"Even as the family goes away, the house and the space will be able to be utilized," Ferguson said. "We'll be able to have game rooms and family rooms."

He said that the addition has been designed for the future. As he and his wife get older, they could potentially live on one floor.

And Ferguson likes the fact that the home will keep its international style.

"Rod knows his stuff when it comes to remodels and style," Ferguson said.

Mortensen specializes in preservation architecture. He has designed thousands of projects since becoming a professional architect in 1987.

"It started out by just watching and seeing old buildings — neat old houses and the character," he said.

Mortensen said he also enjoys seeing what someone has done to a home in an attempt to fix it.

"It's a challenge," Mortensen said. "It's fun, especially when it's really messed up."

While other designers may relish the opportunity to tear a structure down and design something from scratch, Mortensen said he prefers the task of preserving buildings' histories. Preservation architecture, he said, allows him to look back and imagine what life would have been like when a home was originally built. He has helped many people re-create the original style of their homes.