Frat house becoming luxury home

Our former fraternity house project is getting really fun. When we last checked in, the home was taking shape with drywall. Now crews are working on interior and exterior finishes, and the house's character is really coming through.

The design theme for this project could be characterized as "Italian Villa." When doing a project like this one, it is important to choose a design theme early and consistently carry it through from the outside finishes to the inside details. It is also important to establish a realistic budget in accordance with your theme. You don't want to get to the finish stage — where the design really comes together — and be disappointed in the final outcome because you ran out of money before you ran out of work!

We are about four to six weeks away from completion on this project. New windows have been installed and the roof is finished. Because this house is more than 80 years old, workers removed the original roofing materials and several layers of old shingles. New plywood sheathing was installed over the roof structure and new architectural-grade shingles were applied. The edges (fascia) and the underside (soffit) of the roof need to be finished, and new rain gutters will be installed.

A new exterior finish is also being applied. The original house was stucco, but the new portion technically is not. The new coating is called "exterior finish insulating systems" or EIFS. This is a system of several layers of synthetic stucco applied over foam insulation. The color is blended into the last coat, not just painted on top, providing a maintenance-free exterior.

The garage and driveway are also finished, along with the wall around the yard. Landscaping was installed around the perimeter so it could get a good foothold before winter set in.

On the inside, the attention is on wood trim and flooring. Following the design theme, rounded corners on the walls simulate plaster, and we used natural materials, such as stone and wood, throughout.

The home will have generous baseboards, larger than the standard 4-inch height. These, along with the trim around the windows, will be stained. Knotty alder doors will also be stained, adding to the design theme. The crown molding at the ceiling is not actually wood, but a manufactured fiberboard. Since this will be painted rather than stained, it saves a little money without compromising the final look. The manufactured material actually has some advantages over wood, since an engineered material is more stable than a natural product.