Posted: Sun, 20 Jun 2010 09:33 PM - 8,013 Readers
By: Andrea Abel
Austin builder Christian Bingham witnessed one too many torn-down houses in his hometown. With an eye toward innovation, Bingham intends to change that trend and turn the traditional notion of home renovation on its head. Or, in this case, up in the air.
For his latest project Bingham lifted an original one-story bungalow and built below it, creating a two-story home.
Bingham encountered more than a few skeptics when he revealed his plans. The property he purchased at 702 Meriden Lane in the Deep Eddy neighborhood — located between Lake Austin Boulevard, MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1), Enfield Road and Exposition Boulevard — sported an 850-square-foot, 1930s bungalow. The house had previously been moved onto the property and was supported by cinder blocks.
Bingham purchased the property in December 2008 and says the house was in really good shape.
"It didn't make any sense to build on top of it since it still had a very good roof," he says. "I liked the features. It's got 9-foot ceilings.It has original hardwood floors. It's got all the little details.
"If I moved it off or sold it, I ended up with a really expensive lot. And, I liked (the house)," Bingham says.
"I spent about six months figuring out what I was going to do with it," he says.
Then, the idea came to him. Rather than the "traditional" concept of building out or adding a second story, Bingham proposed lifting the original bungalow and adding a first-story below it. In the process, he could install a pier-and-beam foundation capable of supporting two stories. Architect Lou Kimball collaborated with Bingham on the project.
Bingham's biggest challenge was to persuade the house lifters to take on the project.
"They'd never lifted a house this tall before," Bingham says. "They didn't want to, but, they came around. And I promised them that it would only be in the air two weeks, and I'd build the first story underneath it."
In a span of six hours, the 40,000-pound house went up about 13 feet.
"We reinforced the existing house with steel beams, which are still in the house to reinforce them," Bingham says.
At first, Kimball and Bingham considered inserting two prefab modules to create the first floor — a process that could be completed in a day. That plan did not come to fruition.
"I couldn't find a company that would build the modules like I wanted," Bingham says, " I did finally find a company, but they weren't licensed to deliver in Texas."
In 13 days, the foundation was built and the first story framed.
"We picked (the house) up only about 2 inches taller than it was going to be. So, we built almost right to it. When they let it back down, it was rather anticlimactic," he says.
Bingham, who has been in the construction industry for 15 years, created a blog to chronicle the house's amazing upward journey (www.squarehousebuilding.com/blog).
"The way the roofs worked out, I only moved one wall about a foot (on the second story). All the rest of the walls stayed intact. The (old) kitchen became the stairwell exactly, and I added closets upstairs. We rearranged the doors. Except for that one wall, everything else stayed the same," he says, noting that he also preserved the longleaf pine floors.
Bingham retained original details such as the barge rafters and rafter tails on the original house and mimicked many of the same features on the addition. He repurposed original doors and handles throughout the house wherever possible.
While Bingham respected the original vibe, the home also features all the modern conveniences of new construction, including a number of green-building features. The house sports double-pane low-E windows; tankless water heaters; a 16 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio; 13 is minimum), dual-zone, high-efficiency air-conditioner unit and a furnace with a 90 percent annual fuel-efficiency rating; and ample insulation throughout.
The result is an open, airy 2,280-square-foot home with four bedrooms and 21/2 bathrooms that maintains enough of its original character to create a vintage-inspired yet contemporary home.
Bingham's wife, furniture designer Sheri Bingham, selected a color palette of green, blue and gray throughout. The kitchen boasts ample cabinetry, a large island with a stainless steel vent hood, and a nifty walk-in pantry with storage space created under the staircase. A roomy dining area capable of housing a 9-foot table adjoins the kitchen.
Bingham created a sunny, compact home office that faces the front porch. The office, replete with built-in work spaces and bookshelves, offers pocket doors that allow it to be closed off from the expansive living area when entertaining.
The spacious master suite sits at the back of the first floor. Floor-to-ceiling folding glass doors open from the bedroom to a large covered porch.
A utility room and half-bathroom complete the first floor.
Climbing the staircase, the transition from new house to old is seamless. Three bedrooms open to the generous landing space. The former front porch now serves as a second-story porch accessible from one of the bedrooms where Bingham points out views of the University of Texas Tower and the state Capitol. A full bathroom with shower and commode separate from the vanity area has a contemporary yet warm, industrial feel.
Eight days after Bingham put the home on the market for $675,000, attorney Kris Algert placed a contract on the property in early May. She immediately fell in love with the house, the neighborhood and location and the story of the home's journey. Bingham's informative blog about his vision and the home's transformation sealed the deal, Algert says.
"I was so intrigued with the whole story," she says. "I loved the idea of how they reused or repurposed the house that was on the property."
Algert is set to close on the purchase Monday. An avid runner and athlete, she adds, "I loved the location and loved being close to the lake."
"To me, it's the best of both worlds," says Algert, who has lived in Tarrytown and in the Northwest Hills area. "So many of the houses we looked at were cute, but they really were old. Being single, I don't want to tackle house repairs. I didn't want to remodel something. I really wanted to get into something that was new. I didn't have huge hopes of being able to do that.
"This really fit me perfectly," she says. "It's really perfect, and I think he did a good job of making it fit into the neighborhood."
