Home of the Month: Edina split-level, a tempting teardown target, is instead transformed

A 55-year-old house in Edina could easily have become another teardown statistic. Instead, it was reborn for the 21st century.

Homeowners Dorene and Alan Wernke considered themselves lucky when they found just the right renovation candidate — an older home in solid condition, located in a walkable and transit-friendly neighborhood.

In 2013, the empty-nesters were downsizing from a large house in Hopkins surrounded by 2 acres of land. They were hoping for less yard work and more time to walk to shopping and restaurants.

"We really wanted to find a house that we could renovate," said Dorene. "Not tear down and start over."

"And it would have to have a more modest footprint to reduce energy costs," added Alan.

After scrutinizing 20-plus homes, they brought along architect Bob Ganser, who was working at CityDeskStudio at the time and is now on staff at MSR Design in Minneapolis. The Wernkes had met Ganser at a Homes by Architects tour and sought his design expertise — and blessing.

When the Wernkes and Ganser stepped inside the door, they all had a good feeling about the 1958 four-level split on a quirky corner lot in Edina.

Alan spied an old wooden deck on the back of the home, and claimed that spot for a new screened porch. "I could visualize turning the two upstairs bedrooms into a master suite," said Dorene.

The couple had plenty of other requests for their home makeover, including a modernized multifunctional kitchen and a mudroom, either carved out of existing space or added near the garage.

The retro pink, blue and yellow-tiled bathrooms would need total updating, and the basement's dark paneling would have to go.

As for the interior aesthetic, "We didn't want a slick modern look," said Dorene. "We wanted contemporary — with warmth built in."

Alan, the "numbers guy," just wanted to know "how much it would cost for the renovation after we bought the house," he said.

He retained the existing layout on the main floor, but knocked down some full and partial walls to gain more usable space, open up sightlines and let in more light. "I get affected by the long and dark winters," said Dorene. "Now everything is so open and bright."

Spray-foam insulation and new windows create an energy-saving tight envelope, which was a top priority for the couple.

To allow a minimal expansion, Ganser worked with the Wernkes to get a property-line variance from the city in order to extend the attached two-car garage out 11 feet. With that extra space, he inserted a long hallway and mudroom in the old garage area.

"With so many teardowns happening in the area, the City Council said they appreciated that we were working to improve the original house; this helped in the approval process for the variance," he said.

The new mudroom is bookended by extra-tall windows and provides a "drop zone," charging station, closet and plenty of storage cabinets.

The mudroom opens to a new screened porch on the back of the home behind the garage. It's big enough to hold a table for outdoor dining and a sofa for reading. The elevated position and 12-foot-high ceilings give the porch a treehouse vibe when the maples and oaks are leafed out.

The newly opened main floor offered the opportunity to expand the size and function of the dated golden oak kitchen; after demolition, the cabinets were donated to Habitat for Humanity.

Dorene is fond of the color red, and chose it for the back-painted glass backsplash above a perimeter of fresh white cabinets and stainless-steel appliances.

But the most striking feature is Ganser's juxtaposition of vertical and horizontal striped zebrawood on accent cabinet doors and the base of the peninsula. "It's very structural, yet organic," he said. "The interesting contrast draws your eye."

Ganser had to sell Dorene on mixing vertical and horizontal lines. "But now I love it because it's unique," she said.

The remodeled kitchen opens to the original dining room. The fireplace was refreshed with a coat of white paint over the bland terra-cotta-toned brick. "We also converted the wood-burning fireplace to gas to keep the envelope sealed," said Alan.

For a final touch, Dorene hung an Amazonian mask above the fireplace, repeating the decor's red accents.

On the second floor, Ganser tore down a wall to turn two small bedrooms into a comfortable master suite retreat. The retro pink-tiled bathroom was gutted and brought into the 21st century with a heated floor, wavy zebrawood floating vanity and a countertop of recycled glass from Natural Built Home.

"Some people think '50s bathrooms are cool and want to preserve them," said Ganser. "But it's OK to tear out a bathroom that's 60 years old to renovate it." However, they donated the pink toilet and other fixtures to Bauer Brothers Salvage.

The basement was another retro relic with dark paneling covering walls and ceiling. The Wernkes replaced the paneling with drywall, painted an accent wall vivid coral and added recessed canned lighting and new carpet to turn the space into a cozy media/family room.

From the outside, the Wernke residence still looks like a classic 1950s split, albeit with an unexpected vibrant red door. But inside, it's packed with modern updates, including a wide-open floor plan, skylights and textural zebrawood.

"I really loved the process from beginning to end," said Dorene. "We could put our imprint on it, and we weren't tearing down something that had good bones."

Lynn Underwood • 612-673-7619