Bloomington couple re-engineer '90s house for multigenerational living

When Joan and Reed Nelson built their house 22 years ago, it was a great fit for a young family with three active boys. The Nelsons installed a pool in their big backyard and a full kitchen on the walkout lower level where they hosted their sons' soccer-team parties. "It served us well, raising three kids," said Joan of their west Bloomington two-story.

Over the years, the Nelson family changed. Joan's father died, and her widowed mother needed more day-to-day help. Their three sons were now young adults with independent lives.

But the house didn't change with them. It lacked some of today's amenities that the couple craved, including a master suite and a more open layout on the main floor. "We wanted better entertaining space," said Joan. "We host big gatherings, and the kitchen was cramped."

They considered building a new house from scratch and looked at several lots. But nothing was as appealing as the location they already had, with its pool, a big yard for their dog, and a nearby nature center with wooded views and lots of wildlife.

"We're close to freeways, the airport and [Reed's] work," Joan said. "If we moved, we'd be farther out." So they decided to reinvent their existing home.

The couple began brainstorming ways to reconfigure the spaces they had. Their two-story family room and foyer wasted a lot of space. If they lowered the vaulted ceilings, they could create second-floor space for a master suite with a new bath and a big closet. If they reworked the layout on the first floor they could get a roomier, more workable kitchen and mudroom. And if they remodeled their lower-level family room and kitchen, they could create an inviting apartment for Joan's mother.

To carry out the ambitious whole-house transformation, they turned to Amek Custom Builders of Bloomington. Many of Amek's recent projects have involved converting traditional single-family houses into multigenerational homes, said owner Matt Schmidt.

While most multigenerational projects require adding space, the Nelsons just needed to make better use of the square footage they already had. "They happened to have this great space partially set up," Schmidt said of the lower level with its existing kitchen.

Reworking the upstairs was a bit more complicated. To create the new master suite, Amek built a new master bath in what used to be one of the boys' bedrooms.

"It was challenging to get the plumbing into an area with no plumbing," Reed said. (The couple's former bedroom is now a workout room.)

On the main floor, a small addition added 100 square feet, creating space for a bigger mudroom and a dog wash, complete with floor drain, for Billy, their large goldendoodle.

"It's a small area, but it makes a big difference, Schmidt said.

Originally, the Nelsons wanted a modern look for their "new" and improved home. "We started out wanting really contemporary, then we switched gears," said Joan, who did the interior design. "I'd call it rustic contemporary."

Rustic touches include ceiling beams in the family room made of Douglas fir from their lake place. Reed's home office, once separated from the family room by a wall, now opens into the room with barn-style vintage auditorium doors that they found at Architectural Antiques. "If he's doing work in there, we can still feel together," Joan said.

During the project, the Nelsons reused and repurposed what materials they could. A Silestone countertop from upstairs now tops a bank of cabinets in Joan's mother's apartment. They also moved their washer and dryer downstairs, to create her laundry room. Doors and flooring were reused as much as possible; those that couldn't be repurposed were posted on Craigslist or given away.

The Nelsons had hoped to replace the maple floors on their main level with acacia wood, the flooring they chose for their new master bedroom. "It's dog-proof," Joan said. But the budget wouldn't allow it, so instead they stained the existing maple dark ebony with a matte finish for an updated look.

The basement apartment was remodeled first, then the Nelsons moved downstairs while the upper floors were being transformed, a process that took another six months.

But now that the project is complete, the reworked house was worth the wait.

"The kitchen is so nice and functional," said Joan. "We entertain every week, sometimes twice a week." When guests gather around the center island, there's still plenty of room to maneuver. "We had 75 people here for a party for Reed's dad's 80th birthday," she said.

Having Joan's mom under their roof gives her mother financial freedom and also makes it easier for the Nelsons to help her with day-to-day tasks. "It's very comforting and convenient," said Joan. "We don't have to hop in the car at 2 a.m. because her thermostat dropped and she's cold. We can go right downstairs and talk her through things."

Jan helps them out, too, making it a win-win. "Now we have a built-in dogsitter," Reed noted.

Jan is happy in her new apartment, where she has her own garage stall, her own patio and plenty of light for doing her artwork. "It's wonderful," she said. "I've got Joan and Reed here, and it's close to anything I want."

"The boys come home, and they get to see Grandma," Joan said.

The Nelsons' reworked home also accommodates their sons' comings and goings. One son, recently married, moved briefly back into his parents' home with his new bride for a few weeks, as a "steppingstone" to a home of their own.

Youngest son, Quinn, 24, has been living at home for several months, while attending a computer programming boot camp. "It definitely has its upsides," he said of living with his family. "No rent." On the downside, "I do sacrifice some of my autonomy. But we have a great relationship, which makes things pretty easy."

Multigenerational living is "not without its challenges," Joan said. "Mom has 24/7 access to us," which sometimes means interruptions to their routine when she needs tech support.

But the benefits are worth it, said Reed. "It's been a blessing in so many ways."