Vintage homes are charming, and their quirks are what give them that charm.

Back in the old, old days, a modest home would be well appointed on the main floor but frequently almost rustic in the half story above. When indoor plumbing came along, bathrooms were added and, occasionally, their locations didn’t make sense.

Today, many of the floor plans of these old beauties don’t make sense, but with careful planning, they can be adapted for today’s lifestyle.

PROBLEM

This is the upstairs of an Ann Arbor home that had been added to (Last week’s column addressed the lower floor of the same home). The newer space was probably added in the 1940s when plumbing was available.

This back part was updated perhaps in the 70s, and cathedral ceilings were added (A & B) and lofts for two of the bedrooms (C & D).

A modern look was attempted when previous owners installed windows (E) in the wall above the closet in the master bedroom (F).

Two other bedrooms (G & H) were updated and a furnace with air conditioning was added.

The single bathroom (I) was not changed and had to serve these three bedrooms and the one in the front (J). The walk-through room (K) was a no-man’s-land, and so it housed the elliptical trainer and overflow and storage.

The owner’s family was blended with one daughter who lived there part time and two younger daughters who lived there full time. They wanted to improve their master bedroom (F) by adding more closet space and a private bathroom.

They also wanted to utilize the walk-through room (K) more effectively.

SOLUTION

I tackled the master bedroom (F) first. The couple didn’t care about keeping the attached loft (C), so I enclosed it as an attic (L) with a ceiling hatch for access.

I had to make the room larger without taking space from the other bedrooms. The best I could do was remove the closet, which made a big difference. I then claimed space from the walk-thru room (K) to create a master bathroom (M) and two closets (N). This gave us a somewhat spacious bathroom and twice the closet.

I would have preferred to not have the closets in the bathroom, but this time I had no choice.

I also used the walk-through room (K) to create a laundry closet (N). The angled wall (O) I made for the bathroom is perfect for a wall-mounted TV for the elliptical trainer. Two operable skylights (P) add light and ventilation to these two dark spaces.

The two back bedrooms (H & G) were chopped up and inadequate. We decided that the two kids could share a bedroom (Q). This allowed us to straighten out the loft (R), and kept it off the back wall of the house so the natural light could be shared.

A new stair (S) was built and was much safer than the one that was there. The two girls would share the walk-in closet (T).

Now the upstairs works much better with added benefits.

Marcia Lyon is a professional remodeling designer and freelance writer, producing projects locally and several other areas across the U.S. and Canada. Her new book on remodeling design, “The Essential Planner for Home Remodeling,” is available at www.creatingspaces.net. You may contact her at Marcia@creatingspaces.net or at 515-991-8880 to set up a consultation.