Completed Projects

Hunt Street
This project was completed early 2007, it was a McKinney landmark known by locals as "the bird house" or "old Vita home"

• Project Objectives: The sympathetic restoration of the home to retain its original charm and Character.
• Architect; Paul Frank Design
• Scope of works: This home received the makeover of all makeovers, "a bare stud restoration". The home was gutted inside and all the exterior bird houses and outbuildings were demolished and removed.. All the old wires, pipes, interior fixtures, cabinets, bathrooms, floor coverings, wall/ceiling treatments, old sheetrock, paneling, insulation, junk, and anything not critical to the frame was removed. This home was taken back to the bare studs in every room we actually found a tree growing inside the rear wall of the house. The interior of the house was re-configured with a whole new floor plan encompassing a huge living room, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen and a breakfast room with a vaulted ceiling. The front porch floor and support posts were removed and the porch roof was raised 3 inches to its original level. The porch was then re-constructed to mimic its original Craftsman look taken from vintage pictures of the old home. A rear deck was added and the new angled skirt was projected around its base to retain the character of the home. The home was carefully re-framed within the existing structure to satisfy the requirements of the current building code. Most older homes were traditionally framed with 2 x 4 studs so over spanned sagging ceilings is a common problem that has to be fixed. Walls are often missing support beams over windows and doors and these areas have to be carefully cut out and replaced with the appropriately sized header.
  • Each individual window sash was removed, repaired, re-glazed, fitted with new chords and restored to their original condition.
  • The original base boards and trims were salvaged and re-used to make new window stools and door linings to help preserve the Historical character of the home.
  • Historically correct windows were needed for the front of the home along with the front door which had been replaced by the previous owner. Many hours of sourcing were necessary to find a matched set of three pieces, but perseverance finally paid off, the salvaged door was added to to make it fit the original frame.
  • The interior was finished with smooth museum quality sheetrock, historically correct trims and the original salvaged doors stripped of 100 years of paint before they were re-hung. The original glass door hardware was carefully cleaned by the homes proud owner to help add the final finishing touches to the interior.
  • The smooth ceilings were crisply painted in white along with all the woodwork, doors and trim pieces to project a feeling of uniformity throughout the home. Rooms were painted in a bold vibrant color scheme which was perfectly chosen by the homeowner to retain the homes charm.
  • The exterior was stripped to the bare wood, siding was repaired with specialized epoxy fillers and re-painted using Sherwin Williams mid-grade paint.