Modern Revival

When Ryan and Leah Gale decided to renovate a circa-1872 colonial home in the eclectic downtown community of Westside, they had their hands full. The abandoned three-story classic was in need of a whole-house renovation, so starting in 2001, the Gales moved from room-to-room and floor-to-floor to restore the home to its architectural roots. Over the next few years, they acquired the two narrow lots next door for additional yard space, and in doing so became acquainted with the owners of what is now the Gales' current home three doors down: a minimalist remodel of a colonial classic.

“Westside began going through a renaissance in the early 1980s, and I've been working up here as a contractor since 1992,” Ryan says. “People bought the run-down houses and started renovating and cleaning up the area. I've met a lot of the neighbors, business owners and artists who live here, and it is an interesting, nice community.

“In the Westside neighborhood, we all eat together, go to parties together and take care of one another. The geographic location is in downtown Kansas City, but we feel like we are in a little neighborhood where our kids can play in the yard. It is the best of both worlds,” he continues.

Ryan and Leah raised their three boys — Ivan, 9, Lukas, 6, and Christian, 4 — in the first Westside home. When they purchased their neighbor's property in 2007, the original plan was to do a modern renovation to sell. But Ryan, who owns C&G Construction, a high-end remodeling and construction company, ended up putting more time and money into the home than he originally intended.

“I have a hard time doing anything halfway, and this home became a huge labor of love for me. The market kind of fizzled out and we were falling in love with the house, so it was just a natural progression for us to move over here,” he says.

While their first home was remodeled to honor the 1872 style, this second project went in a new direction.

“We had essentially two stories and a typical gable roof, but the home was in pretty bad shape and we had to completely gut it. I try to maintain anything architecturally relevant left in a home, but this house was difficult. Other than some brick and the original hardwood floor, most of it is completely new,” he says.

Ryan was inspired to remodel the house to a more minimal, cleaner style but found it challenging to marry modern with traditional.

“It's a new thing for me to be able to put a round peg in a square hole; to take a house where its bones and foundation are 1800s colonial and find a way to clean it up and make it minimal is difficult to do,” he says. “I've worked with a lot of really good architects over the years and have come to appreciate different styles and aesthetics, and I was able to utilize design ideas I've picked up working with so many great people.”

He consulted with Douglas Stockman of el dorado inc., an architecture firm in Kansas City, Mo., on the renovation.

“I brought in Doug to bounce ideas off of him. It was nice to have a fresh pair of eyes when I got to an area I wasn't 100 percent sure about,” Ryan says.

The project began in July 2007 and took more than a year to finish. Ryan and his crew worked on the home in between other projects, while his family continued to live in the home next door during the construction.

As Ryan mapped out the design for his minimalist take on the classic colonial, he had a few key components in mind. First, the home needed to be kid-friendly for his three boys. So, in keeping with a clean, minimalist style, the home has tons of hidden built-ins and cabinet storage for toys, clothes, books, knick-knacks and other items.

“I wanted my kids to remember growing up in a really fun house, but at the same time, I didn't want them to rule the house,” he jokes.

He wanted to give the boys their own space, so he intentionally designed the second floor for them. With two bedrooms, a Hollywood-style bathroom, a large closet/laundry area, and a play area for games and electronics, the second floor is a child's haven. Ryan also designed the other floors with a specific purpose in mind. The first floor was designed to house the main family living areas — living room, dining room and kitchen — and the third floor serves as an adult retreat with a master bedroom, bathroom and rooftop deck overlooking the West Bottoms.

Another huge priority in the remodel — and in all of Ryan's work — was sustainability. He reused materials such as wood and insulation from other projects. The home uses highly energy-efficient appliances throughout and has a rainwater collection system. Ryan also kept the orientation of the home in mind to bring in as much natural light as possible. Windows, wall cutaways and etched glass filter in an abundance of sunlight throughout the house.

“To bring in the light, I used transom windows on the southern side of the home to capture natural light and a view of the treetops and rooflines. We turn on very few lights during the day,” he says.

The flow and functionality of individual rooms was also a high priority. Ryan placed the stairwell in the center of the home to create easier movement from floor to floor. The original porch off the back of the home became a new three-story column to efficiently align all bathroom and kitchen plumbing.

The ergonomic kitchen was designed with two zones: one for food prep and cooking, and one for cleanup. Floating cabinets, a large island with room for five, dish storage at a kid-friendly height, plenty of tucked-away storage and two eco-friendly dishwasher drawers all create a fun-yet-functional space.

“The entire project wasn't set in stone from the start. As we worked through the home, I tried to think how a particular space was going to be used and design from there. That is what's neat about using an existing house, you can let it evolve and take shape along the way,” he says.

This article originally appeared in the January/February 2010 issue of Kansas City Homes & Gardens.