Saving Grace

A house isn’t a home until it has a family — and people give their all to protect both.

When the home at 13408 W. 75th Court in Shawnee became engulfed in flames in May 2010, Shawnee Fire Station 71 was dispatched to the site, saving little of the original home and losing one of its men, 33-year-old John Glaser, a 6-year veteran and father, in the line of duty. Instead of letting the city tear down the remaining structure, Grant Hartwig of H&H Custom Homes bought it and, along with his wife, Adria, real estate agent and design hobbyist, turned it into a design star — a project they hope honors the fallen firefighter.

“I think it’s almost like a tribute to him,” Grant says. “My heart swells up about this home.”

Salvaging the foundation, a couple windows and most of the exterior stucco in the original 1998 Don Julian home, Grant and Adria brought in Tim Homburg, architect with NSPJ Architects, to restructure the entire floor plan, including moving the stairwell. Concentrating on a fresh yet timeless look, the new and improved 5,100-square-foot home with five bedrooms and 4.5 baths features an open floor plan with a kitchen and great room that share a comfortable space. “It’s light, bright and airy and inspired by the Restoration Hardware palette,” Adria notes.

The kitchen features white-glazed cabinets and island, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and horizontal glass tile backsplash that shines in cream, tan and bluish/gray hues, while complementary dark hardwood floors cover the main level. “The kitchen is the heart of what I think represents the classic-but-not-too-heavy feel that I tried to take through the house,” Adria says. The floor-to-ceiling (17 feet to be exact) stacked-stone fireplace anchors the great room, along with a pocket closet and built-in shelves. The wine room, centrally located on the main level — and one of the first things you see when entering the home — features wine racks and a fridge, enclosed by French wrought iron scroll doors. And to think it was just a standard pantry in the original floor plan.

The master bedroom houses a nicely finished man cave, as Grant calls it, while the woman’s grotto is twice as big, located off the master bath, which was modeled after the one in their own home. The home itself radiates serenity, but it’s the luxurious walls in the dining room and master bath that are doing all the talking.

“We wanted the dining room to have a kind of coastal, beachy feel,” says faux painter JoAnn Romano. “We went out on a textural limb by adding texture to it.” Using two completely different applications, the master bath bares tranquility green and uses visual texture, while the dining room presents a serene, intimate atmosphere with its Aegean Sea walls and use of metallics. “It’s the new wave of faux. Going from Tuscan to contemporary, people are looking to bring in color — freshness and happiness in the house,” Romano adds.

Rounding off the main level is a mudroom, powder bath, home office and laundry nook, all sited near the three-car garage entry. The walkout lower level features a home theater, kitchen with bar, guest bedrooms and plenty of storage space.

Knowing the history of this home made everyone involved more determined to make it the best it could be. That’s why Adria and Grant took their work to a higher level, adding small but significant details throughout the house, including tile insets in the shower and flooring in guest bathrooms as well as granite counters, a barrel-vault ceiling leading to the master suite, and arched doorways and bullnose edges throughout the home.

Though it doesn’t have homeowners just yet, it’s easy to see and feel that this house was rebuilt for someone special.

Fire Prevention Week — October 9-15

Mark Fire Prevention Week on your calendar, October 9-15, commemorating the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Here’s what you need to know to keep your home and family safe, compliments of former Fire Chief Jeff Hudson, Shawnee Fire Station 71 Headquarters. “It seems we are busier more now than ever, and it takes away from focusing on safety at home,” he says. “So take a few minutes to think about the safety of your family. Put it before anything else in your life — you never know when it will pay off, but it will.”

Visit the Home Safety Council and the National Fire Protection Association for additional info.

Be Prepared:
1. Have working smoke alarms on each level of the home and one inside each bedroom.2. Change the batteries in each smoke alarm in the fall.
Good rule of thumb: Change the batteries when you change your clock during Daylight Savings Time.

Prevention Methods:
1. Most residential fires start in the kitchen and are cooking related. Never leave a pan unattended when the stove is on.
2. While cooking, have a lid close by in case a fire erupts. Immediately turn off the stove and call the fire department.
3. Store all flammable and combustible materials in proper containers and seal with a tight lid. Properly label each substance, too.
4. Limit the number and amount of extension cords. Never use them in place of permanent wiring.
5. Have the furnace and flue pipes inspected by a qualified individual each year to ensure good operating condition.
6. Install a carbon monoxide detector in your home by the sleeping areas.
7. Keep candles out of reach of children and pets and away from combustible materials.
8. Set your car keys beside the candle so you remember to blow it out before leaving the house.
9. Take time to go over all fire safety methods with your family and establish a fire escape plan.

Resources:
Framing: M2M Framing
Heating and Cooling: Better Service
Faux Finishing: JoAnn Romano 
Cabinets: Superior Wood Products
Granite: KC Granite
Hardwood/Tile: H&H Homes
Plans: NSPJ's Tim Homburg
Iron Work: Jim Glover
Design Colors/Lighting/Vanity Selections/Staging: Adria Hartwig
Trim: Fred Powers
Lawn/Landscaping: GreenScapes
Paint: Kyle's Coatings