The Lividoti Home

Michael and Beverly Lividoti loved the location of their home, on a cul-de-sac in West Medford. However, the kitchen's lack of size and storage space was a major liability.

The Lividotis called Custom Contracting in summer 2005 to discuss some possibilities. We designed and built a solution that has allowed the Lividotis to stay in the home they bought in 1999.

Some Thorny Challenges

Our first concern was to address the kitchen situation. In addition to its lack of usable space, the kitchen had a poor layout that was compounded by the presence of a half-bathroom and a pantry housing a chimney.

We opened up the kitchen by dismantling the pantry as well as the chimney, which extended from the basement to the attic. (Incidentally, removing the chimney freed up some space behind the wall in an upstairs kid's bedroom; we converted it into a bookcase.)

Meanwhile, placing an island in the center of the kitchen created more working space, as did the addition of granite countertops throughout the room. The Lividotis worked closely with our designer, Nikki DeFelice, to choose the countertops and cherry cabinets.

After some deliberation, the Lividotis decided to keep the half-bathroom, which we updated with a new floor, ceiling, walls, toilet and sink.

"Like It's Always Been There"

As work progressed on the kitchen, the Lividotis told us they wanted to expand the scope of the project. Their target: the dining room, which abuts the kitchen.

Like the original kitchen, the dining room was on the smaller side. It also failed to provide access to the beautifully landscaped backyard, which was reachable only via the front or side door.

We knocked down one wall and built on a family room measuring about 10 by 13 feet. Determining just the right size was tricky, as we had to avoid encroaching too closely on the yard next door.

The new family room has a vaulted ceiling and, like the kitchen, new hardwood floors and recessed lighting. The result of this addition is that the entire back of the home feels much more open.

"So many people have said that from the outside, it doesn't even look like the room was added on," said Beverly. "It looks like it's always been there."

Keeping the Customer Satisfied

Beverly said she and her husband enjoyed the interaction with Custom Contracting throughout the project.

"Working with Custom Contracting was an excellent experience," she added. "We highly recommend them."