The interior of the house was gutted and then rebuilt. "It had vermiculite insulation," David Compo says. "As soon as we took down the plaster, it just poured out of every portion." The dining room became smaller but gained in interest. The fireplace was left in place on one side, but a marble surround was added. The opposite wall is all floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the patio. The result: sunshine by day, firelight at night. A large ceiling medallion over the chandelier adds to the room’s formal feel, while recessed cans highlight the mantel. Photos by Christopher J. Compo
Clients of James D. Compo Inc., a custom home building and remodeling firm in Farmington Hills, Mich., had a decision to make: Should they buy a new $1.2 million house or remodel their 1940s ranch-style home? The answer depended on being able to find more space for their informal lifestyle.
The clients' first inclination was to bump out the back of the house to make room for a bigger kitchen and a family room. But after talking to the clients, vice president David Compo and CEO Janet Compo believed their goals could be achieved by remodeling the existing rooms. Their solution was to move the dining room into the old living room and then convert the old dining room into the family room they wanted. The scope of the project also included doubling the kitchen's size, building a pantry and updating the foyer with a volume ceiling and indirect lighting.
The clients were impressed enough by the changes inside the house to hire the company to give the exterior a face lift, too. Christopher Compo and Janet Compo did that design. Christopher Compo also served as job foreman.