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Surprise! It sold in just two days. Great news, yes, but the deal included the fact that they had to be out of their home in a month—and, while they spend their winters in Arizona, the couple would need a permanent Traverse City residence by spring. Although Dave remains lead architect and consultant to the build- and-design company, Whiteford Associates (founded in 1978 as Dave Whiteford Design), he had recently sold the firm and consequently had no spec home or the possibility of one that he and Meg could move into. “In the past, Dave has always had something lined up,” Meg says. “But this time he had nothing.”
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Related Read: Searching for more home renovation inspiration? Visit our Northern Michigan Homes page.
Dave and Meg, literally, rolled up their sleeves and got to work. But they weren’t alone. A small army of relatives and friends joined them. “Many of the Whiteford family members are in the trades in one form or another, so their skillsets doubled the blessings,” Meg says, adding that their help was especially gratifying given that so many of them were already working long hours to make up for time lost in the pandemic shutdown.
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Related Read: 3 Statement Garage Doors to Inspire Your Next Home Update.
Next, they raised the ceilings, added skylights and switched out the smallish windows for expansive new Kolbe windows that opened up the gorgeous East Grand Traverse Bay view on the home’s lake side. Dave went on to rejigger space to create a truly customized home—stealing 3.5 feet from the garage enlarged the laundry room; moving the stairway almost 4 feet by replacing a useless front hallway added some 40 square feet to the great room. That, in turn, allowed space to move the master bedroom to the lake side of the home and create a luxurious master bath where that bedroom had once been. Barn doors, for the hall linen closet and Meg’s walk-in closet, were also important space savers.
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Related Read: The Northern Dream: Newlyweds Hunt for First Home in TC.
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Northern Michigan Home Renovation Resources
Architect | Dave Whiteford Whiteford Associates
Interior Design | Meg Whiteford
Contractor | Bill Whiteford, A1pha Construction & Management, a1pha.bill.whiteford@gmail.com
Electric | TNT Lighting & Electrical Services, eric@tnttc.net
Plumbing | Ultimate Plumbing, 231.631.5172
Fixtures & Appliances | Ferguson
Rugs | Rectangles
Flooring & Tile | Floor Covering Brokers
Kitchen Cabinetry | Van Polen Custom Cabinets
Countertops | Stratus Marble & Granite
Windows & Entry Doors | WeatherShield, Old Mission Windows
Landscaping & Irrigation | Down to Earth
Exterior Painting | Fresh Coast Painting
Photo by Jacqueline Southby