The problem: a dated and dark 1960s house and its new owners, a couple who prefer spacious, expansive loft-style living.
The solution: Bring in more light, keep costs down and meet green building requirements.
"It was grim," says architect Scott Neeley of the low, beamed ceilings, minimal light and uninsulated 8-inch-thick burnt-adobe walls in the house he and partner Stephen Russell bought two years ago when they moved here from California.
Yet despite its being "architecturally unappealing," Neeley saw the potential of the home in a midtown historic neighborhood.
With one eye on building up his own architectural experience and another on possible resale, he set about transforming it by basically gutting much of the interior.
Since one of the aims was building green, Neeley looked into the city of Tucson's guidelines and found they applied only to new construction.
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And so, in collaboration with city planners, began a pilot project: the first city-certified green remodel.
Nine months later, their home gained a gold standard under the new city of Tucson Green Remodeling Program, a points-based system that rewards homeowners for everything from photovoltaic panels on the roof to formaldehyde-free cabinets.
The Neeley/Russell home was awarded its rating last fall. Now, says Clayton Trevillyan, a city permit specialist, there are two other such remodels in Tucson awaiting certification.
For Neeley, 55, going green is more about the basics of a home than the finer details. You can use all the recycled countertops and salvaged building materials you want, he says, but it's the "envelope" - insulation, good windows and doors, and good use of natural light - that achieves what he believes is most important: low energy consumption.
Neeley and Russell, 44, a professor of family studies and human development at the University of Arizona, have average electric and gas bills of about $155 a month. Neeley says the former homeowner had faced winter heating bills of more than $400 a month.
And although those original burnt-adobe walls provide little insulation, Neeley says: "We compensated by essentially overcompensating in other parts of the remodel."
The exposed adobe-block walls presented aesthetic challenges, too. The couple chose to leave some brick exposed, and to paint some expanses white - such as a kitchen wall, and the wall behind the vast adobe living room's fireplace. The brick surrounding the fireplace and the flagstone hearth remain intact.
Raising the ceiling and getting rid of a long, low soffit in the living room adds to the space's now modern feel.
Most of the 2,600-square-foot home's natural light comes from the north, so in addition to new sliding patio doors in the living room, they added more windows high above the doors, along with a skylight.
"We really needed to make it feel light and airy, to transform the quality of the space," says Neeley. They were able to start with a long, rectangular living room and open-plan kitchen, eliminating the need to tear down walls.
If there's a style theme to their home, it's no-fuss, from the choice mix of classic and modern furniture pieces and occasional thrift-store finds, to the clean, quiet palette with occasional splashes of primary colors.
Bathroom cabinetry is white and countertops either white-based or pale concrete. A top layer of cement was added to the floors throughout the house and stained bluish gray. Tile is white subway or beige and, on the kitchen backsplash, gray ceramic in tiny rectangular mosaic.
They chose to keep the kitchen footprint, installing blond maple cabinetry and an island, but keeping the size relatively small.
"We have all the space we need here," says Neeley of the home they share with their 15-year-old son.
They chose a narrow pull-out pantry that's built into the cabinets, and maple facings for the dishwasher and fridge.
The sensibly sized three bedrooms all have attached bathrooms (one other former bedroom is now Neeley's home office and a painting studio).
The former homeowner was in a wheelchair, something Neeley and Russell turned to their advantage. In the bathroom attached to the guest bedroom, a sliding door entry is wider than usual, and a walk-in shower has been retained (although retiled), the shower door removed and the space left open.
And despite the 21st-century updates inside, they are not about to drastically alter the integrity of the home. An arched brick entry porch provides its own charming welcome, with nooks and shelves for plant pots and an original light fixture that will stay. They have even sourced some extra volcanic rock for the driveway, to match missing pieces from the original ones.
Their remodel hasn't been "particularly exotic or complicated," says Neeley, who acted as his own contractor. But he hopes it acts as a blueprint and inspiration for others.
Did you know
Burnt adobe, in contrast to traditional sun-dried adobe, is a mud adobe brick that has been fired in a kiln to achieve greater cohesive stability and reduced moisture infiltration. Although burnt adobe was used as early as the 18th century in the Mission San Xavier Del Bac, it did not become prevalent in Southern Arizona until the 20th century.
In the 1930s noted architect Josias Joesler utilized exposed burnt adobe for high-end custom homes in the Catalina Foothills Estates. Joesler usually used a light mortar wash over the adobe to give these houses a rustic character.
In the 1950s and 1960s burnt adobe was the predominant building material for mid-priced tract housing and custom homes in Tucson. Today, the use of burnt adobe is limited primarily to repairs and remodels of the thousands of homes built with it.
Chris Evans, architect and president of the Modern Architecture Preservation Project of Tucson.
Resources:
• Scott Neeley Architecture, 343-8153 or www.neeley architect.com
• Green guidelines: cms3.tucsonaz.gov/pdsd
Nothing 'really extravagant'
The extensive gutting and remodeling of the Neeley/Russell house cost about $87 per square foot. "It's a huge amount but we didn't do anything really extravagant," says Neeley, adding that the choices of items such as fixtures and countertops were not glamorous. He also served as his own general contractor.
Generally, $100 per square foot would be a good starting figure for a homeowner considering such extensive renovations that include the kitchen and bathrooms.
Other additions:
• Low-e, dual-glazed fiberglass windows.
• Fiberglas ceiling insulation.
• High-efficiency 15 SEER heat pumps.
• Rainwater-harvesting cisterns and rainwater-retention basins around fruit trees.
• Recycled-content ceramic tiles and low-VOC countertops.
• House is equipped for future rooftop photovoltaics.
Ideas to Steal
• Low art: They may have raised the ceilings, but they lowered the art they hung in the living room. Neeley believes hanging art low is essential in a room where you're seated most of the time - because that's where your line of vision is.
• Close quarters: Neeley and Russell decided to forego a walk-in pantry for a pull-out one that blends in with the cabinets. As most of their food items are perishable, it made sense to free up space for other storage, says Neeley.
• That fireplace: The couple inherited not only a large burnt adobe block and flagstone fireplace, but an exposed block wall behind it. To detract from the block and modernize the room, they painted the wall behind it white.
• Space saver: A sliding door from the master bathroom to the toilet and tub area is a clever space-saver.
Gillian Drummond is a Tucson freelance writer. Contact her at gcdrummond@aol.com