The John and Kaylee Koch Home

THE John & Kaylee Koch Home

BY MARY MICHAELS | PHOTOS BY JULIE PRAIRIE PHOTOGRAPHY

Just like fashion has its eras like Flapper, Hippie, Disco or Preppie, housing design has also been categorized by time period, such as Tudor, Victorian, Ranch, Colonial or Modern.

John and Kaylee Koch are familiar with many of these architectural styles through John’s work in the construction industry. Until a little over two years ago, they were living in a modern home. However, John has a passion for older homes, says Kaylee, so the family decided to make a move, take a step back in time and renovate an early 20th Century house in central Sioux Falls.

“John had his eyes on this house for quite a while,” Kaylee says. “It has this great Mediterranean-inspired stucco exterior. He knew the owners and told them to call him if they were ever going to sell. And wouldn’t you know, they called him!”

Kaylee says she loved the modern design of their previous home, but that John’s love of old homes rubbed off on her, so she quickly went from nervous to excited about the renovation project and the opportunity to preserve a piece of history.

Listed on the National Historic Register, their American Craftsman home (also commonly called “Arts and Crafts” style) was originally built in 1912. The plaque out front is a little misleading, though, as it is labeled the “John Morrell Foster” home. The original owners were actually Roger and Lillian Dennis. It was around 1918 when they sold the house to William H.T. Foster, who was general manager of John Morrell and Company. Foster and his wife, Jeanette, lived in the home until

sometime in the 1930s, and a few years later it was converted to a triplex, likely during the World War II years.

The Craftsman style originated from the Arts & Crafts movement of the 1860s, which was a push-back against the “overdecorated” style of Victorian design. Craftsman homes emphasized originality, simplicity, local materials and handcrafted details. These features are seen in the beautiful woodwork through the home, wood beams on the living room ceiling and features such as the gorgeous builtin buffet in the dining room and many stained-glass inserts in both doors and windows.

The previous owners uncovered a real treasure in the kitchen 20 years ago when they went to change a light fixture. They realized the kitchen had a drop ceiling that was covering up amazing arched latticework. So, they changed more than just the light fixture and opened that ceiling to reveal the intricately designed wood that indicated this space had likely

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once been a patio or screened in porch. As part of the kitchen remodel, the Kochs took a wall out between the kitchen and dining room to create a bigger space, painted the latticework a bright white and then added beautiful blue cabinets with brass fixtures that match the style of other original hardware in the house.

One of the biggest challenges as they started the project was figuring out how to convert the triplex back to a singlefamily home and still maintain as much of the original character and detailing as possible.

“We had two kitchens upstairs and two laundry rooms to deal with,” says Kaylee. “In fact, what is now our master bathroom used to be one of the apartment kitchens.”

Where the Kochs removed original doors in one area, they repurposed in another. For example, the doors to the closet in the master bedroom had previously been doors to an upper screened patio that eventually became their youngest daughter Faye’s room. They also discovered shiplap under the drop ceiling in Faye’s room, so they kept that and painted it white to pair with her pink accessories.

With the renovation, Kaylee says she got the best of both worlds combining a little modern here and there with the traditional features of the house. The Kochs were excited to be able to keep all the original windows upstairs. They got a fresh coat of white paint, and John’s father refinished the brass hardware.

“All of the rooms upstairs were completely new,” she says, “so that was my chance to have a little of my modern mixed into the design. Dakota Kitchens did all the cabinetry in the house, so upstairs, that meant beautiful new vanities in the bathrooms. But in the girls’ bathroom, we uncovered some original brick, so we kept that part of the wall and just painted it white.”

The spacious master suite has French doors out to a small balcony, providing

John and Kaylee with their own little oasis to enjoy a morning cup of coffee. The master bath has a freestanding tub, large walk-in shower and pretty, grey floral wallpaper paired with grey marbled tile on the floor.

Although it is new, the floral wallpaper on the upper level looks like it could be original to the house, with its definite nod to the Arts and Crafts era.

“The wallpaper is a copy of the kind of work that William Morris did,” Kaylee explains. “He was a British pioneer in the Arts and Crafts movement and was known for his textile design. He went away from the bright, feminine florals of the Victorian era to this style that depicts nature in a different way, especially plants and flowers in England.”

The Kochs extended their renovation work to the exterior of the house as well, creating an outdoor living space in the backyard.

“When we moved in, there was no grass in the back,” Kaylee says. “It was all rock

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and stone. With three young kids, we wanted to have at least a little yard for them.”

They tried putting grass in on the side of the house, but with tall shade trees, it just wasn’t growing. So, they moved to “plan B,” tore it all out and put in an artificial turf.

“It looks so natural, it’s soft, and it’s zero maintenance!”

They also added a rock wall and stone planters for sturdy grasses and perennial, and one of their welder friends crafted a metal lattice fence, providing a place to string party lights and a place for the Boston Ivy to climb. A comfortable seating area has a fire table and a wall-mounted television, and another metal trellis and planter hold climbing hydrangea and Kaylee’s herbs.

“I guess we’re going for that Better Homes and Gardens look back here,” she laughs.

The stone fireplace was there when they moved in, but they wanted to create more of an entertaining area, so John found quartz that matched the fireplace, and a mason went to work creating the rest of the space that includes the grill and bar counter. There is seating for family and friends to eat outdoors – and even a little picnic table for the young ones.

Kaylee chronicled the entire renovation on her Instagram account - @ kayleemaykoch - providing a firsthand account of this major undertaking. Through her stories, covering everything from the excitement of uncovering the original features of the home to the challenges of making decisions from the multitude of options for bathroom fixtures, the Kochs have a great story they can add to the history of this home.

“I’m totally converted to an old home fan now,” says Kaylee. “We are so in love with this home and this neighborhood and are excited for all the memories we will make with our kids here!”