From Piecemeal to Perfection

The two-story home on a winding, tree-lined street in Leawood West had plenty of charm. Built in 1965, the brick-and-wood residence boasted ample floorspace but alas, too many floors, or rather, types of flooring that sprawled throughout the main level. There were also far too many walls, compartmentalizing space and blocking natural light. But the house was located exactly where the Glesne family husband Tyler, wife Alicia, children Harrison, 11, and Cecily, 8, and their two dogs wanted to be: in the neighborhood where Tyler grew up and near family. The Glesnes put up with the mismatched decor and dimly lit rooms for close to a decade before embarking on an ambitious remodel in May 2021. By October, they had their spacious dream home.

To make this happen, the Glesnes contracted Laura Houston, the architect-turned-owner of Tributary Design & Construction. The project involved tearing down walls, creating cohesive spaces, and building in functionality.

“It was the whole lower level,” Tyler said of the renovation project. “The previous owners had been going space [by] space to remodel.”

That piecemeal approach meant a lack of uniformity throughout the home. Flooring differed in every room. A hand-painted mural paying homage to Italy in the dining room didn’t fit with the rest of the decor. The whole thing was an eclectic mess.

Since Tyler and Alicia both work in engineering, relying on someone trained in the precision of architecture made sense for the couple.

“Laura was a blessing, to say the least,” Tyler confessed. “We did a lot of dreaming, I had tons of floorpans and ideas, and she explained why they were all bad and she was right.”

“They had quite a few ideas,” Houston confirmed. “The house was so dark previously. The rooms were fairly large, but very compacted. They had to live with that old layout for so many years.”

Above all, the Glesnes needed practical built-in solutions to everyday problems, as well as sufficient space to entertain their extended family on a regular basis. That meant being able to accommodate up to 20 people at a time.

Houston loved the challenge. “It’s always fun when you have to figure out how to combine a room so you don’t lose function, but also make it large enough to mingle. No matter how hard you try, you can’t entice people out of the kitchen when you’re cooking.”

Removing the dining room wall instantly made the kitchen brighter and more spacious. “A big goal was flexibility. We needed to increase the amount of cooking and prep space and make the kitchen a gathering place,” Tyler explained. “For me, it was also about functionality. We had to be able to clean up and wipe down easily. That was key. Before, you could barely open the fridge [door] all the way, and the stove was a ’60s-era electric range.”