S7, E6: Fitting In When You're a Standout

SEASON SEVEN, EPISODE SIX | TRANSCRIPT

KIM
In a town whose history is written in stately brick, gingerbread trim, and wrap-around porches, building something new can feel, sometimes, daunting. When our clients first walked a lot of their home on Harrison Avenue in Kirkwood, Missouri, they didn't just see gables, stately porches, and the community's deep, historic roots. They knew their home would need to feel like it's always belonged there.

Not just beautiful, not just one of a kind, but timeless, seamless, something that adds to the story of the beloved neighborhood in which they were building. And they weren't alone. A few blocks away on Argonne Avenue, another homeowner dreamed of a perfect Queen Anne style home that had all of the charm of Kirkwood's century homes while balancing durability, energy efficiency, and modern comforts. Today, we're going to answer the question,

What happens when you want to build something new in a neighborhood that takes its historical character very seriously?

INTRO
Welcome to the Art of Customs special season 20 Homes for 20 Years, where we're celebrating two decades of building excellence in St. Louis and Park City and sharing tips we've picked up along the In today's episode, we're heading to the suburbs to the charming town, known for its centuries-old architecture, and a deep sense of community. We're talking you through two standout infill homes that not only fit into surroundings, but were embraced as welcome additions to the neighborhood. Enjoy!

KIM
Kirkwood, Missouri has loads of charm and as a builder who's been working in that area for nearly 20 years, I can tell you there are just as many guidelines to keep it that way. So when we're building something new in Kirkwood, Missouri, you have to make sure it plays nice with the neighbors, right, Melody?

MELODY
Absolutely. It is such a great neighborhood.

KIM
Creating homes that respect the area's architectural legacy without compromising modern luxury, it can really be a challenge, but you have to have the right team to pull that off.

MELODY
That's our continuous drum we beat.

KIM
Exactly. And you know, the one thing with Kirkwood, like many municipalities around the country, they continue to tweak their local guidelines, if you will, from stormwater runoff to size of the homes on smaller lots and things like that. So it is really a challenge when it comes to meeting Kirkwood's requirements and then meeting the requirements of today's buyers and those who want to build a new home. You have to really work hard to be able to pull that off.

MELODY
And as they should, because that's what makes that neighborhood, that's what preserves that character, that charm, you know, like by being strict about that, it keeps Kirkwood, Kirkwood.

KIM
You know in the St. Louis area, there's many Kirkwood type neighborhoods the Webster groves of the world's the Glendales that you could go on and on but it's like that around the country too There's many beautiful neighborhoods in many beautiful towns and that's really what the struggle is and that's why the first home we're gonna talk about was so important to us and just an awesome client and it was it started with just a beautiful lot I mean, obviously that's where everything starts is the lot the vision for the home and

I remember the client, wonderful couple from Kansas City. They were moving to the St. Louis area with a job transfer and they had a vision for exactly what they wanted to build and they wanted to build in this beautiful community called Kirkwood, Missouri, right in the greater St. Louis area. Kim Spurgeon was the architect. I remember having several meetings, many meetings where we were sitting down talking about the design.

Andy the owner was just spot on with what he was trying to accomplish with the project. But the lot was perfect, perfect size for what we were doing for a Kirkwood rebuild, sloped gently to the rear, which allowed for a detached garage off the rear, some green space in the back for the kids to play. So the lot and the vision was there from the beginning, primarily because of the homeowner, he knew exactly what he

MELODY
Well, and what's kind of interesting about these Kirkwood infills is it's not that these beautiful old homes that have like the architectural character are the ones that are being demoed and rebuilt. It's these homes that were kind of 1950s-ish, 1940s, kind of not track homes, but kind of thrown together. Not a lot of insulation, sometimes it was original owners that just didn't keep up with the home that we're coming in and finding. it just, can't meet modern living standards.

KIM
And I think that's the struggle as a builder. Sometimes, you you are criticized for replacing what's been there for decades, but at least the way in which we build and many builders do, you know, we're replacing a home. You mentioned it. I can't tell you how many homes we've deconstructed that did not have insulation. That's a recipe for disaster. It's an uncomfortable home. It's a home that is, you know, using heating and cooling far more than it should.

And I mean, if you think about the inefficiency of that home and yet we're replacing it with not only a home that fits beautifully into the neighborhood, but one that's extremely efficient, extremely durable, great indoor air quality. You know, I will argue that we are enhancing the neighborhood with the newly constructed.

MELODY
I would say with an Infill of the Year

KIM
We did happen to win that. I'm glad you brought that up in field of the year for the Kirkwood area, which means of course the home fit perfectly, the design, the execution, everything fit perfectly into the neighborhood. So we were very proud of that. I think it was the first award that we won of its kind.

MELODY
So you said that they had a vision when they came in. ⁓ Why not a craftsman? I know there are a lot of craftsman. There are a lot of the gingerbread, Queen Ann. We're going to talk about one of those later. But do you know what the inspiration was?

KIM
I just know that Andy and Amy, that's all they ever wanted. That's all they ever talked about. They had photos of Italianate homes, and that's what they believed would fit seamlessly into that neighborhood. And they were absolutely right, because it's almost like a square home, right? And it has very, very large overhangs, and it has very ornate trim on the outside of the house. White trim, and it's got a bluish color siding and all. But that was their vision. And that's the wonderful thing about building a custom home is,

Whatever your vision, your builder can pull it off and just work closely with your builder and with the architect and your vision can come to life.

MELODY
So we keep using the word Italianate. I don't know that everyone is going to be familiar with that. it's not symmetrical. So you have like a colonial style home. The taller windows are a hallmark of that. And you had mentioned there was some contrasting sighting. So that almost brings in the architectural details that you see, the historic ones, right? So what does it mean?

KIM
Absolutely. Because if you, know, in many communities across the country, you do see though that type of design also with Italianate, you'll see a very low roof pitch, you'll see very deep overhangs, you'll see a lot of ornate trim that really gives that house some character. And that's what the Kirkwood neighborhood is all about. It's interesting because since we built that one home, no one else has requested it. A lot of people have gone toward the farmhouse, the craftsman style, the more traditional style.

That's the beauty of custom homes. What is your style? What is your vibe? Build it.

MELODY
I think that is why I get so excited when I hear we have a project in Kirkwood is because every home there is one of a kind. You don't have where people are coming in and choosing from a small set of floor plans. There were some communities that had kind of similar floor plans. Every home is unique. And I like seeing how that's interpreted by each of the individual homeowners.

KIM
No, you're right about that. I was kind of, chuckled a minute ago when you said you love building at Kirkwood because just yesterday we have a team meeting weekly and in our weekly team meeting happened to be this week, you brought up something about a Kirkwood build and I, with the superintendents kind of looked at you and rolled our eyes. And the reason we did that jokingly is because Kirkwood can be notorious for strict design and building guidelines, which are fine. We have no problem with those.

They should be, but sometimes those strict guidelines can go against what the client or what the owner wants. And so sometimes you do have a little bit of a tussle in front of the architectural review boards between what the owner wants and they're being told what they can do, what they can't do.

So, and this isn't just specific to Kirkwood, we're building a lot of homes out in Northern Utah, in the Touhay, in the Sky Ridge, in the Marcella developments, Promontory. Every one of those developments has an architectural review board and every one of those boards will give you their opinion on what the design you're presenting, you know, did they like it, did they not like it, what do they want changed. It's part of building in this day and age, you have to understand that everybody is trying to protect the integrity of their developments or the integrity of their communities.

So they are going to be more vocal, they are going to have more strict guidelines in which you have to follow. Now, that doesn't mean you can't build a beautiful home. It simply means you need to find the right architect who has the experience working in those developments or working in those communities, and then trust that the architect is going to help you design the home of your dreams the way you want it to look, but that is also approved by the architectural review boards.

MELODY
So with this house, did you have to go back to the drawing board at all? No.

KIM
No,  because the architect Kim Spurgeon had worked in Kirkwood for many years and she knew exactly how to get what her design was passed by the Architectural Review Board. Now, that doesn't mean the Architectural Review Board didn't have a few comments along the way, but you know what, those were addressed at the time, there was nothing major, and we moved right on in, we passed the ARB the first time, and were able to go into the construction documents and presented it for permitting, and we got the permit and went right into construction. So that's where I'm saying it does make a difference.

Here's a perfect example of where I actually have a project going on right now in Sky Ridge outside of Park City. There's an architect which we love and have worked with them successfully on several projects, but they're having a hard time getting through the ARC process here. So that's where architects can make a difference.

And I know that prices of architects vary greatly from a draftsman who doesn't have the schooling or the ability to stamp a plan, to architects who are going to charge more. Some architects have bigger overhead because of a larger staff. There's always that tug of war between how much should we pay an architect? I will say this, it's important to find an architect or a draftsman that has experience in the community in which you want to build. It's going to make it much easier to pass through the ARC, get your approvals, and begin the building process much more quickly.

MELODY
If you go to your builder first, they're going to know those architects. We've worked in St. Louis for 20 years and we can help guide our clients and they a lot of times understand our standards for building and they can pair that with what the neighborhood needs.

KIM
100%. That's a great recommendation is just to make sure that you truly understand the architect has the experience for where you want to build.

MELODY
So we're going to head down the street.

KIM
Not that far though. Love this home too. You talk about another jewel box, Melody i loved it. This is a beautiful home. She's a realtor in the Kirkwood area, Terry Nicely. Red Key Realtors. She's a great resource, but she again had a vision for what she wanted to build. A small house, but it's a jewel box. I love the exterior of this house. Much higher pitched roofs, still a lot of exterior ornate trim, kind of a similar color scheme, the blue, James Hardy, fiber cement siding with stark white trim. This is a corner lot. And what I loved about this is they were able to design it to have a front entry door on the main road, Argonne.

But then as you turn the corner on a secondary street, that's where they had a second entry. But they also had what they desperately wanted was a porch so they could sit out on their front porch talk with their neighbors, enjoy Halloween with the trick-or-treaters. That was something that they actually lived in a home there that they tore down and replaced with this one. They had a front porch, and they definitely wanted a front porch on this home as well.

MELODY
That's in a little bit different pocket too, because a lot of those homes, when we're talking about the century homes that have the gorgeous architecture, just dripping with character, there are some homes that have legitimate sleeping porches from back when there was no air conditioning and people would go outside and take a nap in the middle of the day on these covered porches. Kind of a Southern thing, but I mean, they're so charming and so gorgeous.

KIM
Perfect word to describe this house that we built. It's interesting because if you go inside, it's not a very large house at all, but it fit them perfectly. Two levels, had the primary suite on the main level, kind of a combined great room, dining room, kitchen area. And then you go upstairs and you had another couple of bedrooms upstairs, but they did a beautiful job with their selections. They were able to...

really finish it beautifully inside and out. And that's why I call it a jewel box, because it truly is. It fits that definition, if you will.

MELODY
Their fireplace was so unique. yeah. Yeah, there was a tile inlay with florals.

KIM
And that was something that they again specifically wanted, this special tile with the inlays. And they also had some really cool tile on the main level mudroom floor, really fit very well, characteristically, with the home. You would have thought by looking at the fireplace mantle or the floor in the powder room, you would have thought this home was built decades ago. That's how cool this was.

But it had that modern vibe to it. It had the modern colors, especially on the inside. They went with some of the brighter colors. And the other thing that was very important to them too, though, as they were getting a little bit older is they wanted a home they could live in and not have to worry about maintenance and not have to worry about monthly heating and cooling bills. It's what I call that's right up our alley. We can design and build beautiful homes that also are extremely efficient, extremely durable, great indoor quality.

And so we were able to on both of these projects, as a matter of fact, because if you go back to the Zimmerman project, on North Harrison, they actually installed geothermal for their heating and cooling system, which is something that Andy wanted. Back 10 years ago or so when geothermal was probably a little bit more popular than it is today, only because of some of the rebates aren't there and some of the progress that's been made with standard forced air systems and heat pumps and all. And then for Terry and her husband, was they really wanted an efficient home, so they had lower heating and cooling bills.

MELODY
They've been living in that home for almost 10 years now. Yeah. Just recently we had a few people that are there waiting for lots in that pocket and they were referred by her. So I haven't heard anything specifically from her. But I mean, that's got to be a ringing recommendation if 10 years later, just like with Active House, we've got people still thinking about us.

KIM
Yeah, and that is the fun thing about it. And you and I were just on Facebook yesterday. you usually do a really cool post. And one of our clients jumped in that we built a home. We've actually built two homes for him and jumped in and talked about what a great experience it was and how much we enjoyed the process. And what's the reason for doing the podcast? We're trying to help people across the country who want to build a custom home.

I guess that's my way of reassuring everybody that do your due diligence, find the right team. We've talked about this virtually on every podcast. Find the right architect, put your team together, and it can be a very rewarding experience all the way.

MELODY
So what are our key takeaways for folks who are wanting to build in these areas?

KIM
Do not give up on your dream. Go in with an understanding of what style you want to build. Have photos. Photos are very helpful. You may not know what an Italianate design is. You might have a photo of a home that fits that, but take it in, show the architect what you want to do. Find an architect that understands the community in which you're building, and make sure that they have gone through the ARB process. Find out that if they're going in front of some sort of review board, have they done that before? Have they had any issues?

And then just stick to your dream and make sure that you don't give up on it because quite frankly, you can build the home you want. Another perfect example, we talked about it a couple of episodes ago, was the active house. You had just mentioned it. That's another home that fit beautifully into the Webster Groves neighborhood. Another example of finding the right architect, finding the right style, putting it all together and building the home that you absolutely love.

Building a home in a historic neighborhood like Kirkwood isn't just about zoning and square footage. It's really about listening to your lot, to the things that drew you to the neighborhood, and to the soul of the street. And when you bring together the past with a clear vision and the right team, you are assured to get the greatest compliment of all. I didn't even realize that was new construction. We actually heard that several times in building in Kirkwood.

So whether you're drawn to timeless architecture or the idea of creating something new in a beloved community, today's homes are proof that with the right approach, you really can fit in while standing out.

OUTRO: For more information visit www.artofcustompodcast.com or find us on Facebook and LinkedIn as The Art of Custom. Be sure to subscribe to get the latest episodes and please rate and review. The Art of Custom is produced by HugMonster sound with original music by Adam Frick-Verdeen. Thanks for listening.