1931 Ericsson Main Level Remodel
A remodel is underway. Take a look inside.
Follow along as we work with a South Minneapolis family to adapt the main level of their 1931 Tudor while providing critical updates to building systems that will keep the home aging well for decades to come.
Framing
Framing a 1931 Tudor home with the family’s future in mind.
What does framing look like for clients who want fewer walls in their home? For this Scandinavian-inspired remodel, it meant installing a massive LVL and adjusting the plans to create the best interior architecture for soon-to-be empty-nesters. See how we framed this main floor remodel, where an open-concept home could finally make family gatherings possible.
When walls come down, beams go up.
With the primary wall between the kitchen and living room now down to create a more open plan, we needed a new solution to transfer the structural load from the floor above to the foundation below.
Our engineering partners specified a new beam, a triple 14″ LVL (laminated veneer lumber), to run the full length of the new opening. That beam was then supported in two places: once at the entry with a header, hanger, and column, and then again at the wall of the hall entry towards the back of the living room. Newly framed columns now fully support the beam and transfer the building load to the floor below.
“With the size of the header we needed for this large span, we worked with an actual licensed engineer, who could stamp the drawings.”
White Crane Designer, Ericsson Main Level Remodel
Framing for an open floor plan requires a team approach.
Achieving an open plan in this remodel was fairly complex because we needed to translate one architectural language into another, shifting from a highly segmented 1930s plan to something with more loosely defined rooms. With a team approach, we could adjust the documentation as needed based on real site conditions to ensure every new building component matched what the home really needed. Here are a few highlights of that process.
- First, we needed to understand the home. Our early site documentation provided critical details about how the original home was built. The project manager even traced the home’s bearing points so the team could understand where new loads might be applied.
- After reviewing the remodeling documentation, our engineering partner calculated the exact specifications for every component of the proposed structural plan, down to the hardware.
- Designers finalized architectural drawings showing how each proposed building component should be integrated while still achieving the original project goals.
- The framers then synthesized the architectural details to create one of the project’s most important parts: an open main-level plan where the family could gather.
- Our project manager’s site assessments and client communication during framing helped ensure every line drawn in the construction set was built correctly and served the family well.
The three-inch difference called for a plan change.
A perpendicular header above the opening to the front entry helps the adjacent 14″ beam carry the load of the now open plan. But when engineering finalized the header specifications, it needed more depth than the proposed wall assembly initially allowed. So we changed the plans, furring the wall framing out an additional three inches into the entry.
A three-inch loss in an expansive room might be nothing, but for this primary entry, the depth change really mattered. The wood storage and bench arrangement, as shown in the original proposed plan, now felt cramped.
When our project manager and senior designer visited the site with the homeowners, the group reassessed the room. They needed to decide the space’s most important goal and plan around that.
For a family that experienced two decades of squeezing into the back entry, they weren’t interested in creating a stifling primary entry. And we agreed.
The solution involved three steps: removing the built-in entry bench in favor of wood storage only, adding custom coat hooks to the right of the door, and then leaving the rest of the entry completely open.
“The entry design included custom firewood storage on one wall and a bench on another, which made sense on the plans. Once we started framing that up and you came in the door, you realized that it was just a little tight.”
Homeowners, Ericsson Main Level Remodel
Framing a wall with the support it always needed.
Demolition uncovered a main bearing wall framed with inch-and-a-half studs at the back of the home where two closets shared a central wall. Given the wall was only roughly half the depth the job called for, our framing team helped us fix it with properly sized and positioned lumber.
Our project manager taped out the new closet on the subfloor, helping the homeowners and our designer assess whether the proposed changes worked well for the family. We then settled on updated door positions while our crew finished framing in the laundry room.
How does framing relate to freezing pipes?
Moving the laundry up from the basement created another critical framing consideration. Since the space was previously a bedroom, the team needed to install water lines in a wall that had never carried plumbing. Rather than run supply and return lines inside what was an exterior wall cavity, the crew framed a separate 2×6 wall for the rough-ins, allowing the plumbing to sit entirely on the warm side of the insulated envelope. In Minnesota, that detail is the difference between a functioning laundry room and burst pipes.
A Vault Where a Flat Ceiling Was Planned
When we demoed the flat plaster ceiling at the main entry, we found a gabled roof with room to spare. Framing turned this unexpected find into an even better architectural asset. We framed and insulated the entry to create a vaulted space, adding visual interest, more options for light fixtures, and turning a once-tight room into something even more expansive.
The Step that Finally Fixes the Side Entry
The compressed side entry caused a consistent frustration that helped start this project. Fixing such a constrained space meant redirecting the entire entry sequence from the backyard, starting with framing a larger deck.
Once inside, the family previously had to immediately ascend several steps into the kitchen, with no clear area to drop whatever they might be toting to and from the home. After removing the interior steps during demolition, we framed over the rear kitchen entry at 16″ OC (on center), avoiding awkward circulation while also creating room for a longer run of kitchen cabinets. The stair down to the basement now sits inside the private back laundry rather than in the middle of the entry.
“Now, we’ve seen every square inch of this home. From the outside in, we know what it looks like, and we fixed what needed to be fixed.”
White Crane Project Manager, Ericsson Main Level Remodel
Next up: Insulation & Rough-Ins
The structure is sound and, for the first time in ninety-five years, verifiable. Now the house gets the systems that will make the remodel function: new wiring, plumbing, mechanicals, and a sealed envelope where newspaper used to be.
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