How to transform a house into a beautiful residence

House on a cliff

How do we approach transforming a boring house to a beautiful residence? This articles explains how the famous Chinese designer Dong Gong and his team did it. The subject is a dilapidated concrete-brick house on a cliff in a small fishing village (Beijiao Village, Fuzhou, Fujian, China).

Personally I find it impressive how well executed the final result is, and how much design work went into the details and materials. The integrated cabinets, the sliding doors, windows in unexpected places and other details make the design really fun and exciting. It made me think of the modernist/ De Stijl houses like the Rietveld-Schröder house in Utrecht designed in 1924 by Gerrit Rietveld and the Sonneveld house in Rotterdam designed in 1933 by Brinkman en Van der Vlugt.

Below is a google translation of a Chinese article that can be found here, based on a TV show in China, so please excuse the translation errors. The pictures and more information is taken from the architect’s website. The total cost of the renovation was around 200 000 USD and the renovation was finished in 2017

Is a sturdy home

It’s also a beacon for navigating at sea

An episode of “1.32 Million Red Brick and Rough Houses” was revamped, and the show “Dream Transformer” was once again brought to the forefront.

In fact, as an old fan of dream change, the second girl has seen many amazing designs and transformations. Today, she just took out an old case and “washed” for dream change.

Let those who are shouting “You don’t understand art, this will become a classic in 10 years” to take a look- sometimes art and practicality can complement each other.

01.

On the cliff, the old captain’s home

〡 The client, Chen Youyun, is a captain who wanders at sea all year round.

〡 He spends at least 200 days at sea in a year, gathering less with his family and more separation.

〡 Chen Youyun’s family of four lives in Beijiao Village, Tailu Town, Lianjiang County, Fujian Province. It sounds like a well-known small fishing village, but from a distance, it is a small island with cliffs.

〡 And their house is located on the steep cliffside reef.

〡Because Fujian is located in the coastal area, it will be hit by many typhoons every year. The Chen family standing on the coast, like all neighboring houses around it, has been eroded by typhoons and sea water, and it has become dilapidated over time.

〡 The fragile housing is in urgent need of reinforcement and moisture-proof, the roof cracks have serious water leakage problems, and even the wires in the walls have safety hazards.

〡In spite of many living problems, the Chen Youyun family still feels that the sea is their parents, and it is extremely happy to see the sea when they open the window every day, so they never thought of moving away.

〡In the interview, Chen Youyun’s children said,

“The home is the lifelong sustenance of the parents. They hope that when his father is old, he will no longer go to sea, and this home can become his safe haven.”

〡 After learning about the client’s demands, the architect Dong Gong accepted the transformation challenge and embarked on the first actual survey (this is a very amazing design team, which will be described in detail later).

〡 Captain Chen Youyun’s house retains the customs of the Fuzhou coastal generation. When the gate is opened, the hall is on the first floor. However, this hall is usually closed and idle except for weddings or important events.

〡 If you want to enter and exit, you usually enter from the small restaurant on the first floor.

〡 The kitchen is next to the small dining room, and the two corridors lead to the large dining room for entertaining guests, and a large outdoor balcony facing the sea.

〡 Facing the sea, with spring flowers blooming, living in such a place seems to be a pleasing thing to the eye.

〡However, I walked to the large balcony-this place was supposed to be used for barbecues, tea, and sun, but because of drainage problems, rainwater that could not be washed away has accumulated all the year round. There are traces of moss and decay on the corners and corners.

〡 There is also an elderly room on the first floor that was loved by the elders. When the weather is good, standing on the balcony, you can overlook the Mazu Island of Taiwan, China.

〡However, due to the age of the house, the renovation of that year is not strong anymore. When there is a strong wind and heavy rain, water will flow in directly from the windows of the elderly room, which is quite dangerous. The too humid environment also forced the elderly to leave.

〡The main living space of Chen Youyun’s family of four is on the second floor.

〡Go through the darker stairs (due to the hidden safety hazards of damp wires in the walls, there are only a few places in the Chen family that can be connected to open wires), to the second floor with an invincible sea view, where every room is facing the sea. The scenery is pleasant.

〡But after carefully inspecting each room, the same problem still exists.

〡Corroded metal anti-theft windows, although they are repainted every year, they still cannot withstand the erosion of wind and rain

〡 The roof of the room was cracked and the paint was peeling off;

〡 The storage cabinets in the house are too humid to put things on them, so they can only be used as displays;

〡Wood floors are naturally not immune;

〡Even the color TV in the living room has to be replaced every two or three years;

〡 With a slight pull on the exposed wire hanging outside the wall, the architect even dropped a lot of paint on the wall.

〡Because this renovation is different from Dong Gong’s past art design cases such as libraries and churches, this time it is related to the real life needs of the family in the future.

〡After thinking about it, he decided to return first, and then took Xiao Congzhen, the deputy chief engineer of the China Academy of Building Research, for a second survey.

〡With the assistance of Xiao Congzhen, Dong Gong has a complete understanding of the house structure of this old house, as well as the existing conditions and existing problems of the entire foundation: unstable foundation, various cracks in the wall, whether it is to fight typhoons or earthquakes , Doji has a great safety hazard.

-Transformation is of urgency.

02.

The transformation begins

〡As most of Dong Gong’s work is usually carried out in Beijing, this time he came to a small village in the south to rebuild in a different place. If he wants to invite a construction team from another place, it will not only be far away and inconvenient, but the cost will also be greatly increased.

〡Therefore, Dong Gong and Xiao Congzhen decided to find the local construction party for construction first, and exchanged and confirmed the construction specifications and details one by one.

〡 The renovation begins. First of all, in accordance with the client’s family’s desire to “build a three-story bungalow”, the designer used a model simulation to come up with a full five-draft plan.

〡After deciding on the optimal plan, start with the reconstruction of the foundation, and make steady progress.

〡 The north and south sides of the house are reinforced with internal wall concrete, and the east and west sides are reinforced with external wall concrete.

〡Dong Gong has also repeatedly asked Xiao Congzhen experts to carry out load-bearing and seismic tests based on the crack distribution and direction of the original column of the house, and finally realized a perfect and safe solution.

〡The natural seascape must also be used to the greatest extent, so Dong Gong expanded the window area in many places in the house. It doesn’t work if you expand it, you have to maintain a certain depth to keep it out of rain.

〡 The prototype of the three-story vault that the family dreams of has also been poured. As for why the vaulted roof was chosen, the reason is simple:

1. Firm. From ancient times to the present, the arch has been the optimal way of receiving force in structure;

2. Saving. The arch shape is relatively economical for the materials used for the structure, which can reduce the cost of reconstruction;

〡At the northernmost tip of the Huangqi Peninsula, in a small village that is always in close contact with the sea, this once dangerous “home on the cliff” has finally unveiled its mystery a year later.

03.

Is a sturdy home

It’s also a beacon for navigating at sea

〡When the family was walking on the long-lost road home, everyone was excited and worried.

〡Until I actually saw the house in front of me, all the unnecessary worries were put down, my eyes flashed, and my mouth said sincerely, “It’s really beautiful”!

〡Open the wide door, inside is a spacious first-floor terrace, it’s great to bask in the sun here.

〡 The designer chose a large stone with coastal style to enclose a short wall, which not only does not block the view, but also has the exclusive taste of “home”.

〡Remember the custom here. Nothing is placed in the entrance hall, only reserved for important occasions.

〡 The designer has not forgotten this custom, leaving ample space for the lobby and choosing a wooden bookshelf as a partition from the internal living room.

〡 After passing through the well-lit lobby, we came to the kitchen area. Look carefully, this is still a double kitchen design.

〡On the garden side near the window is a kitchen suitable for Chinese family frying and cooking, with sinks and other equipment.

〡The open kitchen outside is what children have always dreamed of. Simply cook something and no longer have to worry about oily smoke.

〡A large dining table that can accommodate 10 people, and you can directly see the sea when you turn your head. The dazzling light exposed the camera to all the photos, and everyone took a look at the screenshots.

〡 The old man’s room on the first floor has also changed a lot.

〡In order to enable the elderly to get a better sleep, a double bed was specially set up, and storage space was added under the bed. The invincible wide window design allows the elderly to enjoy the beautiful view of the sea even when lying in bed.

〡Dong Gong also designed a bathroom for the elderly. The large equipment on the left side of the wall can be easily pulled into a chair with armrests. It is specially designed for the elderly to take showers. There is no need to worry about the elderly being tired or slipping after standing for a long time. Sweet!

〡When you open the small door, there is a large curved balcony. The second girl really admires this endless sea view!

〡 The first floor is beyond imagination. Everyone is looking forward to more surprises on the second floor.

〡The high-rise staircase design makes the scenery as you walk.

〡On the second floor, the first thing that catches your eyes is a small living room, which symbolizes the rudder of the old captain hanging there.

〡Watching TV and chatting, I can face the sea directly by turning my head.

〡The master bedroom and the two children’s bedrooms, each with a large viewing window.

〡The built-in design allows you to place your favorite books and ornaments freely. Facing the sea, the spring flowers bloom, it should be described like this.

〡 The master bedroom also brought a small balcony. When the captain was off the boat, he made a pot of tea. It was an afternoon sitting here.

〡The direction of the son’s bedroom was not as good as that of the sister’s and parents’. When you open the window, you can only see the appearance of this small village.

〡But the design of the small balcony made him happily exclaimed: “I see farther and more than you can.”

〡After reading the practical living room on the second floor, the family walked to the third floor.

〡On the third floor, the mysterious area that satisfies the expectations of the whole family and is full of unknowns and unimaginables. What kind of magic power is given by the designer?

〡Walking up the stairs, the super-wide field of vision and invincible lighting suddenly caught the eyes of a family.

〡They never dreamed that their home could have a top floor as big as a museum.

〡The vault design makes this space transparent and solemn. The wood grain printed on the concrete perfectly neutralizes the cold feeling.

〡A treadmill is placed facing the sea. The family can also gradually purchase according to their own preferences, and build this into an invincible sea view gym. Exercise will become a happy thing in minutes!

〡A separate ear window space is set up on the mezzanine, and wooden boards are placed, making this a temporary leisure area. In addition, the designer’s large area of blank space also takes into account the various practical needs of the family such as subsequent hospitality and storage.

〡At that time, they can divide the space on the third floor with a soft partition according to their own needs.

〡Let’s take a look at this beautiful balcony.

〡The sea view on both sides of the southeast is reflected in the room from the huge windows, and the multifunctional seats and coffee table also make this space a little more cozy.

〡Take the small stairs to the attic of the multifunctional space. A large number of glass bricks bring light and scenery into the room to the greatest extent.

〡 What will be developed here in the future and what needs to be transformed into is left to the future to create.

〡After watching the renovation, the old captain said excitedly, “The house is so good, I want to stay at home for a few more days.”

04.

Design with temperature

It is a design that combines art and reality

〡Twilight falls, Wanjia lights.

〡The old captain’s family turned on the lights in their homes, and looking from a distance from the sea, this place seemed to be a beacon of observation. It’s like the family is calling the captain on the sea to return home as soon as possible, and return to the warm home safely as soon as possible.

〡I don’t know if you still remember that at the beginning of the article, the second girl once said that this is a great team, and the answer is hidden in the special edition of the program group’s return visit two years later.

〡Yes, the most prone problem to change this thing is–

〡When the changes were just completed, the years were calm, and everything was good.

But over time, the user’s living habits, maintenance methods, etc., it is easy to be beaten back to the original shape immediately.

〡So two years later, the program team paid a return visit to the old captain’s family and the house again to see how the family lives.

〡As soon as I entered the door, the flowers and plants in the yard became more, which added a lot of vitality. The windows inside the house are bright and clean, giving a more life-like atmosphere, but without destroying the original design.

〡The host raised the question that netizens are most worried about-whether the typhoon, rain, and waves have eroded the structure and appearance of the home?

〡My daughter excitedly said that after maintenance in the past two years, he would consult with designer Dong Gong every time. He not only provided a lot of valuable professional guidance, but also sent on-site architects to guide twice.

〡Even after the show was over, Dong Gong still stayed at home for three months after the broadcast , in order to better complete the finishing work, and personally understand whether there is any inconvenience in actual living.

〡Until now, the family has taken good-looking photos and videos at home, or if they have any inquiries about their needs, they will share and contact Dong Gong in time. Even before the typhoon, Dong Gong would lead his team to provide professional typhoon prevention guidance for his family.

〡I think this is the real meaning of designers and architects.

〡Combine art with practicality, listen to their needs, meet their needs, and radiate their needs. Create what users want, not just what they want, and what they didn’t even dare to think about before.

〡 and two girls have the same recognition and love this period of transformation, a point to remember praise + watching it, applaud the design team, but also for those truly worthy of a boast boast case applause.