Featured Projects

Rice Residence-mesta park, okc

When Chad and Melissa Rice realized they were going to be empty-nesters in short order, they set out to make their upcoming empty-nest years a time for them to reconnect with the city they love. They chose Mesta Park for its proximity to all the nightlife OKC’s urban core has to offer. Before they were ready to invest in their new matching bicycles for going about town, they needed to find a home they could reasonably afford.  The property at 500 NW 17th fit the bill.  The 1918 airplane bungalow is large enough for them to host their college age children, but not so large that it would burden them later in life.

In May of 2020 at the height of the pandemic, with material prices high, the Rice’s took possession and got to work stripping the house to the studs, hiring Jollybird Design to come up with a game plan to get them their forever home within the existing footprint. In the 102 years since the home was built there hadn’t been any major updates to the home. As was the fate of many homes in the Mesta Park neighborhood, the allure of aluminum siding was too much to resist, and a previous homeowner covered the entire exterior including the craftsman bracket detail found at all the gables. Much of the fascia was just a spongy substrate beneath the aluminum. The Rice’s had their work cut out, and that was just the outside. Outdated knob-and-tube wiring throughout the house needed replacing with modern electrical wiring, as well as all plumbing, HVAC, parts of the subfloor, and support posts in the basement. This house was about to receive the once in a lifetime makeover it deserved.

In the design phase, Chad and Melissa laid out the case for their forever home. It needed a large master suite with good storage and first floor access. It needed a study, a powder bath, new laundry, mud, and an entirely new kitchen.  The existing floor plan had a closet connecting two bedrooms, a hall bath, and then a slightly larger bedroom at the rear with an abundance of windows. The large living room and large dining room were disconnected and didn’t make much sense for the way people live today. The Rice’s designer had a tall order:

• Maintain bedroom count.

• Add a second downstairs bathroom.

• Add a pantry.

• Find room for a laundry room.

What the designer came up with:

• open the wall between existing dining and living rooms.

• relocate the kitchen to the existing dining room.

• create laundry, mud, and powder in the existing kitchen.

• flip stairs to open into new mud room.

• absorb middle bedroom to create new master bath.

• absorb hallway to create new pantry off new kitchen.

• rearrange second floor bed and bath to accommodate stair relocation.

• add in law unit above the garage to accommodate the loss of an entire bedroom.

Walking in the front door, you’re greeted with subtle pops of color and brand new warm toned oak floors. The living room flows directly to the new kitchen/ dining room flowing into the stairs, powder room, and master suite beyond. The elimination of a large formal dining room and relocation of the kitchen allowed for a larger, more functional laundry/mud/powder area. The expanded Master suite and study complete with a hidden door make the entire first floor perfect for empty nesters who want to do lots of entertaining in their lively home. The second floor was completely flipped and reimagined as well due to the stairs below being relocated. The addition of a garage with guest suite make the home perfect for future in-laws, grandchildren and caretakers. 500 NW 17th is a home designed for a lifetime of adaptation. Perhaps purists might complain, but this gem shines again with new life inside.

Before (Above), Demolition (below) and finished product (Top) from the same location in the home.