home >> at home
6
An energy-efficient
starter home in Royal
Oak was made to order
for its young couple.
Lynne Konstantin I Design Writer
Brett Mountain I Photographer
lene Techner could not have been happier. Her recent-
ly engaged son, Chad, was moving back to Michigan
with his bride-to-be, Whitney, from Oregon.
So Techner, a licensed builder and contractor and
owner of Itec Enterprises in Birmingham, set out to find
them a home.
"We knew we wanted to live in the Royal Oak area and
be able to walk downtown," says Chad, who went to work
with his father, David Techner, at Ira Kaufman Chapel in
Southfield as a member of the fourth generation in the
family business.
"This house came on the market while we were still in
Oregon, and we were competing against five other offers
the same day. It was exactly what we wanted: It was a
great neighborhood and had a nice foundation, but it
needed a lot of work. That's where my mom came in:'
Ilene's business specializes in energy efficiency and
sustainable construction, priorities to both Chad and
Whitney, so the team began working together via email
to create the starter home of their dreams: green, airy
and homey.
"We were planning our wedding and renovating
this house, both long-distance, at the same time," says
Whitney. "After living through that, we knew we would
be fine. And both — the wedding and the house — were
perfect:'
To create the feeling of space in the 900-square-foot
Royal Oak ranch, Ilene extended the ceilings into the
attic, some peaking at 16 feet, leaving just enough
space for insulation. Before returning home to Michigan,
Chad attended the Western Culinary Institute in
Portland, so "the kitchen was important," he says. The
couple keeps chickens and ducks for meat and harvests
raspberries, potatoes, asparagus, onions and more in
their backyard in an effort to eat what they grow. "He's
really the chef," says Whitney. "But we like to make
cheese together"; cheddar, Gouda and feta are favorites.
Whitney chose the pale robin's-egg blue paint in the
dining area, which softens the rich tobacco-hued floors
and glass and stone backsplash and picks up the flecks
of shimmering blue in the granite countertops. Custom
cabinets by Dennis Putnam, of Putnam Cabinetry in
Farmington Hills, create a clean yet cozy effect in the
small space, and a double tub sink without the divider
is placed at an angle. "It's the greatest thing ever,"
says Chad. "I can fit anything in there." Though limited
by space, Chad went for power with the gas stove,
which, equipped with 13,000 BTUs, can heat a 10-gallon
stockpot without waiting the several hours it would take
a normal stove. To create a clear distinction between
the kitchen and dining area, Whitney suggested leaving
the backsplash tiles with an un-sanded ragged edge.
❑
Green House on page 52
Do you have a home you'd like to share with the community? Contact Lynne Konstantin at Ikonstantin@thejewishnews.com .
March 13 • 2014
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