By Leigh Stuart | Photos by Jody Robinson | Gehman Design Remodeling reinvents a home’s first floor, and beyond, so a growing family can gather and make memories in comfort.
Dennis Gehman, Master Certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler and owner of Gehman Design Remodeling in Harleysville, has spearheaded hundreds of projects over the course of his career. In other words, he knows a thing or two about how to maximize the footage and utility of any space.
This came in particularly handy with a recent project, for which he completely made over a home to accommodate a family with a baker’s dozen of rambunctious grandkids.
Like many clients, the husband-and-wife duo who owns the property spent years thinking about the project before taking the first step.
“So this was at least a 10-year conversation,” he begins. “It went from, ‘Let’s just move,’ to building an addition. The project did evolve a bit, as we were going. You know, all sorts of floorplan drawings of the existing space.”
That said, the clients are now saying, “We should have done this 10 years ago!”
Removing the Fireplace to Open the First Floor
The family did not have a room large enough to accommodate the ever-growing family comfortably, says Gehman, who notes the project included high-traffic spaces on the first floor, including the family room, dining room, and living room.
“In the family room, which was in the back of the house, there was a large brick fireplace, and we really went back and forth with the homeowners about taking that out,” he shares. In the end, the decision proved a wise one, “because that fireplace took up about 4 feet by 9.5 feet; it was a big, big footprint.”
The choice to replace the old fireplace also meant removing the corresponding chimney and flue, which went behind drywall in a second floor bedroom, and then through the attic and out through the roof, as well as into the basement below. This meant a bit of second-floor and basement remodeling, but Gehman says with a laugh, “It’s nice when the homeowner notices things that can be done and says, ‘While we’re at it, let’s just do it.’”
New Flooring Across Four Rooms
The room that housed the fireplace also featured wood paneling in its former iteration, which, while attractive in its own right, didn’t maximize light to make the space feel as large as possible. Gehman chose to remove the rough-sawn vertical cedar paneling, which was more reminiscent of the style popular when the home was built in 1989.
The renovation saw the removal of the tile foyer floor, stained yellow pine wood floors in the living room and dining room, replacing the flooring instead with a modern, manufactured product.
“The flooring came out of four areas, the foyer, the living room, family room, and dining room,” he shares. “Now, it’s 7.5-inch-wide engineered wood, which means plywood that the top roughly one-eighth-inch layer is hickory wood.”
This type of material minimizes movement, Gehman says. This wasn’t a major concern because of the finished basement below, but he always errs on the side of caution. As he says, “If you’re putting it on a slab, there’s always some moisture issues. Even though you don’t feel it or see it, moisture makes its way into the wood floor, and it can cause movement.”
Lightening Up: Brighter Walls, New Windows
The color palette adopted a notably brighter feel, incorporating bright whites, natural wood tones, and a chic gray tone called “urban bronze.”“One of the subtle things in the dining room, there was a chair rail and crown molding, but now we put a wainscoting of flat panels in below the chair railing,” he says. “We did add two wall sconces on either side of the hutch, too.”
In addition to bright white walls and elements, new windows also add light to the first floor. “New windows really opened the space to the outside,” Gehman says. “A bay window in the front wall, and two twin box bay windows on the side wall flanking the electric fireplace. The space is so nice and bright when the morning sun comes in through that side of the house.”
Happy Clients, Happy Life
Needless to say, the homeowners are over the moon that they can accommodate a larger number of family members with ease.
“We made the opening between the dining room and the kitchen wider by about 18 inches,” Gehman shares. “The dining room table actually opens up to 17 feet long. Before, if you were seated on either side, then people would have to walk out around the stairway and come in from the foyer into the dining room. Now, even when the table is extended, people can still get by.”
In the end, the project, quite remarkably, took only five months to finish. Even though that span included several holidays, Gehman made sure to organize the project in a way that allowed maximum use of the kitchen and dining room during that time.
After all, family gatherings were always at the heart of this project, and not even a demo and renovation were getting in the way of that.
Why Homeowners Choose Gehman Design Remodeling
Behind every Gehman project is a team that takes your home personally. Dennis and Glenda Gehman started the company on October 1, 1990, and more than thirty years later it is still family-run and faith-driven right here in Harleysville. Sons Elijah and Aaron work in the business too, so the name on the truck is the name that stands behind the work.
So what sets them apart when you are searching for a remodeler you can trust? It comes down to three things. First, in-house trades. Gehman keeps its trades under one roof instead of handing your job to a rotating cast of subcontractors, which means tighter control over quality and consistency. Second, direct communication. Your project manager talks to you personally, so concerns get handled fast and you always know what comes next. Third, proven craftsmanship. Gehman has been named National Contractor of the Year by NARI twice, and every job is built to hold up for years.
Kitchens, bathrooms, home additions, basements, or a full first-floor makeover like this one, the goal never changes. Turn your house into the place where your family’s best memories get made.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a whole home remodel take?This first-floor renovation took only five months from start to finish, even across several holidays. Gehman Design Remodeling scheduled the work so the family kept full use of their kitchen and dining room during construction. Timelines vary by scope, but careful sequencing keeps a project moving.
Should I remove a brick fireplace during a remodel?
It depends on the footprint. In this Harleysville home, the brick fireplace took up roughly 4 feet by 9.5 feet and blocked light and flow. Removing it opened the family room considerably. The tradeoff is added work, since the chimney and flue ran up through a bedroom, the attic, and the roof, plus down into the basement.
What flooring works best for an open first floor?
This project used 7.5-inch-wide engineered wood with a hickory top layer across the foyer, living room, family room, and dining room. Engineered wood minimizes movement from moisture, which matters over a slab or basement. One continuous flooring type also makes an open floor plan feel larger.
Is engineered wood flooring better than solid hardwood?
Engineered wood resists movement caused by moisture better than solid hardwood, which is why Gehman often recommends it. Even in a home with a finished basement, small amounts of moisture can reach the floor and cause solid wood to shift over time. Engineered planks handle those swings more reliably.
Can you make a small dining room fit more people?
Yes. Widening the opening between the dining room and kitchen by about 18 inches let this family’s table extend to 17 feet long while people could still move around it. Reworking sightlines and traffic paths often adds usable seating without a full addition.
Do new windows really brighten a room?
They make a big difference. This remodel added a bay window on the front wall and two twin box bay windows flanking the electric fireplace. The homeowners now get strong morning light across the first floor, and the brighter palette of whites and natural wood tones amplifies it.
Where is Gehman Design Remodeling located?
Gehman Design Remodeling is at 355 Main Street, Harleysville, PA 19438. You can reach the team at (215) 513-0300 or visit GehmanRemodeling.com. The family-run design-build firm has served southeastern Pennsylvania since 1990. PA license PA297
