Clasic Lines: Detailed carpentry for the trimwork and baseboards, ceder tongue-in-groove paneling for the walls, and Island contemporary furnishings from Pacific Home round out the family room.

On this backwater street, which seems to wind around and about but not actually lead anywhere, you might’ve driven right past this house. It was older, with not a lot of character to the exterior, and shorter than the lush foliage that grows so fast in Manoa Valley.

But inside, the fine detailwork spoke of a bygone era, and a family whose investment in their home was more than materials and labor. The buyer wanted a major renovation, but “I didn’t want to destroy what Mrs. M had built and lived in,” she says.

Redesign: Two former bedrooms on the main floor are combined into a great room that, though entirely brand new, has distinctively older styling.

“I don’t know that I necessarily followed Mrs. M’s tastes,” she adds. “It’s more about respect, the feeling I had when I first walked in. I had never before just walked into a house and felt Wow! I feel really good here. I felt really connected to that lady, as corny as it sounds, and her husband was the original contractor. They were good people.”

The new homeowner had trouble, however, finding a contractor who understood the sentiment, until a chance conversation at Pacific Home led her to Karl Mench and the design/build firm of Concept 2 Completion.

“We liked Karl because he understood our vision for the home,” she says. “He had a great idea to take the top off, put on another level for its awesome views, but also keep intact the integrity of the home. We agreed to build upward, we agreed on no drywalling, we agreed to blend with the neighborhood. And he did a really great job.”

Interactive: Adding two lanai, above and below, creates a layer of privacy yet allows the homeowners an openness with their neighbors.

Concept 2 Completion kept the basement, which was dry as a bone in typically wet Manoa. They redesigned and expanded the main floor, and added a second story with a master bedroom, bath, study and expansive lanai. Throughout, they used tongue-and-groove redwood paneling to give the new walls a traditional look, and kept the open gable-type roof to allow for fine detailing.

“I’m amazed,” the homeowner says. “The crown molding, decks and baseboard are hand-sanded and hand-chiseled. Karl cut every little piece and made it look original. You can tell it’s not machine-tooled or prefabricated. A window covering company came here to measure the windows and the guy said, ‘You don’t find carpentry work like this anymore!’”

Interactive: Adding two lanai, above and below, creates a layer of privacy yet allows the homeowners an openness with their neighbors.

“We wanted to keep the great character and classic detailing you see in a lot of older Manoa homes,” Mench says. “So, there’s lots of starts and stops to our work. Some rooms are totally new, but everything has an older styling. Nothing looks brand new.”

Except the view. With a second story added, the homeowners have gone from looking at their yard to overlooking many of Honolulu’s landmarks. “We captured Diamondhead views, the Tantalus hillside, the skyline of Waikiki, some really interesting views of the rain and weather coming from the back of the valley, the greenery, the steepled towers of a church,” Mench says.

Passive cooling was another bonus. The trade winds that so famously zip through Manoa never quite circulated in the main floor before, so directly in their path, Concept 2 Completion placed casement windows and very large sliding doors. “The way Karl designed it up here, we get a great breeze,” the homeowner says. “I don’t even own an air conditioner.” Mench adds: “The pocket doors, when completely open, give an optical illusion that blends the interior and exterior. And the views are through a real opening, not windows.”

Interactive: Adding two lanai, above and below, creates a layer of privacy yet allows the homeowners an openness with their neighbors.

Like the doors, the three lanai (in front, back and upstairs) were designed to be private, but also interactive. The neighborhood is pretty close, the homeowner explains, and they didn’t want to wall themselves off from the street.

“People here put their work, heart and soul into their homes; I gotta respect that. I feel it’s an honor to live here,” she says. “When Concept 2 Completion was finished, I emailed the M.’s daughter who grew up in this house, just to say, I hope your mother would approve!”�