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Contractor Designs Own Home

Contractor Designs Own Home image
Parent Issue
Day
1
Month
September
Year
1951
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
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Roth House Features Pitched Ceiling

Contractor Designs Own Home

John H. Roth, partner with his father, Herman, in the Roth Construction Co., put his know-how to work when he designed his own home at 1008 Sunnyside and did most of the work in its construction.

The four-room-and-bath home contains a number of features which make for more interesting and more comfortable living.

Probably the most outstanding is the unique slanted ceiling in the living room made of dry wallboard cut into 16-inch strips and stepped like siding—"except that it’s upside down and backwards,” as he puts it. Light from windows that stretch across the living room under the higher end of the ceiling creates an ever-changing shadow pattern, with continuously different angles, for example, as the sun alters its course from day to day.

Pitched Ceiling In Living Room

Although the living room is relatively small, it is given the appearance of greater size by use of the white, pitched ceiling with its light and shadows.

Above the fireplace Roth installed striated cedar paneling. This he painted white and immediately wiped down, giving a rich texture to the paneling. He treated in like fashion a stained piece of white pine for a mantel. The fireplace itself is of red roman brick with a red slate hearth.

Built-in record shelves flank the fireplace to the south. Horizontal gliding corner windows brighten the room with sunshine from the south and east.

In the kitchen, counter space runs the length of one side of the 12-foot long kitchen. At one point, he installed a U-shaped work space with the sink in the well spot, flanked on both sides by deep counter space for Mrs. Roth’s convenience. Nearby is a built-in chopping board for which she finds frequent use because of its availability.

Closed Door Louvered

Elsewhere in the house, these are louvered doors used on all closets, which add interest to wall areas.

Roth started construction of the house in December, 1949, and the family of three moved in March of this year.

He did most of the work on week-ends and evenings, with some assistance coming from skilled tradesmen, for whom, he says, he served as an “apprentice.”

A carport and utility room are yet to be added off the kitchen. At present the house has two bedrooms, a living room with dining ell, kitchen and bath.

To date he figures he has saved one-third of the price of the house by doing much of the work himself. He estimates that the house would cost $12,500 if set up by a builder under contract.

The John H. Roth home (top) at 1008 Sunnyside perches atop a knoll, presenting an imposing appearance despite its relatively small size. A frame structure with siding stained to look like redwood, it contains several interesting design features, including a pitched ceiling in the living room (bottom) which creates a feeling of size and offers a constantly-changing shadow pattern.