Brick Tudor House Remodel with Black Windows

In Des Moines, Iowa lies the highly coveted Beaverdale neighborhood. The quaint area boasts tree-lined streets, lush parks and its hallmark “Beaverdale Brick” homes. A popular style in the early 1920s, English Tudor homes are known for their steeply pitched roof, beautiful brick facades, arched entryways and widely spaced timber accents. Featuring asymmetrical floorplans, a traditional Tudor home also provides a storybook British manor house feel within a small footprint or yard.

Homeowners Sarah and Aaron fell in love with their quintessentially cozy home but desired a more modern and expansive space. After a strong storm brought a large tree onto their house, they took the plunge and embarked on a complete remodel with the help of Zenith Design + Build and Pella.

They rethought the entire floorplan of the home and reconfigured it to function better for their family. The living room transformed into the kitchen and the kitchen into the living room. Additional space was added to both the first and second floors. This paved the way for a larger kitchen, mudroom, pantry, master bedroom and primary bath. To utilize the extra square footage on the second floor, the homeowners renovated a bedroom and added a new hangout area with a TV built into the staircase.

Brick Tudor homes are known for their tall and narrow windows. To keep the traditional look, the project designer recommended Pella Lifestyle Series wood windows. The black wood windows deliver natural beauty, warmth and the design flexibility to pick options to best suit the home.

“We just knew we wanted Pella windows throughout — locally owned and the best of the best!”

- Sarah, homeowner

The homeowners settled on a mixture of double-hung, awning and picture windows with a Black painted exterior and a Black stain interior. On the exterior, all of the black windows have low-maintenance EnduraClad® aluminum cladding that will remain beautiful for years, with minimal upkeep. The black windows create a charming, yet dramatic look between the red brick, light stone and the dark siding.

The windows feature black grilles-between-the-glass with a traditional contour profile. This delivers the classic look of individual windowpanes, honoring the home’s historic Tudor aesthetic, while providing modern day conveniences of easier cleaning and enhanced energy efficiency.

The designer and homeowners created a cohesive window package by leveraging two historic grille patterns. The double-hung windows and awning windows showcase an equally divided top sash, a modern interpretation of the vertical grilles. The giant three-wide picture windows in both the first and second floor addition make a special statement with a Traditional grille pattern. This draws the eye and creates a stunning focal point.

In the same location as the old living room sits the new, spacious kitchen. The almost floor to ceiling picture windows make the room feel larger by flooding the space with natural light. Against the bright, Benjamin Moore “Cloud White” interior walls and “Revere Pewter” trim, the black stained window interior draws the eye.

“We wanted our new kitchen to feel modern, but also feel of the style of the home. We loved the idea of floor-to-ceiling windows with traditional grilles to fill it with natural light.”

– Sarah, homeowner

The space feels modern but has touches of old-world charm with the selected paint colors, traditional furnishings and between-the-glass grilles in the window. The expansive three-wide windows help breathe life into the space and give you the feeling you are amongst the lush garden outside.

Black replacement windows brought this brick Tudor house into the modern age. This innovative design helped earn the home the Best Use of Space award from the Home Builders Association Tour of Remodeled Homes and Pella’s People’s Choice Award.

Ready to modernize your classic home? Schedule a free consultation with a Pella expert.