BUILDING / EAST BILOXI / A HOUSE FOR JANICE

This is Janice.
Janice Kennedy grew up with five sisters and one brother in the house that her father built in 1955 on Nixon Street. She had returned to live there about 6 years before Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed her home. Prior to the storm, Janice cared for many of her family members here when they fell ill. After it is completed by Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia, Janice will be moving into the home with her sister Doris, who requires handicap accessibility. Janice’s daughter, who is now in college, will stay in the guest room when she comes home to visit.

With this in mind, the main design issues addressed with the revised plan of Janice’s house include making the bathroom larger and creating a bedroom for Doris that is spacious and easy to maneuver around. By moving the front door from the North side of the house to the West side, the front bedroom can be extended and a generous walk-through closet area is possible.  The bathroom can be accessed directly from that bedroom, as well as the hallway, and is outfitted with an accessible walk-in shower and hand-rails for the toilet.

Additionally, Janice will continue to host her young relatives (she has 14 neices and nephews that have been visiting her here over the summers), so it was very important to include a kitchen layout that provided for plenty of cabinet and counter space, and would be open to the rest of the public areas of the house.

Original floor joists are being leveled and interior framing work is underway. March, 2007.


Janice’s house being turned inside out. March, 2007

West Elevation

Revised Plan

Existing Plan