Transformation

 Adding space by going up can help stretch the budget. There is framing of walls and roofs, but no excavation or foundation work required. This project did just that and the change in feeling and function is HUGE. Taking the opportunity to redesign the window and roof arrangement and change the vinyl siding materials to solid materials allowed for a whole new look. Removing fussy porch railing and wrapping roof and too-thin posts and installing new lighting and doors helped us take a mundane suburban modular house and transform it into a chic modern farmhouse.

New Modern Farmhouse 

During Construction - view from NW

During Construction - view from SW

Front of House Before

A large playroom was added above the garage (right side) and a primary bedroom suite was added above the other one story area on the north/left side of the house. With all this extra space and new bathrooms upstairs, this family didn't need to add to the footprint of the home. The living room will be so much larger when all the kids toys are up in the playroom!

Before- Front Garage Section

New Playroom above

The original vinyl windows that came with this modular home were not performing well, and the interior trimwork was more 'builder colonial' than the updated style my clients wanted. So new black-on-the-exterior windows with sa single vertical divided lite '2 over 2' pattern were ordered and installed with new painted square-edge interior trim. The update is dramatic!

New clean white window casing

New Dormer in New Bedroom

Former Window & Trim Style 
that was replaced

Back of House

Back of house- BEFORE the 2 additions

When the project is complete (soon!) I will head back for final photos and post them to share. In these snap shots try to ignore the piles of building materials and the sections of unpainted trim. :)

New Back Door 

New Front Door

Roof Shape Transformation

 

Second Floor Area expanded and gable roof shape replaces almost-flat roof

Front view before

The shape and arrangement of the roofs at any structure greatly influences how the building looks, feels, and functions. Some existing structures, than have been added to over decades (sometimes one room at a time) can look very disorganized and overly complicated. Oftentimes when I begin a renovation or an addition to an existing older home, I have to start by thinking about the roofs.

Back view before

This home is a good example. This existing house may have started it's life as a timber barn in the late 1800s, and it was modified and added onto multiple times with varying level of skill as the owners converted it into a home, added modern amenities, and needed more space. My clients bought it thinking it could be renovated into their forever home with just a small bit of space added, so I designed a second floor addition over an area that had been only one story, and a small addition off the back. We came up with a completely new interior layout that would work for their family but even with all that, one of the most important design tactics I brought to the process was creating order from the jumble of low-pitch roofs housing low-ceilings rooms. The new home has shapes that look intentional rather than cobbled. Bringing order to what has become a mess is what a good designer can do. Part of if, for me, is looking at how the structure wants to be organized. Usually there is a logic that can be uncovered and brought forth. And this isn't esoteric - this can be about real-world solutions for shedding rain and snow as much as anything.

Back view before

I hope you can see how the change from low, almost flat roof shapes to more traditional, appropriate gabled roof shapes improved how this house looks and feels. And how, while client's eyes are focused on the floor plan, an architect is thinking in three dimensions to make a cohesive whole and can make it seem effortless. This cute building now accepts the challenge and succeeds at holding it's place in the streetscape of the historic village of which it is a part.