Village Dutch Colonial Addition

When I design an addition to a historic home, especially in a traditional, village neighborhood, I want to make sure the new does not feel incongruous within the established surroundings. This means careful consideration of roof shape, window size and placement, and material selection, among other things.

This Dutch Colonial was small (1520SF before our addition) and the owners loved the old house character and didn't mind the small footprint, but they longed for a bit more space: a larger kitchen and entry space, a second bathroom, and a space for the washer and dryer to not be in the basement.  They wished for a larger bedroom with larger closets, and a better connection to the back yard. And they were adamant that the new addition look appropriate from both inside and out- so they hired me! The new addition spans across the entire back of the home and adds 278SF to the first floor and 170SF to the second floor, making the whole home now just under 2000SF. (still quite modest compared to a "typical" American homes for a family of four) 

New Back Door

View toward Bathroom from Laundry

The door to the back, that used to connect to the basement stairway, (see before photo above) was removed and the cellar stair slightly re-routed. The new back door is 3/4 glass and is at the first floor level, providing a view toward and a more straightforward connection to the back yard from inside. This new door leads into a laundry room / hallway that is located between the new bathroom and the kitchen. Details like the cast iron radiator in the new bathroom and the glass door knobs and historic base molding all contribute to making the new spaces blend well with the existing. A metal shed roof tucks below the existing second floor hallway windows and has an projecting overhang supported by brackets above the back door. The home owner installed stone steps to connect this new back door to the existing patio and path to the driveway. 

Existing Side Door Stayed

On the side of the house with the existing covered porch, the same door that used to enter directly into the small kitchen, (see before picture below) now enters into a tiled Mud Room area that is open to the new kitchen, living, and dining rooms and has space to store coats, shoes, and bags. A transition space like this allows one to "arrive" and gives much needed storage for everyday essentials. The first floor laundry, first floor bathroom and this Entry area are not the type of spaces that one sees in small older homes, but they are invaluable for daily living and having them can be transformative for the family.

View toward Laundry from Kitchen

This glass pocket door you see in the photo above provides the separation between the back entry and the newly expanded kitchen. We pushed out the back wall 10 feet and installed flush beams to support the loads where the wall was at both the 1st & 2nd floor ceilings. This two story addition has a gambrel roof to mimic the main roof. Window placement (and then kitchen sink placement, above) became obvious once this roof shape and massing was decided on. The expanded kitchen feels large and bright and has a great layout for cooking and socializing. And believe it or not, it's only 30SF larger than the former kitchen. The big change is the reorganization of the circulation. By removing the cellar access door and the side entry door from the kitchen, the cabintry could claim that valuable corner space and just work so much better.

View through the wide opening between new Entry area into Kitchen

View from Back Laundry Hallway into Kitchen

Window by the range provides a bright food prep
area and a view toward the driveway

Kitchen Before:

Upstairs the smallest bedroom grew to become the Primary Bedroom with two large closets and windows on three sides. The attic stairs stayed right where they were. And their youngest child moved from the smallest room to what was the parent's bedroom. She now has a decent sized room with a closet and without the attic access stair. Everyone is happy! 

Primary Bedroom -view toward back

Bedroom: New clostet next to existing window & radiator

Same window and same bedroom as above:

I always work with my clients on the 'program' of what spaces they need and/or want and work to keep things in budget. These clients thought critically about if they "needed" an ensuite bathroom and decided they did not. I really appreciate when folks, whether limited by cost or not, really consider how much space they need. I very much enjoy working on "small" houses and "small" additions that are thoughtful and impactful, make a difference in the lives of those living there, do well by the architecture of the existing structure or neighborhood, and don't use more than is necessary. Building and living in a "right size" home is a great way to minimize your environmental footprint. Even with these decisions, some cuts were made to reduce the cost. Heat pumps were pushed to a future date (hence the window AC unit in the photo) and much of the labor (painting! built-ins! landscaping! demolition! searching shops for matching door hardware!) was done by the hardworking homeowners.

Floor Plans After the Addition

Floor Plans Before the Addition

Design dates: August 2022 - July 2023

Construction dates: Dec. 2024 - July 2025

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.

Designing a New House

 I am working on the design for a new construction on a square, flat lot. The last couple months have been all about site and program analysis and gathering information and a "feeling"... There were meetings to discuss what the clients want from their future home and research into zoning and other regulations as well as walking the lot and taking note of the natural and man-made site features of the property. (like the 200 year old sugar maple tree I decided we really needed to work around!)

After all that fact finding (input in) my architect brain put this out. It's not going to be the final design (we met yesterday and already have a few tweaks to make) but it was fun to create both the design and this sketch-up model and animation and I wanted to share.

Photo of the site in November

View of proposed house from road

View from South and Pond

View from East and Pond

Before and Afters: From dated Cape to Modern Craftsman

 

After

Before

This 50's cape cod style home was more than ready for an update. We modernized all the systems, reworked the layout, and installed all new finishes inside and out. Click here to read an eariler blog post about the starting point for this project. 

Open Front Entry and Inglenook Area of Living Room

New Bright Kitchen

The entire interior was gutted and a new floor plan was designed that makes the living and entertaining spaces much more open and connected to each other. Walls were removed and wide openings were created for long interior views. An inglenook was created around the fireplace with built-in bookcases. The formerly enclosed staircase was exposed and given some dressing up with a chunky newel post and radial first step. A space-saving corner dining area was created in an interior space so the kitchen could move to the back and connect to a new screened in porch. Windows were added to let in more light from the south and views to the back yard. 

Inglenook

Opening up the stairway

Corner bench in Dining Area

New window to sunny south in Kitchen

New Screened Porch 

Mud Room/ Everyday entry from Garage

New Street View

The former breezeway was converted into a laundry room and mud room area with lots of storage, and adding 4' of width and a new roof increased the garage size to fit two cars while at the same time taking the opportunity to transform the front look of the house.

Craftsman brackets and gable pediment over front door

This place was totally transformed! (And we didn't even discuss how it now uses no fossil fuel either) I can still recall the "Aha moments" during schematic design when I suggested that a small area in the middle of the house could become a cozy eating nook and when we discussed the concept of an Inglenook to create a featured area around the fireplace in the Living Room. And that the kitchen should move out of the dark middle and toward the back yard. It was such a pleasure to work with the clients to create a home personal to them. And what a team Landers Construction assembled for each step of the work. Kudos to all!

Historic Home gets Everyday Entry

 I had the opportunity to work at this historic brick home to fix a "remuddling" that was done to it and create an appropriate looking side entry porch fitting with the structure.

New Side Porch and New Entry Door & Windows

A one-story shed roof "storage" area had been added to this amazing brick center hall colonial. (scroll down to see before pics) It was so wrong architecturally, with it's short windows and wall height and "horse run-in shed" roof shape. But it was built poorly and connected to the house with low-pitched roofs that leaked and caused a mold issue. The best answer was to remove it and design a better roof shape that complimented the stately home and reoriented the everyday entry for the folks who live there.

Entry with corner bench & wall hooks

This was a not-so-complicated project that make a HUGE difference. Aesthetically and architecturally- this north end of the house now looks "correct" instead of having a shed unceremoniously tacked on to the north end. Functionally, we moved the entry door to face the parking area and added a new covered porch. On the interior, we added storage for coats, hats, and boots with built in cabinets. We used wood wainscoting, walls hooks, and a corner bench to create a pretty and functional mudroom entry that vibes with the modern needs and the age of the home. Windows were also added upstairs and in the powder room, ceilings were raised, and insulation was installed - fixing some of the old house issues of low, dark, cold spaces. And the gray paint color helped hide the electrical panel. :)

Window added to powder room

Simple updates- while keeping much of what existed
(like flooring and interior doors) can still make a big impact

Overall a complete success and a great update, that looks and feels like it's "always been there"!

BEFORE - back

BEFORE - front

BEFORE - person entry door moved,
but cat door stayed in same location

BEFORE - side view