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.

Contemporary Additions Add Space for Family Visits

 

Two Additions are Better Than One!

A front shed roof addition houses an in-law suite for comfortable long-term family visits.

The back addition was completed a few years prior for primary bedrooms and bathroom upgrades to the house. Between them, a courtyard was created. An angular open carport finishes the site.

Front Entry Addition is the connector between existing and new

Interior of mud room vestibule entry

Courtyard space between the two additions

Vaulted Ceilings, punched windows toward front for privacy

Square, high windows toward street in bedrooms

Double pocket doors connect guest bedroom with sitting room

Larger glass doors and windows open toward private back yard

For more about this project check out my previous blog post by clicking this link:

cwbBlog/apartment-addition

Classical Proportions

Shade providing porch along back/south

This "New House Next Door" is almost ready for move in day! And other than the fact that I'm telling you this is a newly built structure, if you were seeing it as you drive or bike past on the road, you might think it's an established, meticulously maintained historic Hudson Valley home. (This will be even more true when the compacted earth around the construction site has a chance to recover and be landscaped!) 

Traditional Symmetrical Front Facade

The classic proportions, balanced fenestration layout, and straightforward massing may look effortless, but like many beautiful things they take careful planning, designing, and thoughtfulness to look correct. You can learn about the "Golden Rectangle" by clicking here to read the previous post about this project.

Building Placement on the Site

The client and I discussed ideas to use color and architectural details that soften what could look or feel severe with this boxy colonial form. The classic white siding was detailed to have wide trim surrounding the tall windows and doors. The exterior light fixtures are sized for grandeur, but don't feel imposing next to a pink door. The porch posts were boxed in without classical caps and bases, and instead have only a minimal base for a clean modern vibe. Organically shaped bracket supports add curved decoration without being overly gaudy or old fashioned. The metal roof and door colors were selected to feel soft and feminine. Landscaping will add another layer of softness and will contribute to making this stately home feel comfortable and refined without being stuffy. 

But of course it's not only about looks. The placement on the site, the southern covered porch, the size of the roof overhangs - all these elements work hard to make the building function well. Windows are oriented toward sun and views. Roof overhangs are sized to lend shade in the summer, while allowing sunlight to enter the interior spaces in the winter. The geothermal heating and cooling system uses the natural temps under ground to mitigate the use of fossil fuel. The placement of the small garage structure gives definition and an edge to the back yard outdoor space. Inside the rooms are spacious but homey with tall ceilings and built in details and custom woodwork and trim. This is what I love about residential architecture- we think about the form and the function. It's not just pretty in pictures, it also has to work well for comfortable living. #lovemyjob

Welcoming Front Door and Front Porch

It was so much fun to collaborate with these design-oriented clients -and our really great craftsman builder, Ken and his crew at Landers Construction- to create such a beautiful home that manages to be both traditional & modern; elegant & friendly; serious an relaxed - all at the same time.

Kudos to the entire team!

In-Law Apartment Addition

These clients have long distance family who come to visit and stay for a while. The thinking was that as their parents age and move away from living on their own in Vermont, they may stay for the winter, or even move in permanently someday. This separate "apartment" space was designed to allow for extended family visits, where the grandparents, the homeowners, and their children can still have privacy and autonomy. I organized the floor plan in such as way so the grandparents suite, while connected to the main house, has it's own separate entrance off the front door and is far from the owner's bedrooms. With the separate entrance and spaces that are large enough that a kitchenette could be added someday, this homeowner or a future owner could rent out the apartment someday too, since this village location is zoned for it.

Wood Stove and wide glass doors to the back from the new apartment living room

Sitting Area with double pocket doors to the bedroom

New Bedroom with small windows toward the street and vaulted ceiling

Entry Vestibule -enter main house or new apartment from here

The addition is designed with a simple shed roof shape, punctured square windows, and dark vertical siding. The feeling both inside and out is contemporary, clean and spacious with high. sloped ceilings and transom windows. The new grandparent suite includes a sitting room with a wood stove, glass doors to the back yard and pocket doors to a large bedroom with a huge storage closet and bathroom. The other part of the addition is a new vestibule entry space that has medium grey clapboard siding and does the job both visually and functionally of connecting the two living spaces.

A Contemporary aesthetic - high square windows for privacy

This is the second addition I designed for this village ranch. Check out the first addition here:
cwb-architect.blogspot.com/2016/modern-addition&renovation

Making things Merry and Bright!

Back Elevation with added windows and glass door

Back Elev - BEFORE

This project is located in a historic village and didn't need to gain any square footage, but needed some big changes to update the kitchen and bath and make the whole house work better. A single floor addition had been added off the back of the two story traditional structure, but the rooms were narrow and had no windows to the back yard. They felt cramped and dark and the kitchen, while it had nice appliances and cute cabinets, was very separate from the main living spaces and accessed by a small passage. And the only bathroom was on the first floor - a flight of stairs down from the bedrooms on the second floor.

We changed all that by removing the wall between the two narrow back rooms, adding a beam, raising the ceiling height, and adding double windows with transoms above and a sliding glass door on that previously blank back wall. This new expansive room now has windows on three sides and offers a ton of space for lots of kitchen cabinetry, counter tops, and storage, as well as a pantry, seating area, and peninsula. It's a bright and airy eat-in kitchen and is more open to the rest of the first floor now, because we widened the trimmed opening to the dining room.

Inside the new bright, tall kitchen space. Double window will be over kitchen sink

Wider Trimmed Opening connects to Dining Room. New efficient heat and A/C mini split on wall

The first floor bathroom was gutted and is transformed into a Den-type room to house the TV like the narrow back room used to, and the small hallway and former laundry closet has been transformed into a first floor powder room. The main bath and laundry move upstairs into an unused bedroom. It will be lovely and traditional-feeling with wainscoting, wood flooring, and a window seat, but also modern and clean with all new fixtures, lighting,  tile, and a heated towel rack.

When working in an older home, I often have the contractor match or reuse the historic interior trim. By using wainscot, traditional lighting and door hardware, and window and door casings with top blocks and bottom plinths, the new rooms don't feel out of place next to the original early 1900s rooms. But the new rooms are decidedly updated with lots of glass for letting in sunshine and views to the private back yard, a more open flow and feeling, high efficiency mechanicals, and custom tiled back-splash and tub surround. (pics next time!)

Former Narrow Den Room

Former Narrow Kitchen

When it's all done in January I'll post final pictures of this merry and bright redo!

Final Photos of Modern Farmhouse After a Fire

New Front of House

Front- BEFORE

Back- BEFORE

Move in day has come to the family whose house burned down! It's been rebuilt in a new bigger, better way with modern air sealing and HVAC systems, upscale finishes, and reorganized spaces with a focus on open rooms that connect to the outdoors, while also offering private spaces to each resident of the extended family living here. This 'Modern Farmhouse' used to be a Cape Cod style home with a cramped kitchen, awkward dated sunken family room, and small dark bedrooms, without much connection to the beautiful mountain views and sunlight available on the site.

New Back of House

When the home burnt, the foundation was the only piece we could re-use and the grading around the house- with it's back basement walk-out door- remained as is for our new design. Staying atop that footprint (while adding a mud room and garage to the side of it) set the design constraints, but when thinking about rebuilding, we made bold changes to the building massing, roof shape, floor plan, windows, and feel/style of the home to better fit the dynamic family who lives there. We omitted the back sun room and wrap around porch, increased the size of the back deck, and added a traditional front porch entry.

Living Room - Wet Bar near Glass Doors to Deck

Living Room - toward front and Foyer, Hall to Bedrooms

The new home is light-filled and spacious with a chef's kitchen connected through a brick archway to a great room with a fireplace, wet bar, and enormous deck. All those windows and glass doors made the interior so bright and open that the old "sun porch" room you see in the "BEFORE" photo didn't need to be recreated in our new design. All the public spaces have glazing toward the south/back/mountain view and the deck. The new bedrooms have full-height or vaulted ceilings with glass doors to individual balconies and their own custom bathrooms. The building envelope is super tight and well insulated and the new HVAC system is super high efficiency. The materials are classy inside and out - and the site work, when complete, will boast a circular drop-off driveway at the front porch and two-story foyer front entry, and a patio with a hot tub off the back. (The spa tub was existing, and remained untouched by the fire and the water damage after the fire.)

Kitchen - toward front

Kitchen - toward Dining/Back & connection to Deck and Living Room

Mud Room - Cubbies by Garage Entry

Dutch Door from Kitchen to Mud Room
and a Pet Door too

Walk-in Pantry in Kitchen

Darker colors used in Upstairs Study

Laundry Room

Interesting and unique custom details abound here to make you smile. We have built-in cushioned benches in the eating nook and the mud room entry. We have cubicles for organizing in the mudroom, dressing room, and pantry. There is ship lap wainscoting in the bathroom and the mud room and custom live-edge wood used as a sink base and as the fireplace mantel shelf. Barn wood creates a cozy plank ceiling in the master bedroom. Fun flooring appears in the Dressing Room and the Laundry Room. And high transom windows let in lots of light. The tile floors have warming mats to prevent cold feet, and while most of the interior door and window trim is painted white, the Study received a stained wood finish instead. Some of the smaller, private rooms have special wall colors, but the main public spaces remain neutral with their wall color. The interior doors and door/window trim is modeled after a traditional Craftsman design and has oil rubbed bronze hardware. While each room has its own unique features, theseconsistent details like doors, trim, and wood flooring bring continuity to the house as a whole.

Two Story Foyer Entry

Custom Hall Bathroom

Restaurant-style Dramatic Powder Room

Happy Dressing Room

Shoe Cubbies in Dressing Room

Master Bedroom w/ Barn Wood on Vaulted Ceiling & Lots of Light

Pet Doors allow the cat to leave the bedroom

This project was a joy to work on. I am often helping people improve their housing by making it work better for them and be more beautiful and efficient, but in this case, it was more than that. These client's took lemons and made lemonade, to use an inadequate phrase for the circumstances. The house they had moved into only months before was gone, along with all their belongings, and they always had smiles when I met with them. They  deliberately choose awesome interior finishes everywhere- from the lighting, to the fireplace design, to the plumbing fixtures and tile, to the kitchen appliances. They had a great contractor who could implement the ideas shown from a photo. And now they have a house that is truly personal to them and they are so happy to be living in it together.

Click here to read the previous posts about this project:

http://cwb-architect.blogspot.com/2018/12/modern-farmhouse-after-fire-finishes.html

https://cwb-architect.blogspot.com/2018/10/modern-farmhouse-mechanicals-roofing.html

https://cwb-architect.blogspot.com/2018/08/new-house-after-fire-framing.html

https://cwb-architect.blogspot.com/2018/07/rebuilding-modern-farmhouse-after-fire.html