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

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!

Chapter 3: Adirondack Cottage on the Lake Framing, Porches, Roofing

Adirondack Lake Cottage - view from across the lake

Great Room feature window bump out on toward lake

The Adirondack Cottage on the Lake I designed is now enclosed from the weather. The roof is on, the walls have their insulated sheathing and windows installed, and some temporary doors are installed. Porch and deck floors have been framed and one can really see the entire massing of the building and get the feeling for all the rooms - interior and exterior. It looks and feels fantastic!

I am pleased by how connected each room feels to the lake in particular, and the outdoors in general and how the balcony bridge and soaring feature window really make the interior unique the moment you step through the front door. My layout of windows, glass doors, transoms, and outdoor decks/porches, as well as the placement on the site, really maximized this water-front property. The house totally takes advantage of it's location.

View from Great Room back toward Kitchen and Balcony above

  Other than the master bedroom suite tucked to one side of the floor plan behind the fireplace, most of the first floor area is open. The great room is the focus with many, many windows reaching upward toward the roof, and fireplace, and a high ceiling with a balcony looking over into it. The kitchen and dining spaces are in view, and a first floor office/bedroom is also very visible, with glass French doors as it's entry.

Glass doors in Dining Room to the deck

Bridge Balcony 

The second floor rooms and balcony are tucked up into the roof. This helped the massing of the home fit in with its petite neighbors a bit better. Windows pop up in dormers from the roof and the bridge balcony allows one to be high up with views down into the foyer, the great room, and out the many lake side windows toward the water.

Front Porch - dormers above (temporary door)

View from Bridge Balcony down into Entry Foyer

Lake Side Elevation

Front/ Street view with protected existing tree

Glass doors/windows in Master Bedroom have small roof overhang

To read the previous post on this project click on the link below:
cwb-architect.blogspot.com/chapter2-adirondackcottageonlake

Family Room Addition to a Village Home- final pics

New Family Room looking toward back yard

This project was a fairly simple and small addition off the back of a historic village home, in the place of a former covered back porch, but it creates a huge change in the house for the family living there.

Like many historic homes, the kitchen is not open to the living area. While new home layouts often have a family room open to the kitchen, layouts in older homes usually have the kitchen tucked away from public, socializing spaces and in a more "service" role. This doesn't really work well for our more casual lifestyles today.

Pocket door to kitchen and Sliding glass door to Covered side porch

Standing in Kitchen looking thru pocket door

This project created a new first floor family room, connected to the back yard with a large deck and to the kitchen with a glass pocket door. This simple change expands the family's space dramatically, allowing for separate teen hangout room, entertaining space between kitchen and yard, possible guest bed space, and even, if needed someday, a first floor bedroom for an older person who can no longer climb the stairs. (The owner created a full first floor bathroom already- another element not often found in older homes.)

Deck notched around tree & connected to side porch & new room

New Window over Kitchen Sink

One "Aha" moment in the design was when I suggested a large back deck off the back of the new room. It offers outdoor living space and helps focus the room toward the large (for the middle of a village) back yard. The deck shape notches around an existing shade tree and has contemporary materials and a large size.

Ditching the idea that because it's an addition on an older home, we needed to mimic historic materials and details, was the other "Aha" moment. The new spaces have a bold color scheme and interior trim that is sleek, not fussy. The window and glass doors are decidedly contemporary in their layout/style/shape/color. The new room has a bit higher-than-standard sloped wood ceiling and recessed lights. The deck has a funky "cattle panel" wood and metal guard rail design.  All this gives it a very different, updated feel from the rest of the historic home. (The exterior woodwork does match the existing home. Siding will be painted to match in warmer weather.)

To see the earlier post about this project click here:

cwb-architect.blogspot.com/family-room-addition-to-village-home

Family Room Addition to a Village Home

View of Addition from the backyard

Here is a glimpse into a small project I designed. Let's call is the New Family Room Next Door. :)

The existing home is a small historic two story village home. Like most village layouts, adding off the back was really the only option for increasing living space. (side yards are small or non-existent in village-type zoning where houses are placed close to each other and close to the street/sidewalk)

The home already had a single story kitchen addition all along the back of the two story structure, and then a covered porch off the back of that.

To keep the project economical, we used the area that once was a covered porch and changed that space into the new family room. We reused (and added more) the pier foundation from the porch for our new room, and kept the low-pitch shed roof in the same configuration as what existed, so second floor windows were unaffected.

The new room will still connect the kitchen to the back yard and back porch (we kept a small section of the existing covered back porch as a driveway-side entry for bringing groceries in to the kitchen). The new room will be able to be a bit more contemporary than the rest of the historic home can be.  The new room can someday become a first floor bedroom if age or illness requires it. And in the meantime, the new room will offer much-needed additional space for entertaining and relaxing with family, right near the kitchen. Since the large back porch was going away, I suggested a new large deck off the back of the new room as an outdoor connection and link to the back yard.

Before Photo - View from Backyard of Existing Covered Porch

Small section of existing covered porch remains as back entry

The new family room and new deck expand 1st floor living area A LOT

Lots of light and glass doors into new room

Higher "cathedral" ceiling in new room & light from 3 sides makes it special

New House Next to the Lake is Ready for Summer!

Front view - with "popped up" space across back of second floor

Just in time for the family to come enjoy their vacation home on the lake, it's all finished for Memorial Day weekend. Here are some final pictures with the lattice enclosing underneath the new screened porch, the exterior painting all done, and the interior plumbing and cabinets installed. This family homestead is transformed!

Lake side view with new deck and screened porch

West side view- showing new First Floor Bedroom Addition

From repairing mundane, invisible but appreciated items, like recessing a steel support beam into the living room ceiling and installing a new septic system- to creating usable, beautiful new spaces- like a much larger screened porch and kitchen work area - to creating more sleeping spaces with a bit more privacy and a bit more air/light/view toward the beloved lake - to all new renovated bathrooms, refinished floors, and light fixtures & electrical service.

New Pantry Room view from Kitchen

New Pantry Room view toward Kitchen

New Ceiling in Living Room & Door to Bright New Bedroom

New First Floor Bedroom

Renovated Bathroom #1

Front Porch - repaired roof and connected to new Bedroom

This project combines a mix of keeping the old and traditional, while embracing some new materials and methods as well. Check out the old wood door leading into one of the bathrooms (on right side of pic above). Old site-built plank doors like that one were kept and reused inside- like leading into the new first floor bedroom from the living room. The exterior siding is a very traditional white-painted shingle style, with dark green trim while the railing system for the screened porch and deck is a stainless steel cable type (chosen because it would obscure the lake view the least).

Porches for the House on the Lake

The work at the family house on the lake is continuing with the framing inspection complete and now roofing and siding being applied and porch floors and roofs built.

Framed New Screened Porch

This house is all about the continuity of the family that has owned it and used it - first as a full time residence of grandparents starting in the 1920s - and now as a seasonal gathering place for extended families of multiple generations from throughout the country. Some aspects of the home that exist and have existed for as long as many can remember were not negotiable to change in the redesign. One of those elements is the green metal roof- which isn't that old, but lends real character to the home. Another is the white cedar siding which is very traditional and likely original to when it was first built before this family even owned it.

The other thing this house is about is gathering and enjoying the lake. This fact makes the back screened porch the most important "room" in the place. As the largest space, it is one of the few that can accommodate a large group- be it baby shower or marriage celebration or weekend reunion. It is literally the best place (other than sitting on the dock?) on the property to view the lake.

I changed the dimensions and orientation of the former screened porch, as well as how it connects to the house. I made it much deeper- before it was under a long continuation of the main roof and was limited to 9'-10" -way too narrow for comfortable outdoor furniture. I also increased the width by 2' and rotated the roof and removed any flat ceiling so the space is vaulted up to 12' tall at the center roof beam.

Framing of the New Screened Porch

Structural Ridge Beam allows for soaring high space

In addition, since I was giving the space it's own lake-facing-gable roof, not sharing the main roof, I could slide the whole space over a bit. This movement accomplished two things: One, even with the new porch 15' deep instead of 10', I could show the Town's Zoning Board that we hardly were building any closer to the edge of the water. This was important as the existing structure was already encroaching on the allowable 75' setback from the rear/lake. The other important gain of sliding the porch toward the east was that I could connect the kitchen to the screened porch. The old plan lacked this connection, so this will be a great change.

The home has a traditional street-side wrap-around front porch which remains and now ties into the new first floor bedroom with a glass door.

Door to Front Wrap-Around Porch from New Bedroom Addition

Wrap-Around Porch ties into new first floor bedroom addition

Lastly, there is a new small side porch that provides a way to get to the yard from the screened porch and from the yard into the kitchen/back of the house. When a porch is higher than 30" above the grade, the code requires a guard rail for safety. Since we don't want to obscure the lake view with a bunch of solid wood posts, I specified a cable railing system that becomes almost invisible and lends a sleek, nautical element on the mostly traditional exterior.

Side Porch connects house to yard and screened porch

Cable railing system

In addition to the functionality of these porches (outdoor rooms!) the site slopes down toward the lake, leaving lots of storage space under the almost 400SF screened porch. Some of this area will be tall and some low to store boats and other gear. The perimeter will have a traditional lattice treatment and a custom hinged door to easily access and keep hidden that storage space.

Lattice Detail (from another project)