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.

Converting a Stone Carriage House to a Playhouse

 

This building is what is called and Accessory Structure. It likely dates to the same time the home was built, around 1900, and over these many decades it has been used as a rough, unfinished "garage" type storage space- most recently for bikes, garden supplies, skis, and other recreational equipment. It is far from the house, down a steep hill, and right on the street edge in a village. My clients wanted to take advantage of this cool building and be able to use it for more than just rough storage.

Street side view remains unchanged, but with re-built doors

At my suggestion we are going to keep it simple by not trying to add plumbing. The site size and steepness, along with the existing septic system size and location, just made that too difficult or impossible. So without a bathroom, this will not be a "guesthouse", but rather a "playhouse". We envision  it having a ping pong table, and some comfy chairs and tables for game playing, along with a  desk area for quiet remote-work or school space. New roofing and rebuilt curved top carriage house doors (and removing all those vines and wires) will be the main changes to the exterior. It is inside where most of the new work will happen.

Above is an animation fly-around with the roof removed so you can see the layout for the interior. I propose building a small upper level, so we can connect to the house and yard. This will take the focus- and the access- away from being only on the street side of the structure, thereby making the space more private. We can do this by excavating away some of the ground and creating a low patio behind the structure. Once a few feet of the stone back wall is unearthed, glass doors can be installed where currently there are windows, the family will have a way to easily step into this new space from a path in the yard behind the house.

Currently the stone on the back/yard side is buried into the ground

The new design proposes digging out to expose a few more feet of the back of the building to allow for doors facing the house. This makes the playhouse connected to the yard and the home, without having the walk into the street. 

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