This client had just purchased a contemporary-style home of approximately 5,500 square feet, complete with a maze-like interior, curved exterior walls, and a combination of both flat and deeply overhanging roofs. They were looking to make extensive modifications, including changing the character of the house to something more traditional. When practical constraints required us to keep the large gabled main roof intact, we decided to let that context of three-foot roof overhangs guide us in our dealing with the rest of the house. So, curved walls became squared, and flat roofs became hipped with deep overhangs. We also changed the siding from vertical boards to cedar shingles, and added stone veneer at the base. Inside, we straightened out the circulation, and moved a kitchen that had been buried in the middle of the house, giving it an outside corner with high ceilings and dormers. All in all, the transformation was remarkable.
SENSITIVE & SEAMLESS ADDITIONS
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Addition 6
This client wanted to add a quasi-detached office to their charmingly long and rambling 1-1/2 story home. At the driveway end of the house, one of the two 2-car garages had only attic space above, so we chose to carve out space for the office there. First, we added two gabled dormers on the front and one large shed dormer on the back. Then, adjacent to the garage we designed a separate entry and stair tower. On the outside, the vertical shape of the stair tower serves as an appropriate anchor piece to the house, while its wrap-around windows make it very bright and inviting on the inside.
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Addition 5
This client was about to have their first child, and needed to enlarge the house. Originally built as a 1950’s Sears kit house, the low-slung ranch had very small rooms and windows, and other than stipulating the additional space and modest budget, our client made no suggestions regarding architectural character. When we came back to them with a design that created a 1-1/2 story quietly-detailed charmer, they were both surprised and very pleased. On the first floor, we had moved partitions around to make fewer and larger rooms. On the second floor, we added a Master Suite, another Bedroom and Bath, and a Laundry. Before the construction of this addition was even completed, the client was fielding purchase offers from people driving by the house.
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Addition 4
With a nice property fronting Candlewood Lake, this client had three goals for their addition: first, they wanted a big enough garage to fit all of their water craft as well as a workshop; second, above the garage they wanted a well thought-out expansion of their Master Suite; third, this addition had to look like it was always part of the original house. At our initial programming meeting, the client was very skeptical that we would be able to successfully address all of their concerns. By the end of the project, they insisted that we could use them for a reference with all of our future clients.
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Addition 7
Having recently bought a large Mediterranean-style home, our client wanted to make it even larger, but insisted that the addition fit comfortably with the character and massing of the existing house. There were also some circulation issues inside that needed addressing, with winding hallways and cramped rooms, as well as setback constraints on the outside. When the project was finished, the client was convinced that the house actually looked better after the addition than it did before.
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Addition 3
This client had just purchased their home, and wanted us to first come up with a Master Plan that incorporated extensive changes, then devise an approach to implement those changes in three phases. Originally, the home had a colonial farmhouse character, but a large addition in the 80’s had ignored that style, and imposed an awkward layout as well as a heavy-handed and cumbersome look to the rear of the house. Our Master Plan – using a combination of modest additions and a rearrangement of the interior – brought clarity and openness to the First and Second Floor Plans, provided a finished Basement that allowed for a variety of uses, and re-introduced a charm and elegance to the exterior that befit the stately property surrounding the home. To date, two of the three phases have been constructed, allowing the vision to come to life.
Addition 2
After interviewing a half-dozen architects, this client selected us to help them transform their tired-looking stone and shingle colonial home. Their goal was to add more finished space, reconfigure the existing space, and enhance the exterior architectural character. First, we devised a Master Plan that impacted every part of the house, inside and out. Then we divided that Plan into three phases, each of which would be implemented in order. The initial phase created an elegant and multi-functional finished basement. The second phase expanded the footprint of the house, allowing for the garage to be relocated and enlarged, a nicely-detailed Mudroom and Laundry to be provided, and the Kitchen and Breakfast Area to be enlarged and completely redone. The final phase — the most ambitious — entailed completely reconfiguring the Second Floor and Attic Level. First, new finished space was created over a one-story portion of the house. With that space, two existing Bedrooms were each given their own Walk-In Closets and Bathrooms. Then, the remainder of the Second Floor was devoted to creating a very gracious Master Suite, including two separate Dressing Rooms and an elegant Master Bath. Finally, the existing roof was removed, and replaced with a steeper roof that incorporated six new dormers on the front and rear, allowing for a walk-up access to an enormous Rec Room, as well as a large Bedroom and Bath. On the outside, the once-tired colonial has now become a proud and stately home.
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