Built in 1939 and lived in by one family for 50 years, this house suffered from neglect and poorly done renovations during the 1980’s. One such renovation was an uninspired kitchen remodeling that replaced a vintage fireplace with inferior quality cabinets, countertops, appliances and finishes.
Because the house was small, about 1,800 square feet of living space, we decided to expand the house with a two story, 1,200 square foot addition. The expanded home increased the number of bedrooms from three to four, increasing the home’s value considerably.
As part of the work the existing kitchen, dining room and sunroom were gutted and opened up to allow for a large and informal family space. The new kitchen is located in the old dining room space, the doorway between the old dining room and living room is closed up to create a quiet library / living room, and the old kitchen has been melded with the old sunroom to form the new family room. The decision to move functional areas was the result of our asking “What if we…?” These questions were followed by quick sketches and analyses of the advantages and disadvantages of each scheme. In this manner we provided a design solution that suits this family’s living patterns while keeping down the costs of the project.
Between the new garage and house, a large mudroom and side entry have been added. Coats, gloves, hats and scarves are stored in an antique armoire in lieu of closets. From the mudroom there is a “back” stair to connect the 1st floor family area to the children’s upstairs study. Having a back stair keeps the living room / library quiet and private. A great place to read a book.
At the 2nd floor the addition is connected to the existing house through what had been a small hall bath. The original small third bedroom is now a new hall bathroom. Unlike homes where the parents’ bath is the most luxurious, the new hall bathroom in this home is the largest and best finished. The 2nd floor of the addition also contains two new bedrooms as well as a sitting / study / computer area.
To maintain the home’s integrity, the addition has been constructed to align with and use the same materials and details as the original house. The mansard roof, dormer windows, crown molding, brick ledge, and casement windows all respond to the original. New materials were custom fabricated to match the original where stock items weren‘t available or appropriate.
A circular window is installed at the rear of the mudroom space behind the spiral stair. This window recalls the original round window over the front door. All of the brick has been painted a soft gray as it was originally.
In 1999 this project was recognized by the Deerfield Historical Society and was featured in Kitchen Trends magazine in the Spring of 2003.
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