Lifestyle Solution

It was either move out or add on. Find out how one couple solved their space problems with a unique addition that focuses on the backyard.

Laura and George Baskerville loved their home, but they really didn't like living there. Small bedrooms, tiny baths, and limited closet space kept this attractive 1920s house from being suitable for today's lifestyle. "I fell for the farmhouse style, but the house was really hard to live in," says Laura.

A Winning Decision

The Baskervilles almost moved, but decided to consider an addition that would work for the long term. The two-story addition and screened porch mimic the original house with subtle departures. For the side entrance, a painted metal roof and chimney flue provide a distinctive flair, but the metal blends in with the original slate roof. "We initially thought we'd have a brick chimney to mirror the existing one, but it looked too heavy and overwhelming for the space," says Laura.

A wonderful arbor and gated fence add a welcoming presence to the side entry. Siding was used on the addition instead of the original shingles "as a subtle departure from the existing material, but the stucco continues to wrap around the base of both old and new, knitting them together," says architect Patrick Parley.

Harmony Within

A series of transitional spaces keeps the addition from feeling like a box tacked onto the house. "You step down from the original kitchen into a breakfast room, then down to the den, which puts you at grade, matching the screened porch on the other side," notes Patrick. Upstairs, the master suite's entrance connects to the existing stair landing, three risers below the true second floor. As George says, it's the subtleties that really make this addition so special. "The fireplace in the downstairs den is angled, the feeling of the front columns is replicated on the back entry patio, and the screened-in porch provides balance to the addition."

Thanks to this well-planned addon, the Baskervilles no longer have plans to move.

ALICE WELSH DOYLE

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Jun 2004
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