The Design Challenge: Custom Build to Blend with 1900s Neighborhood
How do you make a new house blend into an older neighborhood? The first step was doing our homework. Walking the neighborhood, taking photos, talking to the neighbors and touring houses. Next, we dove deep at the local salvage yards. Doors, windows, fireplace mantels, gates and accessories. Antique doors were given new life with insulated glass and weatherstripping to meet current energy codes. The final result is a new house that fits right in with the neighbors. "Folk Victorian", a simple farmhouse with touches of whimsy.
In some ways a custom build is much easier than remodeling because you get to start with a blank sheet of paper. Bob came up with the idea of separating the private and public space in the house to make it feel like two separate houses. The house is located on a double lot, so we divided the house into two wings. The “Big Sister” contains the bedrooms, bathrooms, office and attic studio. The “Little Sister” contains the public areas, the kitchen, laundry and sunroom. The two wings are connected by a great room in the middle. The overall effect reduced the mass of the house on the lot and provided ample room for the incredible landscaping.
Cats in the kitchen, art in the attic, bats in the belfry and a good bottle of wine on the back patio.