Addition to a ninety-six year old home in Virginia that included two floors and required matching rooflines, dormer and window styles, all exterior and interior trim and finishes and maintaining sensitivity to the historic styling of the home as well as preservation of the existing landscape.

Maintain the character of the original home while bringing a modern sensibility to the entire home renovation by updating the mechanical systems of the house. Provide functional space planning for the kitchen and baths and improve the traffic flow throughout to compliment a growing, active family’s lifestyle.

The renovation was deliberately set back from the existing home elevation to resolve roof lines and to allow the dormer to be repeated gracefully. The front entry design was replicated for the new side entry, and cedar shingles were matched for the addition. Fascias, soffits, overhangs and all of the trim details were faithfully replicated. A new roof was installed over the entire home.

A key engineering piece of the renovation was to hold up the existing back corner of the home while expanding the footprint of the kitchen space below. Two steel beams installed flush with the second floor framing system and the rerouting of the existing plumbing supply, waste, and vent lines made this possible.

Hot water baseboard heat was continued into the first floor addition. Gas furnace and air conditioner were installed for the new second floor.

The first floor blueprint was enlarged in two directions and the existing screen porch was enclosed to create a new larger kitchen, a great room and an enlarged opening to the dining room. A new screen porch was built and connected to the existing deck.

The original breakfast area was enclosed in the fifties. Dark, with a lower ceiling than the rest of the home, the homeowners wanted the opposite. The new breakfast area has natural light from large double windows on two sides. Separate enough from both kitchen and great room to provide a quiet corner for homework or reading the newspaper and yet still close enough for all to be connected.

The new kitchen benefits from more square footage and a vastly improved work plan. The vent and island are styled and detailed to resemble furniture in the era of the original home, while a modern sensibility prevailed in the selection of state-of-the-art appliances, and lighting. Ceramic tiles are used for the work area floor, countertops and backsplash while granite tops the island.

The great room extends from the kitchen and breakfast area in the space once occupied by the screen porch. Opening from the entry, it generously receives a crowd to watch television or can provide a quiet place for one person. Its western exposure allows the family to enjoy the afternoon light, when they are most often home together.

A second story addition was built over the new first floor blueprint and includes a master bedroom, bathroom and dressing area and a relocated laundry from the original cellar. The second floor connection was made through a window at the top of the stairs that became a cased opening. The project also included remodeling an existing upstairs bath.

The master bedroom’s ceiling follows the rooflines, recreating the low eaves of the catwalk roof and the dormered interior niche features in the bedrooms of the original home. A large four-poster bed and a rich tribal rug establish the tradition of this home.

The spacious master bathroom reflects its connection to the history of this home. It features painted beadboard wainscoting, rich chestnut colored cabinets with beadboard door styling, antiqued cabinet pulls, dark bronze sconce finishes and porcelain handled faucets. The tile molding around the tub, the sink backsplash and shower trim continue the period look.

Natural light was invited into the bath through large windows, a skylight and a large mirror. The stone-finished tiles continue the theme of aged-in-place. Arranging the tiles on the diagonal and allowing the ceiling to follow the rooflines increase the feeling of space and light.