Additions & Renovations Section

The bungalow was a classic, but more space was needed, and without increasing building footprint on the yard. Enclosing the open front porch and increasing the slope of the main roof allowed sufficient interior height for a partial second story. And the joined triple dormers pushed the front upper wall forward = more living area. To keep the roof profile low, the choice was made for a pair of gable dormers with a shed dormer in between. The symmetry works well with an older style, because in that era a balanced presentation was vital. The new stairwell runs inside the left wall, with a window in the middle of the steps providing daylight and view out to Puget Sound. Both the lower and upper stair landings occur within the new bay on that left side. Upstairs are two new bedrooms and a bath, with higher views. A lower slope porch roof was offered, but the owner wanted its pitch to match the main roof. The existing front spaces on the main floor were extended into the added porch space. Which enabled more space for a larger kitchen and other interior rework. 

Here is the Daylight Basement Rambler to which the rec room & garage addition was made, with a seamless design resolution for the exterior. There are thousands of these Daylight Rambler homes all around Puget sound. And as can be seen, the value and salability of the home was nearly doubled. 

The owner loved her genuine 100+ year old Craftsman, but wanted more space. And it was essential for the original classic style to not be compromised. Which presented another opportunity for Will's Seamless Design approach. Main floor exterior features were left as they were, and the second story addition was formed by extending the original lines to the new roof. Note the new balcony with French Door occurs at the upper stair landing, which nicely illuminates that area. And it offers a friendly neighborhood view.

The wide shed dormer to the right is new. The two-story portion to the left, with its smaller dormer, is new. The left part of what is now a wrap-around covered deck is new. And consistent with the Seamless Design approach, all other existing finish surfaces and features are extended into the new work. And in accordance with the seamless concept, the new work should look as if it was always there. The second story now offers two additional bedrooms and a bath, with a wide view across the multiple acre horse and cattle ranch. The main floor addition portion provides a spacious dining room, with direct access to the covered porch, with a larger kitchen and way more functional utility side door areas at the back of the home. 

Compare with the Before photo below. The partial existing second floor and roof is extended to the right, providing ample space for an owner suite with larger bath and walk-in closet. The existing bay window form is continued up to the new second floor, where it serves as a sitting area inside the owner suite. The new walkway provides a yard access walkway on the now wrap-around deck, to keep yard work shoes from tracking the entry. While its columns are structurally strengthened by the deck connections. And in this application, the straightforward and simple country style exterior trim and finish features are continued, to meet the Seamless Design criteria. 

A genuine pre-war Tudor home. It may be necessary to compare with the Before photo to best see the changes. The existing forward portion of the second floor, under its Tudor steep roof, was expanded over the original recessed entry, which made its somewhat non-functional narrow room a far more livable space. The addition roof was specified to extend from and align with the existing full-width roof behind it. The new gable front wall was finished with the classic trim-on-panels pattern. Note this feature is based on how Tudor houses were built a few hundred years ago in England. Large exposed posts were framed first, then smaller framing & sheathing filled-in the wall areas between the posts, then finished with white painted plaster. And for this addition, the front upper wall received the classic Tudor triple window array, which provided a terrific neighborhood view. To give the desired stepped gable look, the smaller porch roof was brought forward, where its columns could bear on the original brick formations - to keep the new work within the existing building envelope, a frontward setback concern. The porch bricking had badly settled, and was redone. The plans specified typical Tudor large mass columns, however the owner instructed the builder to install standard, more thin, columns. It is hoped any new owner might replace them with era-consistent thick columns, to return the design to its far more expressive Tudor presentation. 

Compare with the Before photo below. The shrubs in front of the lower portion of the home are cleared for a new walkway to the new double door entry to its new basement. Only the front part of the original understructure space was tall enough for standing. So the project began with a good measure of excavating most of the crawl space area. Then building new, reinforcing concrete foundation walls inside the existing foundation. Then adding windows as shown, and a small porch roof to protect the new entry. And again - the opportunity to provide a Seamless Design was present.  With interior stairs, the space could be another bedroom, an office, or a kids playroom. Trim bands and an old home pastel paint scheme completed the look.

This unusual style was the result of a long talking-through project review with the owners. They wanted something distinctive, and they found that extra pizzaz with a round-top set of French Doors & curving sidelights, which found an immediate new home at the balcony access from the new owner suite inside. Two more round-top features were brought into the addition, plus a new dormer in the original home roof, which has its own light well like a skylight. And a new garage below. Note the new upper deck at the front door was revised to show another long curve at its railing. An experienced architect saw the photo and said, "This could be a completely new style. And the new name should include the term Romantic."