oldhomestyle@wtdesigns.biz
Beginning with an ordinary 1960s tract home, the owners asked for a covered front porch, for better weather protection at the front door, with enough space to sit on warm afternoons and view their cul-de-sac neighborhood. Where everybody knows their name. As Will talked with them at the site visit, he said, "My mind is putting together an easy way to transform the entire look of your home, to add some pleasant pizzaz - with just some new trim at windows and doors, and paint."
"Yes," both owners answered at the same time, "We like the sound of that."
So the porch roof became an extension of the main roof, with old home style columns, railing and trim. And the rest of the house received matching finish work. Suddenly, the house was not an ordinary tract home anymore. But the project was just a new front porch.
A simple and easy to build, one bedroom rental unit, following the Rambler features of the existing home. A carport had been located here, providing an extra parking space from the street behind the main house. An older gent, who was the last of his family, born and raised in the neighborhood, made the offer to pay for the construction. He would live there free, the property owner would inherit the cottage when the old guy passes. Note the entry porch is fitted with an accessible ramp. Other Aging In Place features were included inside.
Here is the space where an all-post carport stood, removed for this project. Backyard Cottages are a significant asset to the homeowner, providing extra income, while providing a lower rent living space to elderly and single folks.
This project did not add to a home, it removed a prior addition that was badly designed, badly built. See the Before photos. The features shown in this photo are as the original architect - in the 1970s - designed the home. Including the pair of triple tall windows array to its south wall.
This was also an unusual application of the Seamless Design approach, because it called for removing not-matching items, then finishing with all matching ones. So again, the goal for the new work to look like it was always there was met.
Picture taken to show the nicely done work details. And the roof overhang is a Solar Eave, sized to our local latitude sun exposure, so that it blocks solar heating in summer, but allows the warmth in - in winter. So yeah, we can know this photo was taken between November and January.
Lots of problems with this installation. The upper glass panels turned out to be old sliding door panels, not built to handle direct rainfall - the old seals leaked. And there was no flashing at the two outer faces where they butted into the angled parapet walls. Only a thin line of roofing caulk had been applied, which worked for a few year, then apparently shrank, enabling water to run directly into the framing of the two walls. The upper portion of the addition roof, made of standard composition roofing, also did not receive flashing at the two sides. That direct to wall framing water penetration was present there, too. And the material used to cover these two inside wall faces, where the roof system attached, was not exterior grade sheathing, it was just a long piece of wood, painted - absent of any effort to make them waterproof. And while the double doors shed water at the sides fairly well, the absence of a porch roof or wide eave exposed the exterior trim and metal sill to pounding rain. And within a few years both features failed. Again the only waterproofing method found was a thin bead of roofing caulking, which does not handle sunlight well. And the collecting amount of water in a heavy rain overtopped the roofing caulk bead at the sill, and soaked the first couple feet of carpet.
Oh, and the carpet was placed on a concrete slab, installed without a waterproof membrane. Another soaking experience.
And as can be seen, there are no other short parapet walls on the existing home. It all had to go, and when the owners said, "We actually only use the old part of the sunroom; the added room shape and location of access ways actually prevents a good furniture layout," Will realized their best cost solution might be to not add-back more space, but to just remove the badly done work, return it to the original architect's vision. The owners smiled, and agreed.
The front door to this 1940s Seattle War House was in the middle of the long right side, as shown in this photo. But the location left a very short front yard of its long corner lot, and the feeling that the house was almost in the street. The project included some interior rework, to create new stairs to the existing basement, and some remodeling there. But the primary impact was the family suddenly had a more spacious front yard, facing a more quiet street. And now with an inviting place to sit, surrounded on three sides by the family's natural and lush, flower and veggie garden.
There is another variation of the Seamless Design approach here, to where the old front doorway cannot be seen, and the new porch roof extends nicely from the existing roof, and at its same slope.
Here is the new front porch, entry and walkway to the quiet street sidewalk. Isn't it a nicer way to get to this home. And by the toys it can be seen the kids like it too. The gable roof end was suggested, to allow more afternoon light into the porch area. And it offers an accent spot for a bit of decoration - enlarge the photo to see it.
Here is the classic 1940s War house. Simple rectangular shape, no roof overhangs, plain Cedar lap siding and standard trim. They were built this way because the "war was on," and everything needed to be lower cost. Everybody pitched in - that was America, back then. There is the old front door with its abbreviated porch roof, which in Seattle rains didn't do much. And the very plain left end of the home, where the new entry & porch roof was built, is so nicer now.
The primary purpose of including this set of photos is to depict what a huge difference a wide covered porch can make. Small project, but big results. The existing home was a standard rectangular Rambler, offering shelter and simple but very functional living space. But the big porch changed the front presentation completely. And its depth allows for sitting in the shade on warm days, even if it may be raining. See the curved masonry steps? The owner did that on weekends. And of course, in keeping with the Seamless Design goal, the porch roof seems most impressive if it can extend from the existing roof. Like it had always been there.
Yes, the usual look of a Rambler house, although the shrubs and lawn add some soft character to the home. But the full width covered front porch is what makes the difference.
When their house burned the owners were devastated - enough trauma to cause a PTSD condition. With tears and shaky voice they hired Will to design a replacement home - using most of the existing foundation and some of the existing unburned framing. Will suggested a more Northwest Contemporary home, which was an easy adaptation to what was left of the original "L" shape Rambler.
BTW - That's what is a hidden benefit with buying a Rambler: The simple style and standard configuration easily accommodates most old home style shapes. And most Ramblers were built while old growth timber was harvested, so they usually offer framing stronger than many lower cost homes today.
And their insurance company had no issues with the improvement. Their only concern was that the numbers worked. After completion, when the owners walked through their new house, they called Will to say, "Dang! We suffered something awful from that fire. But now we see, that fire was the best thing that's happened to us in a long time!"
An often seen small project is a detached garage. In this one there is a small office space and wet bar to the left, with its own exterior door, sufficient for making coffee and taking a sit-down break. The comfortable size room has a large window to the view over the neighborhood, and even across a valley some distance below. And while the existing home is not shown, the design matches it - to keep the Seamless look value for the owners.
This major addition project began with the pre-war white painted riverside cabin shown. The photo facing side of that structure is now within the much larger rustic Cedar shingle home. The added space is mostly a huge great room with big beam vaulted ceiling, where the big window array provides a view down to the Cedar River. The rock fireplace was removed - its mortar was crumbling. And the wall of the old cabin was given a wide opening, so its kitchen could face the new great room. The new space is so inviting almost everything that happens in the house, happens there. A Nordic wood stove in the left corner easily keeps the classic Chalet space warm and toasty. And the new higher roof peak, when extended over the existing cabin, offered space for an added bedroom space. And as might be expected, the project more than doubled the daily enjoyment, and the value of the property.
Another detached garage, its door not yet installed. This one to match an existing pre-war Craftsman Style home. Note the unusual head trim of the door and windows - it extends to and combines with the usual trim band, which reduces the amount of trim material for the project. And as typical to a trim band in the older home style era, the type of siding changes at the band. Cedar shingles above, horizontal siding below. And the nature of the knee braces is also different. These are stacked 4x4s that extend into the wall framing and are solidly connected there, to be structurally supportive to the gable end overhang and its fascia. All specified per the details of the existing home.
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