oldhomestyle@wtdesigns.biz
Simplified Victorian Addition
Beginning with a 1940s War House, the owners wanted to go "up" - two more stories up. Will suggested extending the interesting bay feature up to the new second floor. Which tends to add a Queen Anne element. The other finish selections, including an era consistent trim band and narrow horizontal Cedar siding, with expressive window & door trim, were then added.
Note the little shed roof at the left side. This was done to meet the city side yard setback requirement, that the new work MUST be not closer than 5 feet to the property line. A couple years later the city adopted a more friendly exception that would have allowed the addition to align with the existing building.
And yes, some of the roofing scaffolding is still in place.
BEFORE
The 1940s War house. This one with a bay window feature. As can be seen by comparing the two photos, the project more than doubled the living space, presentation, and value of the home.
Whole-House Renovation to Modern Craftsman
Beginning with a rather ordinary single story pre-war house with basement, the owners wanted to add a second story for an extra spacious bedroom area, The work was to include some rework of the main floor - larger kitchen and eating area, converting a room to an office space. And creating a living space in the basement.
AND - for all of that to occur inside an old style home, one with a timeless presentation and durable weather exposure surfaces.
The owners were funding the work from their own sources, only hiring a contractor to close-in the addition "shell" in one summer. It took nearly another 20 years for the rest of the interior rework and exterior finishing work to be achieved. And THEY DID IT!
BEFORE
The size of the original house "footprint" did not increase for this project, it made more sense to use the existing basement foundation to support the new work. The old aging board fence was removed to improve worker and materials access from the side street. And as can be seen by comparison of the Before & After photos, the project more than doubled the neighborhood impact and value of the property.
Rambler to Northwest Contemporary
The partial second story addition and whole-house renovation began with a standard hip-roof Rambler. The upstairs addition provided more bedrooms and modern bathroom, with good views to the neighborhood. The original entry was expanded, given a more impressive covered porch with matching gable roof and king post beam. The rest of the transformation came from replacement windows, trim and color scheme.
Addition, Garage & Full Renovation
The detached two-car garage is new. The original home was a "U" shape (see photo below). The open part of the "U" was enclosed, to become a comfortable dining area with expansive view over Puget Sound. And the new entry with covered porch and traditional railing was placed there as well. The rest of the old home was updated throughout, including the daylight basement - which also enjoyed the wonderful view of the Sound. All finished in classic natural stain Cedar shingles with white painted wide trim. A presentation that has never gone out of style.
This project also more than doubled the value of the property.
BEFORE
The pre-war house, at the top of a bluff that looks over Puget Sound. Through the open old front door can be seen the view across the water to the south west shore of Normandy Park.
Detached Garage Addition
To the left of this panoramic view of an existing modern contemporary home - with an eclectic component - is the new detached garage. On the main floor, one large garage stall adds to those in the existing 3-car garage. The other much larger and taller stall is for the owner's 28 foot boat and trailer. The stall was sized to RV specifications.
On the partial second story, is a well appointed She Shed, the balcony for which delivers part of the Puget Sound view. And inside the person door is a handy shop, bathroom and the stairs up to the She Shed.
Colonial Addition
Designing an addition to a Colonial Home can be a challenge. Because the original configuration is a fairly rigid style, and most of the desired modern era improvements just don't match. But again a homeowner wanted any new work to be from the Seamless approach.
Will extended the main floor forward six feet, which made the utility and laundry room area in the left area much more usable. And a common complaint is how such a large home could be built without even the slightest effort to protect the front door - and guests standing there - from serious weather.
The six foot added space was brought across the entire front, providing an opportunity to add a suitable covered entry, with era consisted columns - and a covered porch with traditional railing to the right. An entry gable roof matches the slope of the original centered gable above. And, per Seamless Design criteria, all new trim, siding, windows and finish were specified to match the existing.
Once a Rambler
Here is another example of what can be done with an ordinary Rambler house. Behind the shrubs to the left can be seen a covered porch with gable roof above the entry, and a partial second story above it. But the dominant street view element is the addition over the garage, with a modern feature based on a more modern Craftsman window style. Plus new garage doors with smaller panels and a traditional gridded window array across the top. Then suddenly, the daily use of the home is greatly enhanced, along with its value.