What does this house need?

Just an edit.

The house is well connected to mass transit and is walkable to the shops, restaurants and workplaces. The renovation aims to retain as much of the existing house as possible and build upon it rather than demolishing the entire single-story base. The original floor plan was efficient and wall planned but subsequent modification had plugged up the interior with partitions that blocked spatial flow and rendered small, disconnected rooms. Recognizing what worked and could be left intact even while removing the blockages meant that construction dollars could be directed towards creating appropriately-sized family spaces and expanses of quality high-performing glazing that would invite view and daylight into the space.

Bucking the trend of tearing down first-generation homes in near-ring suburbs in favor of oversized ‘farmhouses,’ this project focuses on reuse: adapting and expanding the structure of an 1980’s four-square colonial with an eye towards scale and proportion. Recognizing that the original house had been built with quality materials that contained both embodied energy and plenty of life left in them informed every decision from right from the outset   

The existing residence was a four-square colonial built in the 1980 that has a generous footprint but a complex and inconvenient program. Awkward additions with oddly placed openings did not improve the flow of the space. Programmatic functions were placed along the edges and a new, open space was created in the center. The center was fitted with a large open plan kitchen and dining space to create a comfortable gathering space for the family. 

Above the kitchen, a low gambrel roof with wooden trussed was replaced with thin steel channel trusses that created a larger and airier vertical space. Skylights help accentuate the graceful sloping surfaces during the day and up lighting, run through the steel channel, illuminate the surfaces at night. To connect the first and second floors together, the existing wood box stair was adapted – excess detailing was removed, and a wooden handrail was custom made to create an elegant ascend from public to private space. This customization of contractor grade details combined with a upgraded flow of space made this a perfect house for this family.