The design for a new guest suite above an existing garage added a strong anchor to one end of this traditional New England cape style home, and provided needed space and flexibility for the clients.

Approaching the entry court with the garage ahead and the front entry porch of the main house to the left.

Garage and Attic, “Before,” with mudroom entry to the left, and Garage with New Guest Suite, “After”

The new taller roof line and double window signal living space above the garage. The entry to the new guest suite is set to the right of the garage for privacy, and to balance the entry to the family mudroom to the left of the garage. The open porch and stone landscape path at the guest suite entry emphasize connection to the landscape that is also an important feature of the house overall.

 Front porch and formal front entry, garage door trim detail, and dog ramp at the mudroom steps.

Guest entry with windows stepping up to the second floor, and the stone landscape path leading past the door to the guest bike storage/mechanical room.
 

Guest bike storage/mechanical room entry with stone step. The landscape path leads to the informal garden between the house and the stone wall at the edge of the meadow, the family room patio, and the sunroom beyond.
 

 Back of the garage and guest suite, with the family room to the right, overlooking the garden and meadow.
 

View from the meadow of the rest of the house, with the one story family room wing between the garage/guest suite and the original Cape. The sun room at the Southwest corner of the original house, and the bay beyond at the formal living room, additions done in 1998, face a formal walled terrace.

Project completed by Lipcon Construction, Concord, MA.

 
Our clients and their two children lived in a one story 1950’s Bungalow in a hillside neighborhood with a beautiful water view. They loved the informal village feel of the neighborhood and the easy access to outdoor activities but they needed more space for their growing family. They also needed office space for telecommuting days, upgrades to mechanical systems, and improved energy efficiency
 

View of South side
 

The addition of a second floor provides space for bedrooms, bath, laundry and primary suite, and views of the lake to the front and south side of the house. The south facing roof allows for future solar panels. Generous windows with wide, flat trim, angle brackets at the eaves and front entry roof, and the natural fir doors add interest to the straightforward shape of the house.

Project completed in 2016. Built by D.B. Schroeder & Co., Inc.

Front View

Our clients and their two children lived in a small Cape in a neighborhood they love and want to stay in. They could walk to shops and public transportation, had a nice big yard, great schools, and wonderful neighbors, but they needed more space for their growing family. After considering moving within the neighborhood they chose to add space and improve the overall quality of their own house.
 

 Before and After front view.
 

Living Room View.
 

Kitchen-Dining View
 

Kitchen Window View
 

Kitchen View
 

 Primary Bedroom Interior
 

Deck detail
 

Front and back porches

A second floor was added to provide space for two bedrooms with a shared bath and a primary suite with bath and walk-in closet. A new front porch keeps the scale and style of the house compatible with the neighborhood and provides sheltered outdoor space.

A more generous entry hall and new stair to the second floor lead the reorganization of the first floor. The two existing bedrooms were converted to a home office and a mud room, while the existing galley kitchen space was opened up to give more space to the living and dining area. The kitchen was relocated to the former family room space at the back of the house with access to a new patio area.

The kitchen features simple Ikea cabinets with elegant granite countertops. Reusing existing Energy Star rated appliances helped keep costs down. The new windows and French doors provide good views of back yard. Natural daylight on 3 sides helps connect the family with the changing times of day and variations of the seasons.
 

What helps make the project ‘green’?

• Staying in the city to minimize transportation needs
• Keeping as much of the existing structure as possible and keeping the addition modest – just enough to provide needed program spaces
• Improving energy performance of existing house and building the new to a high standard
• Incorporating products and systems to improve air quality for occupants with allergies
• Incorporating ‘green’ materials and Energy Star products (and re-using existing) where possible, such as Hardi-plank siding, wood flooring, lighting and appliances.

 
Photos of this project appear in the 2010 book Practical Green Remodeling – Down-to-Earth Solutions for Everyday Homes.
 

Expanding to accommodate a growing family.

My clients’ existing split-level home with colonial details had a 2-car garage, home office, and bath on the lower level, the kitchen, dining, and living areas on main level, and 3 bedrooms with 2 baths on upper level.  Built in 1960, it had been well maintained, and has a nice private, though steeply sloped, back yard.

WDS|A designed a master suite and home office space in a new 2^nd floor above the existing main living level of the house.  The new 2^nd floor office space at the front of the house provides more natural light that the clients wanted, and allowed the lower level office space to be converted to a suite for a live-in caregiver.
 

 Windows in the new home office space, almost done.
 

Rear view from below in back yard, in progress and almost done.

At the back of the main level an existing screened porch off of the dining area was replaced with a sunroom with sliding doors opening onto the new decks overlooking the steeply slopping back yard.  New French doors bring more light from the sunroom into the dining area.  The existing living room picture window was replaced with sliding doors for access to the new decks as well.

At the front of the house a larger entry porch was created to provide a sitting area and balance the larger new volume of the house. Small square windows in the top of the tall porch space were designed to allow more natural light to reach the front door in the day time, while a hanging lantern fixture creates a warm glow after dark.   Both the new front porch and the back decks will have cable style railings and guards for a contemporary look.
 

 

 
 
 

Construction by Stevens Burke, LLC, completed 2019.