Contemporary Transformation Updates 1980s Indianapolis Home

An Indianapolis couple wanting to downsize from a traditional colonial estate bought an existing home, drawn to the house’s settled posture in its surroundings. Updates to the disconnected, outdated living spaces were needed, including shifting the primary suite’s location to promote aging in place.

The architect’s solution was a purposeful annexation of building elements that respected the home’s existing architecture while avoiding matching the house’s 1980s vernacular. As founders of a recycling business, sustainable building strategies were important to the owners. As such, a conscious decision to retain the existing structure became the main driver for sustainability.

The firm used methodical form-finding and material usage to overcome the challenge of maintaining the house’s original intent while also promoting the home’s new identity. The existing home was stripped to its bones. Interior walls were removed to create connected spaces and bring in light. The aged wood siding exterior was replaced by a crisp white stucco, grounded by a new stacked stone wainscoting.

The architects added a two-car garage that mimics the main house’s gabled form and a flat-roofed primary suite wing with a screen porch addition mirroring one on the opposite side of the original house. The two bookended elements, along with the rear of the existing home, create a protected outdoor living room.

A 20-foot-long glass door was installed to connect the interior with the new exterior living area. The primary suite is sheltered by stone, and a stone wall anchors the screen porch to provide both areas with visual privacy.