The owners of this humble farmhouse wanted to remodel to add space, but only if the renovation maintained the original 1789 structure and 1975 addition. Architect Anne Decker chose to drop the roofline from the original structure to the addition to defer to the old house. “The roofline rises again at the new master bedroom. The new gable is centered on the existing gable,” she says, adding that the disjointed rooflines also give the impression that the house was expanded over time. The judges praised Decker’s design as a “thoughtful transformation” that provides a “timeless solution rather than looking dated.” They also noted that the renovation appropriately moved the kitchen from a side room to the link between the old and new. Decker says the kitchen is now in the “heart of the house” and that all the other rooms revolve around it. Large French doors and flagstone that flows from the kitchen floor to the patio connect the indoors to the outdoors. The architect also created a much-needed entry foyer with double doors flanked by wide sidelites.
Decker carefully chose materials to maintain the farmhouse vernacular. For the roof, she specified painted tin — a material that is used on barns, outbuildings, and farmhouses. The siding is painted wood, and the stone fireplace echoes the stone of the original structure. “The mason used a mix of stones to match the exterior,” she says. The wide plank heart-pine floors throughout the house add to the charm, as do the horizontal painted planks on the dining room wall.
Category: Whole-house remodeling, over $500,000
Location:
Virginia
Contractor:
Potomac Valley Builders, Poolesville, Md.
Designer:
Anne Decker and David Benton, Rill & Decker Architects, Bethesda, Md.
Interior designer:
Julia Overton, Julia Overton Interiors, Arlington, Va.
