WALSEMAN-O’BRIEN Residence

In this, the latest of 3 projects we have done for the client, we were asked to “Fix” the tiny kitchen, add a master bedroom suite and new rear deck onto this modest, military “salt box” residence, without changing the overall character of the house in it’s context of like houses. The addition had to be modest in appearance and scale, so as not to change the character of the house in the streetscape, yet we needed to add a large program to the property, “spruce up” the house and give it a fresh new look.

We designed an addition to the rear of the house, nearly entirely invisible from the front street by adding a single story sitting room, generous master bedroom, master bath and walk-in closet under a low shed roof akin to the original. Between the new addition and the original house there is a very private exterior deck. By removing a side “shed” structure that was added to the original single bay garage to let the addition breathe and to minimize the “over-built” appearance of most new additions, we tucked the addition back and behind the main house and next to the classic little side building.

We also replaced the flat front porch roof with a more appropriate shed roof system and replaced all the exterior vinyl siding and the old black roof shingles on the house to create a softer appearance and to create a unified “whole” in it’s completed form.

Inside, the old wall between the kitchen and former dining area was removed and the kitchen was expanded into the adjacent “dining” room with new cabinets to match the existing, new range, new wall tile and lighting and new eat-at counter for that early morning coffee and paper moment together.