Great design is about more than just creating pretty objects. When done right, it increases the value of a home, turns heads, and cultivates a sense of place. Making that happen in an older home isn't always easy, but Donnie Blake isn't one to back down from a challenge. As president of Donald P. Blake, Jr. Inc., in Morrisville, Vt., the upscale remodeler took on the renovation of a 1950s house in a Vermont ski town.
The $750,000 job took about a year to complete, and started with a plan developed by architectural firm Cushman Design Group, of Stowe, Vt. Blake worked alongside Milford Cushman, president, and Andrew Volansky, principal architect, and the home's owner to come up with schematic drawings that would serve as the cornerstone for the transformation of the creek-front house into a modern structure suited to its city-dwelling owners.
“They were looking to add space to the home and upgrade it,” Cushman says. “Our goal was to do a contemporary addition onto the original fabric of the house, which was International-style architecture.”
The additions were limited by budget to a new living room and a minor bump-out in the front entryway. However, the rest of the home received a complete upgrade, including the interior, with a new kitchen; the infrastructure (insulation, electrical, and flooring); as well as the exterior. The exterior update encompassed landscaping, walkways, and masonry work that includes new stone to match existing materials.
STRUCTURE UPDATEThe need for a major overhaul dates back several decades. Constructed of concrete block and stone, the 3,000-square-foot home that sits on 6 acres had been subject to several renovations, each of which left it with some unusual structural issues. A flat-roofed second floor with a 3-foot overhang, for example, was beginning to fold around the first floor. To keep the second floor intact, Blake says the most economical and structurally sound solution was to install new steel beams on the lower level to support the second floor.
Other challenges included an outmoded electrical system; a flat, granule roof that had seen better days; and siding and windows in need of replacement. The windows were particularly important since the owners wanted more natural light. In the 20-foot-by-20-foot living room addition, for example, three sides of the room feature floor-to-ceiling windows with wood interiors and metal exterior frames that allow for maximum views of the outdoors. “When you sit in the living room,” Blake says, “you feel like you're sitting on the land.”
Those windows lend themselves to an eco-conscious lifestyle, according to Volansky. Both top and bottom windows are operable and create an environment that works well in summer as well as winter. In the winter the solar gain comes from the three-sided-glass room heating up and creating warmth, and in the summer the windows can be opened to let the cool air in below and the hot air to exhaust above. “We gave the owners the ability to operate windows in a way that maximizes passive ventilation cooling in the summertime.”
During construction, the home's compact size resulted in modern rustic the need for some on-site maneuvering. “Although the new living room looks spacious, we were dealing with very tight tolerances everywhere from the window installation to the kitchen island construction,” says Blake, whose company also moved interior walls, installed beams, and hung lighting fixtures. The contractor's crew worked in cramped quarters with limited headroom — particularly in and around the multilevel spiral staircase when they finished the underside of the structure that had closed risers and treads but an open handrail, with pine cladding.
The particular qualities of the site also affected the design, according to Volansky, who incorporated views of the adjacent creek and surrounding tree canopy. “The home's surroundings really lent themselves to the language that we brought into the architecture,” Volansky says. New floor-to-ceiling columns, for example, resemble the very tree trunks visible from various places in the living room, but particularly from the cushioned window seat.
Considering the number of designers and contractors involved with the project, Blake says it went very smoothly and was finished on time. Work was done in segments, with the finished product being a 50-plus-year-old home with all the trappings of a modern residence.
“It came together very well, despite the challenges,” Blake says. “We're all happy with the result.”
Bridget McCrea is a freelance writer based in Dunedin, Fla.
Project DetailsProject: Addition of a 400-square-foot living room, and complete interior and exterior upgrade of a 1950s house
Area: Northern Vermont ski town
Duration: One year
Cost: $750,000
Architect: Cushman Design Group, Stowe, Vt.
Builder: Donald P. Blake, Jr. Inc., Morrisville, Vt.