Epstein Project
Ken and I met in 1992 when we worked at a local design/build firm. I was an intern architect and he was in charge of day-to-day construction management of all the projects. Years later when we were both out on our own, we began collaborating on projects. Ken's company, Saxon Builders, builds high-end custom homes. Their quality is excellent, and I highly recommend them. Recently when Ken and Jill wanted an addition for their own home, I was pleased that out of all the design professionals with whom he works he called me.
Ken and Jill had a small home but a big vision. They saw more bedrooms, a Master Suite, a Rec. Room, bigger
Kitchen, Dining and Living Rooms, and Office or two, a Garage, maybe a Studio and Craft Room, and of course,
lots of storage. Ken the builder knew Ken the homeowner couldn't afford all that. We developed a Master plan
to be executed in phases. We've all seen victims of multiple additions: houses with boxes confusedly attached,
competing with each other functionally and visually. We weren't going to let that happen. We designed the whole
thing from the start. Broadly, the Master plan called for two wings connected by a central living area with a
covered porch across the front and a deck across the back between the two wings.
Phase 1
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Phase One is the bedroom wing on the right. It has two Bedrooms, two Baths and a Master Suite. A "Jack and Jill Bath" shared by the two bedrooms has two sinks and a private tub/toilet area. We consciously put the Master Suite on the Main Level and used wide doors and halls to facilitate Phase Five - living in their home the rest of their lives. Ken has seen a lot of projects and knows what he likes - and what he doesn't like - so he brought a lot of ideas to the design table. The "Wow!" Master Bath has vaulted ceilings, a Jacuzzi tub projecting out into a bay window, his/her vanities, a large shower with a bench and a private Water Closet. Stairs lead to a lower level with Mechanical space, an Office and an enormous Rec. Room with a fireplace and an entertainment center. Though Phase One tripled the size of the house, we were able to maintain the cozy cottage feel by keeping the roofs low and in scale with the original house.
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 The Master Bedroom opens to a balcony overlooking the woods. |
 The "Wow!" Master Bath |
 The Front Bedroom is currently a sitting room - but that's a pull-out sofa. |
 Another great view of the Front bedroom. |
Phase 2
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Phase Two added 20 feet across the back of the original house. Almost the entire back wall was removed. This allowed the Kitchen to expand into the new space with a peninsula and raised countertop. A new pass-thru was opened between the Living Room and Kitchen. What was the Living and Dining Rooms became the new Living Room, and a large table in the Great Room doubles as the formal dining table when necessary. Two door openings were pre-framed in the side wall in anticipation of Phase Three, and a pre-framed opening from Phase One was opened between the Great Room and the Bedroom wing. Glass doors all across the back, skylights and the high, sloped ceiling made a light and airy room. Though things were planned ahead, we made changes along the way. The center glass door was replaced with a stone veneered gas fireplace.
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The Kitchen island floats into the Great Room. |
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View from Living Room into Great Room. |
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The Master Bedroom with Balcony on the left from Phase One, and the Great Room with the chimney from Phase Two on the right. Eventually the Great Room and Master Suite doors will open to a deck. |
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Phase 3
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Phase Three is the wing to the left of the original house. On the main level, is a side-loaded 3-car Garage with a Shop and Shed. Behind the Shop, next to the Great Room, is the Craft Room. The ceiling in the Craft Room is 10 feet high. It has transom windows over the 12-foot wide French door assembly on the back wall for lots of light. Upstairs is a bedroom, a Studio and a huge Storage Room. In planning Phase Three, care was taken to place the roof just slightly higher than the existing roof - not a whole story as would have been typical, but would have made the Garage too dominant visually. Lightweight stone veneer unifies the Garage wing with the Phase One wing on the right.
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Phase 4
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Phase Four really ties the whole project together. A Front Porch with an Entry gable is definitely the best way to add curb-appeal. The smaller roof creates a pleasing hierarchy of roofs - complimenting the larger, higher roof of the main house. The increased complexity and detail at the Entry focuses attention - announcing its purpose to your guests. The double column motif was "stolen" from the Adkisson project (which Ken also built). The recurring theme of arch-top windows is continued in the porch roof beam and further emphasized in the barrel-vaulted Entry ceiling. The front door was relocated from the bottom of the stairs to what was a bedroom in the original house, creating a Foyer befitting a home this size. The back Deck is nestled between the side wings, with doors to it from both wings and the Great Room. The backyard slopes to the right, so the natural place for stairs is on the left. This also keeps the stairs out of the main "living area" of the Deck. |
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