Houzz Tour: Midcentury Ranch Addition Blends In and Looks Outward

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1 Ranch Homes Midcentury Homes Houzz Tours Contemporary Homes Houzz Tour: Midcentury Ranch Addition Blends In and Looks Outward This New Jersey remodel respects the neighborhood, opens up the floor plan and nods to the homeowners heritage Becky Harris October 9, 2018 Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More Photos by Jeffrey Tryon House at a Glance Who lives here: A couple and their two sons, ages 8 and 11 Location: Princeton, New Jersey Size: 2,900 square feet (269 square meters); four bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms Designer: John Conroy (architecture) and Cammy Bailey (interior design) of This couple bought their first home, a 1,535-square-foot midcentury ranch in Princeton, New Jersey, in They settled into the close-knit community, had two sons and completed many DIY home projects, including finishing their basement. When the family began to outgrow the house, the couple searched extensively for a new home but could find nothing that was in a neighborhood they liked as much as their own or that could match their views of the stream and woods behind their house. So instead of moving, they remodeled. They found architect John Conroy of on Houzz, and after talking with him, felt that he understood their needs and style. They used Houzz ideabooks to share ideas. One of the homeowners studied architecture in college and even produced a student documentary on Chinese architecture, and the other is a trained mechanical engineer who had successfully finished their basement and has a big interest in construction. The couple had several priorities: to expand the house in a way that respected the neighborhood s style and scale, to maximize the home s views and outdoor connections, and to create a big kitchen and dining space for large gatherings. And they wanted to transform the leaky 1960s house into an energy-efficient tight envelope. 1/10

2 As for style, the couple wanted a clean, light-filled and open space with subtle nods to their Chinese heritage. They wanted to incorporate their heirlooms, including rosewood furniture and Chinese art. Interior designer Cammy Bailey and I looked around at their furniture and artwork, and knew we d take a modern museum approach to the interior design, Conroy says. This meant bright, modern, gallerylike spaces that would highlight furniture and artwork of different styles and eras. See how to create and use Houzz ideabooks The stream and protected woodlands behind the house have always been special to the family. In addition to enjoying the scenery and watching wildlife, the homeowners, their extended families and their friends like to fish and get out on the stream in canoes and pedal boats. Room 102, Conroy says. They have family and friends who live in New York City who consider this house to be their weekend country house. The homeowners have overnight guests so often that they jokingly refer to their guest bedroom as Before Photo Before: The house was a midcentury brick ranch on a street full of ranch houses and Cape Cods. Adding on to the home while staying true to the scale and massing of other houses in the neighborhood was a design challenge. 2/10

3 Subtle Nods to History and Heritage After: Conroy s solution was to preserve the brick exterior and stay with a similar roofline pitch and to position the more dramatic changes on the back of the house. He added a new master bathroom with a butterfly roof that emphasizes the front entry. The siding on this addition is corrugated metal, a contemporary touch that from the street looks like clapboard. This fits into the neighborhood s material vocabulary. Throughout the remodel, Conroy kept in mind his clients desire to subtly reference the home s history and their Chinese heritage. For example, on the entry porch ceiling, he was able to reuse 1-by-6-inch tongue-and-groove sheathing removed from the house during the renovations. And the front window s mullion pattern was inspired by traditional Chinese wooden window patterns. Find a local architect on Houzz An Entry Filled With Light Inside, Conroy took down walls to create an openplan design. Now the backyard is visible from the entry. The original floors were salvageable oak, and Conroy continued the oak up the new staircase. The glass stair rail helps maintains the open views. The staircase itself subtly narrows as it rises to force the perspective and train the eye upward to the second-floor view. The hallway on the left leads to the family room. Halfway down is an alcove that serves as a landing 3/10

4 zone for kids backpacks. To the right of the staircase is the living room. A toy and games storage closet across from the alcove makes the most of the space under the staircase. Nodding to the home s midcentury ranch architecture, Conroy used oak on the doors here and elsewhere. He also emphasized strong horizontal lines throughout the house, like the one provided by the barn door track. Browse shelving options in the Houzz Shop The powder room is entered through the hallway alcove. It has a tranquil feeling that nods to Asian design in its use of tactile natural materials. 4/10

5 A Stunning New Fireplace and Performance Space One of the homeowners favorite things in the house is the new vaulted ceiling in the living room. On most weeknights, this spot becomes the family s performance space, where they play the piano, cello and ukulele. The china cabinet, shown in the next photo, is one of the large pieces they wanted the new floor plan to accommodate, and it provides display space for some of their prized possessions. Conroy transformed the original traditional brick fireplace into a large modern accent, covering it with textured porcelain tile. It is recessed nicely into an alcove that incorporates the ductwork overhead and firewood behind the wall on the right. Overhead lights emphasize the beautiful new surround and the sculpture on the mantel. Traditional blue-and-white Chinese pottery inspired the use of blue accents throughout the home. This inspired the bluestone hearth and the indigo accent wall past the stairs. Find china cabinets A Kitchen Built for a Crowd Happily serving as hosts to New York City friends and family almost every weekend meant the family needed lots of room for dining and entertaining. Conroy combined the original dining room and kitchen to create a bigger space, designating an area for the family s existing dining set between the kitchen and the family room. These rooms are now open spaces across the back of the house. 5/10

6 Past the wall ovens is a beverage station conveniently located next to the dining table. Kids can easily grab their drinks here. It also has a bar sink and can serve as a buffet. This is an especially helpful feature when big groups gather at the house. Clean Lines and Subtle References Another one of the homeowners favorite things about the remodel is the large expanse of windows across the back of the house, where they can watch for ducks, herons, deer, a lone swan and the occasional fox. We used strong lines throughout the design to give it a simple modern look, Conroy says. He worked with Tucker Distinctive Kitchens to ensure that lines on the cabinets lined up with the tops of the windows. The long linear light fixtures over the island also line up with the tops of the windows. The backsplash wall is composed of mosaic tile. The herringbone pattern is a reference to the brick patterns of old Chinese streets. Find a local cabinetry pro on Houzz Browse herringbone mosaic tile 6/10

7 12/15/2018 Houzz Tour: Midcentury Ranch Addition Blends In and Looks Outward Past the angled cabinets in the previous photo is a glimpse of this sunroom. Previously it was a screened-in porch, but now it has expansive glass doors and windows that provide wide-open views. Baseboard heating allows the family to use the room year-round. The space is hardworking the family uses it as a mudroom and dining space, and it s the husband s favorite place to work from home. A Dramatic Change on the Back Exterior While Conroy adapted the front facade to fit the context and scale of the midcentury neighborhood, the privacy offered by the backyard allowed for a dramatic change to the back facade it now has contemporary style that nods to the midcentury era. The new second-story addition includes three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a study. Conroy preserved as much of the original brick facade as he could and used corrugated metal panels as siding for the second floor. He also thoughtfully arranged fiber cement panels (next to the windows and wrapping the bay) to complete the pleasing composition. On the first level, the panels conceal places where the team otherwise would have had to fill in with new brick and risk creating a glaring mismatch with the original. The composition of these panel and window rectangles nods to modern art. Conroy placed the long hallway that connects the upstairs rooms along the street-facing side of the house. This meant the three new upstairs bedrooms and study all face the backyard. A long 7/10

8 row of clerestory windows provides light for the hallway while maintaining privacy from the street. The chair marks the entrance to the boys study. The new master suite is at the opposite end of the hallway. A Zone for the Boys The entries to the boys bedrooms are seen here. Between their rooms, oak sliding doors open to reveal a laundry area with a utility sink, which comes in handy with two active sons. This is another point on the homeowners list of favorite things. Now their sons, ages 8 and 11, are in the habit of dropping their dirty clothing straight into the washer and are self-sufficient when it comes to laundry. This really comes in handy with dirty sports team uniforms. The barn door track extends far enough for the oak laundry area doors to slide all the way past the boys bedroom entries. This provided another long horizontal line. Here is one of the boys bedrooms. The bathroom serves both of their bedrooms from either side. Note that it has a lower ceiling so that both bedrooms can enjoy the light from the clerestory windows above it. 8/10

9 Pocket doors and a floating trough sink save space in the boys bathroom. A New Master Bathroom The master bathroom is the only second-floor room on the street side of the house. The light here comes in from the clerestory windows under the butterfly roof we saw previously. The shower and the vanity area benefit from the light the most, while the toilet is in an alcove behind the wall on the right. Sealing Up a Leaky House Finally, energy efficiency was an important aspect of the remodel. The original 1960s portion of the house was leaky and not well-insulated. To create a tighter, more energy-efficient envelope on the existing portion of the house, they used closed cell foam insulation in the exterior walls and installed high-performance windows. For the newly constructed second floor, they used a layer of continuous outboard insulation (this means it goes over the studs on the exterior side rather than going between them), an integrated air and weather barrier system within the sheathing, and high-performance windows. Now the home exceeds energy standards by more than 30 percent. They also planned the roofline on the second story to handle a solar array when the budget allows in the future. Takeaways When your family outgrows a home you love, meet with several architects to explore your expansion options. Learn 9/10

10 more about how to hire the right architect. Consider your neighborhood s context and try to scale and mass the street-facing side to fit in with the homes around yours. When adding on to a house, be sure to talk with your architect about the views you enjoy most so that he or she can plan accordingly. Learn more about how to work with an architect. Remember that challenges like camouflaging ductwork in a room with a vaulted ceiling can lead to great design moments. Here it inspired the fireplace alcove, a stunning focal point in the living room. Repeat elements throughout a house to create continuity. Here the elements were strong horizontal lines and the use of oak. See other projects by More home tours: Apartments Small Homes Colorful Homes Contemporary Homes Eclectic Homes Farmhouses Midcentury Homes Modern Homes Ranch Homes Traditional Homes Transitional Homes All 10/10