Addition and Renovation to a Second Home in Stephentown, NY
The existing house was a small-scale “Greek Revival” style farmhouse on a large rural site. The house was located close to the road in a traditional farmhouse setting with a barn and other outbuildings toward the rear.The owner undertook to build a pond on the property. This pond became the focal point of the new living room that was added.
An existing historical fireplace with a bread oven was preserved. The new layout of the house worked around this fireplace and an interior curved wall created a flow of space into the new living room. This wall was also a device used to separate public living areas from the new master bedroom suite on the first floor.
The new addition was conceived as a simple gable form (to relate to the existing forms) but was done with a series of “shed” additions (porch, “Endless” pool, and entry) with “minimalist” detailing. The new portions of the first floor were made handicap accessible. Work was done with color design to scale the new addition and to relate the new and old parts of the house.