Parts of this farmhouse date back to the Revolutionary War, with many subsequent additions to the sides, out and above - designed more for the interior logic and needs than exterior organization. Built into a low mound, part of the nearby Shawangunk Mountains topographic features, the house faces away from the family pond on the opposite side of the mound.

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Typical of early houses, the ceiling heights are very low and the rooms sized for the activities needed- tiny by today's expectations.

 

The family asked how could an addition work to give a large gathering room and a view to the pond? We first came up with a concept that would have minimal intervention with the historic and original house​ - hands off as much as possible. We create a symbolic time portal through one of the kitchen cabinets, leading you down a few steps, under the existing yard, to the new, modern grand room with an expansive view of the pond. 

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We ultimately settled on a complex addition to the house to create the large gathering space, a larger kitchen and dining area, and a primary suite- all on the same floor. We raised the ceiling of a former bedroom to act as a new family room, adding more natural light from a trio of former low attic windows. The skewed geometry of the addition links back to a removed storage shed.

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The large kitchen and dining room connects at the corner of the house, now exposed at the interior.  Re-use of the hand-hewn timber for the new structure lent a patina to the new addition.

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We created the large primary suite at the same level as the new living spaces so that family members can navigate easily now and in the future. 

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