4 Mysterious Floor Levels to 9-Foot Ceilings: Solving the Architectural Puzzle of Cromwell's Farmette
- 21 hours ago
- 3 min read
How a General Architect in Winchester Transformed a Cramped Farm House Into a Dream Home
Our clients bought a quaint farmette in White Post, just outside of Winchester. The modest house, at 1,225 square feet, had low ceilings, two bedrooms, and one bathroom with four different floor elevations.
Despite these challenges, we could see the potential, as could our clients. Our task was to create an addition with a family room and primary bedroom suite.
As a generalist architect firm working in the Shenandoah Valley, we often find that the most rewarding projects are those that require peeling back the layers to find the best design for the people who occupy that space.
Navigating the Invisible Obstacles On Site Of The Home Renovation
When looking at farmhouse plans, lots of energy goes into the aesthetic, but the technical reality often dictates the design. That's why the best team for a renovation project brings the vision and listening skills WITH the detailed technical know-how.
This particular farmhouse project presented several site limitations, including a utility easement and septic requirements. In researching the site, we discovered that the house had undergone three different additions over the years, which explained those four confusing floor elevations!
This is where having an architect with diverse project experience becomes essential. Solving a residential puzzle like this requires some of the same skills we apply to commercial fit-outs and other diverse projects.
After assessing the structure, we decided to keep the original house and the first bedroom addition, focusing our efforts on a strategic expansion that would harmonize the entire floor plan and give our clients the family room and primary bedroom suite they asked for.
The 530-Square-Foot Solution
Our task was to create an addition that didn't bloat the footprint but drastically improved the quality of life. The new design includes:
9-Foot Ceilings: This was a very important ask from our 6’-4” tall client, providing the vertical 'breathing room' the original 1,225 square foot structure lacked.
Privacy & Function: The addition allowed the parents a private bathroom and quiet space of their own, while the children now enjoy their own rooms.
Connection: The family gained a dedicated dining area and family space just beside the kitchen. To create a sense of openness, we opened up a former window in the kitchen to visually connect with the new family room.
The new addition also included a laundry room, a new hall bath with a more private entry, a living room and primary bedroom suite with a private exterior door to a rear patio.
Down-To-Earth Design
After the demolition and addition, the house is still a modest 1,755 square feet, but because of the openness and flow, it feels much bigger. It's still the farmette the family fell in love with, but they now enjoy the newer conveniences, flow, and improvements to their home life.
As a part of the flow improvement, we took the four different floor levels down to just two. Here's where they come together - just that little threshold difference in the bedroom. The window to the kitchen and the now private entry to the bathroom gives just the right amount of connectivity and flow to the floor plan.
If you are beginning your research and wondering where you can see portfolios from architectural firms with diverse project experience, we invite you to explore our full project gallery to see how we transform challenging site constraints into functional, beautiful homes.
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