Perkins Architectural - Exchange - Recognition

NW Renovations, December 2008
by John Perkins
.pdf of the original article

We have all seen home additions loudly announcing their presence like an
elephant at a dog show. I have found in my architectural practice that most,
if not all, people want their addition to blend seamlessly with their existing
home. They want an “invisible addition.”

Families grow, shift and are altered by life’s circumstances; and their living
needs will change as a consequence. Whether a family’s remodeling plans
are modest or grand, their addition can blend unnoticed. The right time to
remodel is when you need the space. Even in uncertain economic
conditions, modifying your house may be the smart strategy.

Invisible additions require an eye to the nuances of proportion, material,
detail and composition. Success requires commitment by both homeowner
and architect. Even projects as ambitious as adding a new second floor to a
one-story house can be invisible.

For instance, one of my clients owned a one-level Victorian style home
Their family requirements dictated the need for dramatically more floor
space. We developed a concept that reinforced the existing foundations to
allow construction of an entirely new second floor. We removed an
awkwardly conceived expansion on the back of the house, added an interior
stair and went up. By sensitive consideration of the house’s form, style, and
composition, the end result appeared to be original. When the county tax
assessor made his routine site visit, he stood pondering the scope of the
remodel. He asked the homeowner what part of the second floor was
modified and was surprised to learn the entire second floor was new. His
reaction immediately validated the design as “invisible.”

The design concept for additions that blend goes beyond the simple
matching of materials and the copying of a detail. It requires thinking like
the original designer and imagining what he or she would have done if their
client had approached them with a request to alter the scheme while the
design was still on the drawing board. Carefully “listening” to the existing
house will reveal solutions to the need for more space.

John Thoma and Randi Weber needed to turn their four-bedroom home
into a five-bedroom home with a master suite. Their goal was not only to
have more space, but to have the end result still look original. We
replaced a small dormer on the front of the house with a larger one and
added a small shed-style extension on the side to capture sufficient
additional floor area. The homeowners understood the importance of
achieving the right proportions for each building element. Initially, the
need for space dictates the general size of the addition. During the design
process this will reverse. The need for the addition to blend will eventually
dictate the specific amount of space available. In viewing the built project,
Thoma said, “I think the bedroom punch-out over the driveway looks
original, and I actually think making the front dormer a bit larger is
proportionally better and certainly does not look like an addition.”

Most projects – such as master suites, living-area additions, new bedrooms,
kitchens and baths – will recoup the majority of their expense in the
increased property value upon completion. By staying in your house for at
least three to five years, your property will likely increase in value
significantly beyond the actual cost. A well-done “invisible” addition is more
attractive to the general public and will have greater value and appeal when
compared to a clumsy project of the same size.

Independent of Wall Street’s gyrations, families still need an appropriate
living environment. Will the money be there for your invisible addition?
David White of Guarantee Mortgage says lenders like borrowers to have
strength in the four “C’s” of lending: capacity, credit, capital and collateral.
Capacity is a family’s ability to pay back the loan, and good credit is a score
of 680 or greater. Having access to savings or retirement accounts with two
to six months of payments is a strong capital position. A solid equity
position provides sufficient collateral. Some lenders will allow loans up to 85
percent of the home’s appraised value. Families within these parameters
should be in a great position to remodel.

If you want your addition to be “Best in Show”, the design needs to be
carefully conceived. A Daschund-sized bungalow can be turned into a Great
Dane-sized home, and the result can still be invisible. To meld the new
perfectly with the old, a trained eye for proportion and a deep
understanding of the nuances of the original composition are essential.