1,100 square feet of new space to a modest 1,300 square foot house and maintain a cottage-like scale?
That was the primary challenge of this addition/renovation project. Small houses are notoriously resistant to additions, and Capes can be particularly difficult. Cape additions often end up blocky and awkward as their designers seek to maximize interior space; or the addition dominates the modest original house in a tail-wagging-the-dog manner; or the conversion to a 2-story colonial results in an ungainly top-heaviness.
In this project, 2,400 square feet of living space was accommodated within a 1-1/2 story, L-shaped mass. Horizontal bands of shingles and clapboards, joined by a white accent band, unify the exterior, while two-over-two windows lend an easy grace.
Before: A typically modest post-WWII Cape. No dormers, no front porch, and a front door that when swung open collided with the stair to the second floor!
After: A rear addition containing a Family Room, Breakfast Room, and Master Bedroom Suite is at left (rear of house) in the above photo. The addition's roof extends forward to present a new front-facing gable, which admits daylight into a formerly dark bedroom. Farther to the right are a new foyer/porch and a shed dormer addition.
What to avoid:
The blocky awkwardness of
many Cape additions, such as
this one in suburban Boston.