In addition to creating a more formal design, the owners of this Brookwood Hills home needed more space for their growing family. As avid gardeners, they also wanted a greater connection to their back yard. The project team, Architect D. Stanley Dixon, Dargan Landscape Architects, and Revival Construction, were presented with the challenge of increasing the living space, unifying the exterior design, and creating an inviting, usable back yard.
This shingled Colonial Revival house is very typical of the early homes built in Brookwood Hills between 1922 and 1926. The original house had standard colonial detailing so Revival used the same materials on the addition but in slightly different ways to create a more formal facade. Over the years, there had been two previous additions on the rear of the house. While the additions had provided much needed space, they created a very confused rear elevation and had not improved upon the overall architectural quality of the house. Moreover, the uneven rear elevation overlooked a back yard with a steep, uneven grade that was difficult to use.
The previous additions, while providing more space, created a confused rear elevation.
The backyard during construction.
Forty sweet bay magnolia trees were planted along the perimeter to create immediate privacy. This photo also shows the base for the fountain being built in the foreground.
The kitchen and breakfast room before renovation.
A view from the new family room to the kitchen during construction.
Future home of the bar at the edge of kitchen and family room.
The kitchen was modified to add storage space and new millwork provided a facelift.
The completed addition of the bar.
The new family room.
The rear half of the main floor was reconfigured, an additional eighteen feet were added to the rear creating space for a new family room and library and existing areas were reconfigured to create a desk area and powder room pictured below.
The bay window on the main floor overlooks the terraced garden with a strong axis on the new fireplace pavilion.
A look at the new fireplace and a solution for the modern convenience of the flat screen television.
Library after renovation.
A new desk area was created in the space that connects the library and original living room.
The new powder room located across from the new desk area.
The stairs to the basement were moved into the new addition to create a new secondary entry and mudroom on the lower level. This entry area flowed into a new screened porch that leads on the upper terrace.
The view from the terrace of the newly designed garden by Dargan Landscape Architects.
An overall view of the newly redesigned back yard and garden.
The masonry fireplace and trellis of the garden pavilion became the focal point of the yard.
Close up of the curved steps that were inspired by the work of Gertrude Jekyll and Edward Lutyens.
The two-story addition with its prominent gabled end and engaged pilasters recalls the two-tiered porticos of many 18th century Charleston homes.
This fitting renovation succeeded all of its goals. The new addition not only remedied the flaws of the previous additions but also created an elegant facade to enjoy from the garden oasis.
