Charlie Barmonde and Aiden Fitzgerald
had a problem. Their hundred year old New England farmhouse was long
on character, but too small for their needs and too difficult
to navigate (an unfortunate consequence of decades of narrowly
focused renovations). They brought their ideas to us, and
challenged us to transform and expand their existing home,
provide more functional, comfortable spaces and ultra-energy
efficiency, all while retaining the elements of the house
that they love best.
We walked them through the building in 3-D, testing and refining
designs and concepts, then executing them. We both prepared
all construction drawings and provided our team of craftsmen
to carry them out. The final project included a custom designed
field fabricated solarium, one-of-a-kind bluestone countertops
and hearths, custom built primary staircase, hand made master
bathroom vessel sinks and tile, radiant floor heating, a
96% efficient propane boiler, a high performance envelope
featuring open cell spray foam insulation and energy efficient
windows, and low VOC interior finishes.
We applied our design build process by getting intimate with the existing
wood structure of the building, and responding to its character and challenges
with a combination of design horsepower and expert carpentry. True to Aiden
and Charlie's wishes, many of their home's existing elements were re-used
and re-worked to accommodate the new design, including demolished pine
ceiling planking and solid fir stair treads that found a new life as flooring
in fills. The final product is a testament to how the integration of the
design and construction processes empowers the integration of old and new.
