old city design studio

This 2-story wood-framed home had an existing rear kitchen addition that was poorly insulated and that lacked connection to the back yard.  The clients desired a solution that addressed these two issues in a technical and aesthetically-sensitive manner.  The back wall had two small windows to outside, which caused the kitchen to be very dark and inwardly-focused.

While the design sketches considered a larger addition in order to provide space for a breakfast room, the final design incorporated a larger window wall, with transoms to accentuate the height in the kitchen, in order to maximize light, view and the connection between inside and outside.  An exterior canopy attached to the rear wall allows the clients to use the exterior space adjacent to this rear wall as an extension of the inside - downlights in the underside of the canopy provide light for reading at night, and the canopy itself provides shelter from the rain.  The design of the brackets that support the canopy were influenced by the historic brackets at the front porch of the home.

The technical component of the project involved insulating the exterior walls at the rear of the home by removing the deteriorated exterior siding and installing insulation from the outside, thus reducing disturbance to the interior kitchen space, as well as installing insulation below the floor framing. OCDS assisted with the development of the specifications and workflow involved in this technical aspect.