Farmhouse Addition
Farmhouse Addition
This Collegeville Farm had been in
the same family for 300 years. It had worn down. As offspring had “left the
farm” and moved on. The owner was looking
for a family that would love and respect it. When our client asked us to walk
through the property, we saw a building that had aged and become worn out
too, but its “bones” were still strong and solid. The old millwork and finishes
were merely covered up and not gutted. The original
Farmhouse was restored with the first floor becoming the living room and dining
room, and the second floor the master suite. A new “family entry” became the
main circulation point: a connection to the “formal” and quiet side of the house, to
the new replica addition. It also connected the outside to the car parking,
barn, and stables. Just
off the corridor, the family room had windows open to the entry and driveway so you knew who
was coming to the door.
The east side of the
building was built to house the kitchen,
breakfast room, pantry, and laundry/mudroom. A back stair leads to the kids’ bedrooms
(with a laundry shoot). Fluid circulation, daylight and views
everywhere bring the outsides in with the comfort of nature viewed through the
comforting details of the Pa. farmhouse. Traditional, salvaged, and antique
materials were used inside and outside. The Pennsylvania Farmhouse is one of
the first examples of Passive and Resource Efficient housing. Here, the
original farmhouse is facing due south with 60% of the glass on that side. It
is also protected from the summer sun with a pent roof and large second-floor roof
overhangs. 20” stone walls retain the heat. The new construction is also both traditional and energy efficient, from
the well pumps to the walls. Framed
2 x 8 walls and 8” local stone walls (for a perfect match) then spray foamed
(2”) the framing to air seal and added 6” of cellulose insulation. This created a high-performance wall with an R40
rating, and who’d know... it just looked like a farmhouse. Ceilings at r60, ultra-high
efficient heat pumps, and then add a solar energy system (which we installed out
of sight on the barn) and you have a Net Zero Energy Home and Restoration that
anyone returning from the market in 1788, or a family returning from Trader
Joes, would find perfect in every way.
Before
After