Split to the Moderrn Farmhouse

Split to the Modern Farmhouse.

Anytime you add a new floor to a split-level home you pass at your own risk. You can recall encountering others where the roof line has not been held in check, and you notice that something is just not right. They can be tall and imposing as if proportion had left town with no forwarding address.

Split-level homes are a challenging archetype to work with no doubt, but that’s half the fun. Inspired by another MHD project while responding to homeowner’s unique priorities, we have taken this house down to the first-floor framing and utilized the existing path of the stairs for navigating old and new spaces as well as using it to bring the natural light into the three levels of the home.

The rebuilt first floor now has liberating nine-foot ceilings, and the new second floor is dormered and vaulted to keep the appearance of the house low on the exterior but airy and interesting on the interior. The asymmetrical grouping of dormers and gables keeps the roofline and its mojo grounded, while new projecting bays help quell the presence of the tell-tale split-level cantilever at the first floor. The house’s massing is minimized by the house’s sitting. Half buried into a hill, our home maintains a quiet, but proud presence on this established street.

The new ceiling heights provide much relief, especially the soaring great room ceiling at request of the previously stifled and cramped homeowners. The extra ceiling height in the main living space will make all the difference in day to day living. Taller ceilings and cathedral ceilings enable generous window sizes and quantities to let more natural light flood in. When opportunity arises, let it fly.