Old-House Renovation
Manor Born
The judges said the designers of this manor renovation created a "wonderful place to live." The house, built in the 1700s, sits on St. Mary's River in Maryland. Its owners, an older couple, wanted an addition with a great room and master suite that would allow them to occupy a single floor. They also wanted a swimming pool, plus a pool house that takes advantage of the river views.
In designing the new 2,200-square-foot living space, Stephen Muse and Nancy McCarren tried to focus on the home's history. The judges agreed that they succeeded. "The designers were wonderful stewards and preserved the integrity of the existing house," said one.
To ensure that the scale of the addition matched the original house, Muse and McCarren connected the new space to the existing footprint with what they call "hyphens." The first hyphen connects the existing home to the great room; the second connects the great room to the master suite.
The designers reinforced the continuity between old and new in other important ways, as well. They extended the gabled structure and used building materials consistent with the existing ones, such as whitewashed brick, painted clapboard siding, true divided-light windows, and a cedar-shingle roof.
Category: Old-house renovation, over $300,000
Location: St. Mary's County, Md.
Contractor: George Fritz, Horizon Builders, Crofton, Md.
Designers: Stephen Muse, FAIA, Nancy McCarren, AIA, Muse Architects, Washington, D.C.
Landscape architect: Peter Viteretto, Landscapes, Westport, Conn.
