The City of Atlanta has many special Historic Districts, each having it’s own set of rules. This partiular district required the house to fit in with the neighbor hood with out “altering” the look from the street.
Original Home
The first issue we found was the aluminum awnings and brick were not original, so we submitted the design below.
First Submission
This was quickly rejected as we proposed to redesign the roof to match other simple craftsman homes on the street. We were also informed that the brick had to stay even though it wan not part of the original design.
Second Submission
Leaving the existing roofs that were visible from the street and the brick, we submitted this second version. This was again rejected because we wanted to paint the existing brick that absolutely did not fit in anywhere in the neighborhood.
Final Approved Design
The above final design was approved. Of the three that were submitted, this design absolutely does not fit in with the neighbor hood. This was and aggravating process for both us and the owners as the ordinances required a design that was the exact opposite of the intention. We have run into similar issues in different historic districts and it always seems to be more of a challenge tan it should be.
It is very satisfying working with a team to renovate dilapidated homes that are also located in a Historic District. This home is located near The Square in downtown Marietta, Georgia.
Front of House Before RenovationProposed RenderingFinished Home
The goal was to keep the original charm of this early 1900’s home and make it functional for modern day life.
We are currently designing a carport for this residence to fit in with the home and surrounding neighborhood.
As the owner of WJM Designs, I personally enjoy working as a team, bringing together people with different expertise to produce incredible results. This team included the investor, an interior designer, the builder and WJM Designs as the overall designer. The team worked together passing ideas back and forth to give this 1300 square foot, 1950’s ranch home quite the makeover.
Existing Residence – 1300 Square Feet
The original home was not in bad shape, but it was visually dated with rooms in tightly fit small rectangles that gave it a very closed-in feeling. Continue reading Sylvan Ramble Road Renovation→
Second story additions have become rather popular in the last few years especially in the City of Atlanta. Home owners living in older neighborhoods want to stay but are running out of room for their growing families. The only option is to go up.
Existing One Story Home
This existing, 1800 square foot, single story home on Charles Allen Drive is in excellent shape and has a newly remodeled kitchen. It is currently a 2 bedroom, 2 bath home.
Adding approximately 1500 square feet upstairs, the home will be a 4 bedroom, 4 bath home with a new space for either a nursery or office. The exterior is unique with prairie style windows and cantilevered decks. The railings are constructed of aircraft wire.
Adding a new story to a home requires the services of a structural engineer to evaluate the existing foundation and offer design of any new footings.
The exterior of the remodeled home is a dramatic change from the original design.
There have been an increasing number of second story additions coming through our office lately with most of them being in the City of Atlanta. As more people are moving to these neighborhoods and wanting to add on, the only solution is going up and adding another floor on these small lots.
Careful planning is required including a structural engineer to evaluate the existing foundation. It is also necessary to take into account cost to minimize additional structural and foundation costs. The foundations on these older homes are generally adequate, however the design must take into account getting the additional loads to the right locations on the existing foundation.
Not only is a second floor being added, but the entire house is undergoing renovation and retrofit.
