Mottram Architecture

Aug 2013

An existing cape style home just a short few minutes from the beach in Kennebunk Maine boasts of a quiet lot and peaceful setting. The home, having only two bedrooms on the second floor, was functional for the current owners, but wasnt going to meet their needs as they grew into the home. Conclusion: To provide additional first floor living space for this couple, an addition was necessary. Lot provisions allowed them to increase the side of the home by 25?, providing a spacious first floor bedroom. The homeowners did not want to lose the two upper story windows, so the addition was dropped 18? to accommodate the roofline and upper story windows. To provide better function for the second story bedrooms, the office was moved to the un-used first floor den. The bathroom is configured to separate the toilet and sink to allow it to function as a half bath, but open with a pocket door to become part of the master bath. The flow from the bedroom can be either through the shower room/vanity into the laundry/half bath and into the kitchen space. Or through a second doorway which allows you to move from the bedroom through the office and into the living room and main entry. To keep with the historic style of the home, two first floor windows that were removed in the renovation were installed on the front of the addition facing the road so all the windows are the same. Energy Efficiency: The addition was constructed using advanced framing, zip system plywood with built in rigid insulation for a complete thermal barrier around the entire addition, spray foam in the vaulted ceiling and dense packed insulation in the walls and remainder of the ceiling cavities. The super insulated space is heated with an air to air heat exchanger that serves only the new space.

$100k

Kennebunk, ME

May 2012

Context: This home was built in the 1700s before the civil war when hand-hewn logs and chinking held homes together. The home has survived many families, additions, and renovations over the years including an addition of a second floor. The current homeowners, challenged by the sinking floors, small rooms, and drafty walls decided that it was time to make an update to this old farmhouse and make it a functional space they could love Conclusion: The first order of business was to replace the main support post in the basement which had continued to get shorter year by year due to moisture damage and rot from the natural spring that runs under the home. Jacking the home up, one inch at a time, a new concrete support post was built beneath the now leveled out beam. The second issue surrounding this house included ripping all the plaster off the walls and ceilings to run new wiring. It was discovered that some old knob and tube wiring had burnt in the ceiling but was extinguished prior to the homeowners knowing about it. The walls were sprayed with closed cell spray foam to air seal and insulate the home, and then new walls were constructed in front of the existing walls to run plumbing, wiring, and ductwork through. The homeowners were looking for an open concept floor plan and relocated several rooms in the house. The kitchen, living room, dining room is now one open space where previously the living room, bedroom, and office had been. The bedroom was moved to the previous kitchen location and bumped out onto the existing porch to increase the size of the stairs to the second floor. Prior to the renovation, the stairs to the second floor were a winding back kitchen staircase that you could not fit furniture or mattresses up. All furniture in the second floor bedrooms had previously been brought in by removing a second story window. Bathroom and laundry rooms were reconfigured to allow for a separate tub and shower, as well as, as pass through to the laundry with its own exterior access. Energy Efficiency: This drafty old home had never had insulation in the walls. Although the wood logs have an R-value of 1 per inch, the chinking and boards in between the logs let large air gaps that allowed air to infiltrate this home. Having the plaster removed from the walls allowed the contractor to better understand the wall construction and install new windows and doors tightly within their openings. A bathroom vent fan was installed to remove excess moisture from the bathroom, and new Energy Star appliances were installed in the kitchen. New attic insulation was installed in the new second floor ceiling areas and ductwork was run more efficiently to each space in the home.

$100k

Conestoga, PA