Circa 1920’s Stone House – Additions Which Blend

This home possesses old charm inside and out with its real 6” thick stone walls and slate roof on the exterior and fine craftsman chestnut woodwork on the interior. Our first project for this client was a master bathroom addition located at the front of the house. As the house was originally built in the 1920’s, the addition had to look like it was a part of the original construction.

Part of the challenge was that the “puddingstone” used for the home was from a local quarry and no longer available in the region. Researching this, we found and visited a quarry in eastern Pennsylvania which had access to a limited amount of “puddingstone” and we selected some of this which matched our client’s house and blended it with several different stone types to yield a mix of stone which matched the old house. 

We also had the mason produce several mixes of mortar, tinting each, so the finished product would look like it had been weathered for decades.

After completing the front addition, our second project for this client was an addition to the right side of the house which created a dining room adjacent to the existing kitchen. As the house is sited up on a hill overlooking a wooded area to the sides and rear, we designed this addition as an octagonal plan with windows all around to take advantage of the view. French casement double windows were specified which means when the pair of windows are opened, there is no center support allowing the full unobstructed view making one feel as though they are in a screened porch.

Because the garage is located at the rear of the house at ground level, we extended the driveway around the addition with stone paving stones and created an auto court. From the court, a series of steps with cast stone caps and planters allows the owners to park here and walk up directly into the addition and kitchen rather than park in the garage and walk up the narrow basement stairs to the next floor.