Development on adjacent properties had altered the water views and natural light patterns of this historic late 19th century home, requiring a shift in the use patterns within the house. To address the owner’s concerns, windows were added on the southeast side of the home, better connecting that side of the house to the views of Spa Creek and the Annapolis skyline.  The project added a new screened porch on the water side of the house, which in addition to providing lovely outdoor living space also provided sun protection to the great room. A new second floor master bedroom suite was created with its own balcony looking out over the creek as well. The project included some minor reorganization of the main floor, and the construction of a guest suite with its own walk out porch in the basement.

  The house is located on a small and narrow waterfront site, so variances were required to optimize the usable footprint. Halpern Architects provided assistance in the variance process. Even with the living area added by the variance, one of the key challenges was efficiently and effectively using the modest space available to improve the livability of the home. Another key challenge was to produce a design that integrated a major expansion of the usable floor area while remaining seamlessly in character with the historic home. Careful attention was given to the historic proportions and details of the original home, which were then incorporated into the design for the expanded home. The project also required skill in preserving the range of historic materials (stone, timber and iron), and imposing new structural loads on the antiquated construction systems of the original house.