A Tiny Addition for a Growing Family

Operable clerestory window

Attic access Loft/study area

Dining Home office space

Laundry nook

Master bathroom

Existing house Dining, living, office, laundry, bathing, sleeping, and storage Addition space built in just 650 sq. ft. by Tina Govan

y husband and I the challenge of designing our moved into our 1923 tiny addition. M bungalow in down- Sauna town Raleigh, N.C., as a young Soft spatial boundaries Fish Hot tub North couple. Ten years, two children, allow multiuse spaces pond and one dog later, the house Using changes in ceiling height, had become cramped. Having floor level, or materials; using lived in Japan, we were accus- partial or sliding walls rather Tatami room/ master bedroom tomed to tight quarters, but the than solid, full-height ones; us- Traditional engawa/deck constraints of 1000 sq. ft. had ing pocket doors rather than Original Entry become too great, especially with swinging doors; and carving house the added demands of my home niches within larger spaces are j a pa n e s e c o n c e p t s office. We chose to add on to our all strategies I used for distin- Yield a unique design home instead of moving and had guishing spaces in a softer way. I wanted to add on to our home in a way Plaza a lot of needs to accommodate, The main common room, or that would maintain the integrity of the but not a lot of space to do it. plaza, of the addition needed to original bungalow and honor the memory Tatami house For two years, I worked as an serve a wide range of functions. of our much-used backyard patio, which D B architect in Japan and admired To keep the area open and to would be lost to the new construction. C how the Japanese were able to avoid separate rooms for each The overall concept for the addition E developed as a kind of plaza, with introduce a sense of expan- use, I created small but distinc- Free-flowing and functional. The ­addition is not two houses facing into it: the tatami siveness within the smallest of tive spaces along the edges of a defined by rooms and walls, but by open spaces house and the original house, each structures. It was through my high central living area. that serve a variety of tasks. Southern yellow pine F adds rich trim details throughout, while a roof covered in exterior siding, giving observations there that I devel- One corner of the addition pro- comprised of rigid-foam insulation, A/C plywood, an indoor/outdoor quality to oped many of my own design vides a dining space surrounded and cable collar ties helps to keep the bones of the space between them. Photos taken at ideas. With a strong reliance on by a bank of windows, while the the structure in focus. Photo top left taken at A on lettered those strategies, I approached other accommodates my home floor plan; photo above taken at B. A positions. 0 8 16 32 ft. 60 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photos this page: James West. Drawings facing page: Bruce Morser (top), Martha Garstang Hill (bottom). www.finehomebuilding.com Light brings the space to life

Carefully placed windows draw sunlight deep into the addition, illuminating interior details, shapes, and textures. Wherever light enters the space, an equally valuable view extends out. Large windows strengthen the indoor/outdoor connec- tion, while a thin window in the dining space cleverly marks the transition between the old house and the new Breaking the barrier between addition. Photo right taken indoor and outdoor spaces. The at C on floor plan. Photo be- tatami room’s three doors open to the deck and patio, expand- low taken at D on floor plan. ing the room’s feel. Photo taken at F on floor plan.

interior spaces can spill out- doors. Similarly, the bathroom is continuous with the garden through sliding-glass doors and a concrete wall that extends out. By building a fence that sur- rounds the house, we were able to define outdoor living “rooms.” Paradoxically, this fence makes Connected but separate. Along with the yard feel larger rather than matching French doors, the large win- smaller and allowed us to create dows of the main living space offer a nearly uninterrupted view of the patio, intimate gardens between the fish pond, and yard. Clerestory win- house and the property border. dows in each gable cast a blanket of In the same way that fences light and provide views of treetops near can create a private oasis in the and far. Photo taken at E on floor plan. midst of a dense neighborhood, carefully planned windows can edit out the visual clutter of office. The tatami room (our getaway with a small library and light, and access to the backyard? What might have been a solid toilet. This door does double In our project, I took advantage use and easy access to what once immediate neighbors and focus new bedroom) is raised several its own view of life below. I wondered if a space could be box is now open, providing a duty as a cabinet door, covering of as many storage opportunities was a nearly inaccessible attic. attention on selected pieces of steps above the main living area. Softer boundaries also affect both public and private. place for sleep, yoga, after-sauna storage shelves above the toilet as possible. By thickening the the landscape. In this way, as Tucked into another corner is a the family dynamic. By design- Again, drawing from my expe- relaxation, or as we have discov- when open and allowing access back wall of the tatami room, I Outdoor rooms increase the Japanese practice, you can stacked washer/dryer unit that ing one common space with rience in Japan, I chose to loosen ered, a stage for our kids. The to them when shut. could add a built-in window seat usable square footage achieve a sense of space as well as is hidden behind a sliding smaller spaces carved within it, the idea of “bedroom” and treat ability to open this “private” and closet to provide storage for On our tight 50-ft. by 130-ft. city privacy both inside and out, with plywood panel held in place with we can be together as a family it as a space that could accom- bedroom to other functions, as Hidden storage areas our bed, which is a futon, and lot, efficient use of outdoor space neighbors just feet away. Density a simple wooden peg. A counter yet remain comfortably separate, modate private use at night and well as to sunlight, views, and increase space efficiency clothes. This built-in assembly is important. By placing a patio need not feel dense. □ and hamper sit opposite. This engaged in different activities. other uses during the day. A access to the outside, is absolutely Keeping our addition organized is below a large storage shelf immediately outside the com- design allows the laundry area traditional tatami room offered essential in making our small is crucial. Typically, opportuni- that holds books and CDs. The mon room and a wraparound Tina Govan (www.tinagovan to coexist with more-public Flexibility and long views the flexibility I wanted. Custom- house feel spacious. ties for storage lie under stairs, attic space above the tatami deck (known as an engawa in .com) is an architect in spaces and also saves valuable make the house work made shoji screens disappear for Similarly, the master bathroom under roof eaves, above and room, which is accessed by a Japan) outside the tatami room, Raleigh, N.C. Photos by Rob square footage. In a continued effort to keep the openness or slide out for pri- was built along a short hallway below window seats, and in stepladder and sliding panels doors can be flung open, and Yagid, except where noted. Another example of this kind house open, I was faced with a vacy while still allowing light to leading to the outdoor hot tub other often-overlooked areas. By high in the master bathroom, of space is the loft, which wraps huge dilemma: How could I penetrate. This room makes and sauna. When needed, the building thicker walls, you can keeps sweaters, jackets, and FineHomebuilding.com two sides of the plaza. It allows add a private master bedroom possible long sightlines, which bathroom is transformed into a tuck a bookcase, a linen closet, other winter items. Also, three Look for the Magazine Extras section on our home page to see more us to inhabit the high volume of and bathroom to the back of the would otherwise have been cut private area by sliding a frosted- or a stacked washer/dryer into a large closets sit below the much- photos and to hear Tina Govan discuss this project. the room and serves as a private house without blocking views, off by a traditional bedroom. glass door out from behind the hallway or niche. used loft, which has given new

62 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photo right: James West www.finehomebuilding.com august/september 2008 63