ArchitectureBefore & After
Otto’s house by Rowland+Broughton Architecture and Urban Design
By Florence von Pelet
Sometimes we bring you a before & after kitchen, sometimes a bathroom. On this occasion it is a whole house, and what a house! Rowland and Broughton Architecture and Urban Design were commissioned to refurbish this 2,483 Square Foot 1970’s heavy timber and stick frame house. In the process they added a further 2,882 square feet to create over 5,000 square feet of paradise. And they did that with very limited disturbance to the immediate environment.
All sorts of cleverness went on. For example, existing heavy timber beams were reused throughout the new house and re-purposed by popping up the roof on an existing portion of the home. The existing stone fireplace was re-clad in metal and grey plaster. What’s more, in the pursuit of openness, you can now see through the fireplace to the kitchen.
An open upper floor was created making the most of the outside environment even when the occupants are inside. And if there is one thing Otto likes, it is a good tree. You are going to have to meet Otto. And you are going to have to see some more pictures of this amazing transformation.
Even the garage looks more welcoming. And the new house is much more environmentally efficient making more use of natural light and solar energy panels on the new roof.
And if you think the view of the front of the house is cool how about this? We love how open the kitchen is to the outside and how spacious the whole home feels. But where’s Otto?
The living room had a similar open feeling, both in its relationship to the outside and thanks to the hard simple flooring, white walls and ceilings and mix of recessed and pendant lights. And we did promise to introduce you to Otto.
Here he is, a very handsome chap sitting by his old front door. We would like to say that a picture of the owners dog doesn’t guarantee that your ‘Before and After’ submission will be included on Modenus. We would like to say that but it probably isn’t true. Of course if the transformation is as dramatic as Rowland and Broughton Architecture and Urban Design’s reworking of Otto’s house then there is no doubt at all. Send your projects to beforeandafter@modenus.com. These notes explain what to include. Hope to hear from you soon.