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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20210707_YavenerSupportDocumentsLloyd & Jennifer Yavener 240.838.0302 yav58@aol 8820 Huntmaster Road 4425 Main Street Gaithersburg, MD 20882 Rohrersville, MD 21779 July 2, 2021 Historic District Commission of Washington County Maryland 100 West Washington Street Suite 2600 Hagerstown, Maryland 21740 RE: Residential Addition-Alteration Permit Application 4425 Main Street, Rohrersville MD MD Inventory of Historic Properties WA-III020; III140 Dear Members of the Commission, In advance of the hearing, we would like to share our plans for the farm, including an update on the previously approved front porch and the first-floor addition. Due to many factors associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, we made the decision to move to the farm permanently this Fall instead of waiting until we retire. The porch has been completed, with the exception of installation of a few electrical outlets and ceiling fans, which are required for final inspection and which have been delayed by the unusual demand for services of our electrician. Photos of the porch are provided under separate cover. Objectives Our plans for the addition are guided by several core objectives: • Improve the functionality of the home • Locate the addition where it causes the least visual change to the home • Solve the perennial water intrusion issues from the landing window • Avoid any change to the interior floor plan and exterior features of the home • Utilize design elements and materials similar to the existing structure Improved Function The proposed addition will provide a much needed first floor bathroom enabling us to age in place on the farm and will serve as a second bathroom for the convenience of guests. The home also is lacking a casual room off the kitchen, as the first floor only has a kitchen and a formal parlor and dining room. Having a second bathroom and sitting room will greatly enhance the functionality of the home. The wide center hall in the home will essentially extend through to the new addition creating excellent flow to all areas of the first floor. Location We chose a location at the rear of the home that will cause the least disruption to the character and architectural elements of the home. We opted against wings or other additions to the main portion of the home The original concept for the bathroom addition was proposed by Doug Reed of Preservation Associates, with whom our parents worked years ago for various restoration projects on the home. The addition essentially widens the rear porch of the home with an extension of the existing hip roof. The roof extension will have a shallower pitch that will mirror the hip roof on both ends on the recently constructed porch. There are many examples in the area of older homes with similar extensions of hip rooves to create additional space. The bathroom will be against the back wall of the main part of the house enabling direct access to the home’s plumbing, and will provide direct access to electrical supply and ventilation. The positioning of the addition also intentionally contemplated the elimination of part or all the landing window for reasons discussed below. Water Intrusion According to the architectural professionals our family has consulted over the years including Doug Reed, Elanore Lakin, and others, the rear section of the home was constructed at the same time as the main house, based on architectural features and the fact that the south side wall where the rear section adjoins the main house having uninterrupted courses of brick. However, the design lacked adequate forethought as to where the hip roof over the back porch would intersect the window on the back of the main house opening to the staircase landing. As shown in the photos in the landing window photo folder, the lower left corner of the window opening is below the roof surface of the rear section of the home, resulting in persistent water intrusion through the window, sill, casing, and surrounding brick that has compromised the whole center section of the rear of the main house, both on the exterior and interior of the home. The rear interior walls of the home below the landing window and at the rear of the first floor have mold issues every year during wet periods and have been repainted countless times over the year. Our family has replaced the landing windowsill 3 times since we’ve lived there and the window casing on the side of the window at the bottom is non-existent. We replaced approximately 100 bricks on the back wall of the house last year as they had calved-off in a large sheet during a winter freeze, and there are approximately 100 more missing or compromised brick around and below the landing window that have been filled with mortar before our family purchased the home. During the last sill replacement, it became evident that the brick walls and plaster below the window were badly compromised. We also had to remove the interior wall section below the landing window down to the brick, replace much of the brick that had crumbled, replaster the wall and refinish all the trim and flooring below the wall. The water also had seeped to the stairs over the years, requiring replacement of the stair string board and trim at the landing. We also repaired the plaster wall in the dining room at the rear of the home and the small hall wall on the first floor below the landing window and repainted the home interior. Despite all efforts to replace brick last year, adding additional roof flashing that covers the sill and casing on the left side, and applying copious amounts of roof sealant, there is clearly more water intrusion based on the bubbling of the baseboard trim that was recently refinished and painted. We’ve consulted several contractors about the landing window issues in the past and all indicated there’s no way to solve the problem with a window that is located below an intersecting roofline. The options have all been either to remove the roof section over the rear porch in its entirety or brick over all or part of the landing window. While we have tried for many years to protect and preserve the home, the ill-conceived landing window and adjacent roof have caused considerable structural and other damage to the home and will continue to do so unless it is addressed. There is a second serious design flaw in the home where main staircase above the landing adjoins the second floor in the middle of a doorway. While the staircase issue presents a potential hazard when entering that room, it has no impact on the integrity of the home. By contrast, the landing window has resulted in ongoing structural and cosmetic damage to the home and can only be remedied by partial or total elimination of the window. We designed the addition with plans to brick over the window above where the addition roof line will be, and possibly keep the top half as a fixed window to preserve what we can while eliminating the water intrusion issue. Interior Floor Plan The attached floorplan drawing shows the original house interior with just 2 rooms and a kitchen on the first floor. The rooms are generously proportioned, have high ceilings, and have the original chair rail throughout. It was suggested that we locate a downstairs bathroom in one of the rooms instead of building an addition, however, we believe the character of the home would be disrupted too much with this approach, as the large rooms (each with a fireplace) are unique to the home and important design elements. Exterior Features The home is a classic Federal design with a 5-over-5 bay front façade and 2-over-2 sides, hip roof, and an L-shaped rear section with a porch on one side of the rear section. There were several options to build the addition for the bathroom on either side of the main section of the house. While it’s not uncommon to see additions as “wings” on the side of homes, Federal-style homes are principally known for their simple square or rectangular box shape with two or three stories high and symmetrical window placement. We’re of the opinion that an addition to the main section of the home would disrupt the essence of the Federal-style and change the character of the home. By contrast, the proposed addition to the rear of the home is basically an extension of the existing rear porch and preserves the architectural integrity of the home. Design Elements and Materials The home has strong elements of Flemish bond brick and solid white trim and a symmetrical layout of windows (with the exception of the landing window). The windows have soldiered bricks along the top edges and have consistent use of trim on the outside and inside of the home. When designing the addition, we wanted to maintain the strong and simple and symmetrical essence of the home and avoid any elements that would clash with the main home. We designed the addition with French-style doors to being light into the room as it sits on the north side of the home, and all but the rear entry door are identical in size. We also felt it was important for the wall sections between the doors the be identical in width to replicate the symmetry of the main house. We designed the roof of the addition as a hip roof and replicated the horizontal siding on the opposite side of the rear section, as we did on the ends of the porch. We believe the consistent use of these elements will avoid the addition fighting the look of the main home. The materials we chose for the addition are similar to the home with brick walls around both sides and soldiered brick above the doors. We’ll source either old used brick or a modern equivalent so that the edges are soft and rounded like those on the main house. We’ll make every attempt to match the original trim used on the home and will use the same standing seam metal roof. In order to optimize the energy efficiency of the addition, the French doors will be true divided light mahogany doors with insulated glass and painted white to match the trim on the home. On the interior, the existing brick porch wall will stay exposed, and we’ll make no changes to the door and window openings, thereby preserving the back porch look and feel in the room. Preserving the character and integrity of the farm has always been important to us, and the planned projects were designed to have minimal impact to the structure and architectural elements of the home, while providing much needed functionality to our family. We have no other planned changes to the home with the exception of adding back the shudders that were partially on the home when we moved there. The windows all have the original pintle hardware intact and we’ll try to source old shudders as the original ones we have are in poor condition. We plan on installing an in-ground pool in 2022, and have designed a simple, dark bottomed rectangle pool with grass surround and minimal decking. We value and appreciate the mission of the Historic District Commission and look forward to discussing the proposed addition at the hearing. Please let us know if there’s any additional information that will enhance the review process. Sincerely, Lloyd Yavener Floor Plan Side Elevation Rear Elevation