Ross did…WHAT????????
I did a post on the carriage house in 2019, a kinda summation of discoveries I made concerning the lost front porch of the structure.
The evidence indicates that there was originally a roofed porch in the corner. So, Ross being, well, Ross, he just absolutely must get the lost porch back. NOTE: The turret is 1894; all the other elements (door, windows, dormers) are from the circa-1921 conversion.
However, what the lost porch looked like would be conjecture. And this is my unfinished conjectural drawing from 2019. The replacement porch is lower left. The turret is upper center.
My plan is to bring the current roofline down, to form the porch roof. Bringing it down would perfectly kiss the outside corner, offering some indication that this proposed plan may have once existed.
The dormer above the new porch, from the circa-1921 conversion, would be reduced in overall height (becoming a 1-sash window rather than a 2-sash window).
There would be a single column, as with the north porch of the Cross House, sitting atop a stone base (again, matching the Cross House).
Under the turret I show a new window, matching the existing Secret Bedroom window, far right.
The existing front door would be relocated to the porch, being on the north wall (where the small window now is).
While I plan to proceed with creating a new porch to replace the lost original, I decided to…ahhh…make some additional changes.
And now would be a good time for you to get a glass of wine.
I will wait till you return….
…wine in hand? Good, let’s proceed.
The large window center left is marked #1. See? (Click to enlarge.) Over to its right is a small window, #2. Over to its right is the front door (#3).
I am relocating 1, 2, and 3. Each will be repositioned:
- #1 will become #2. The new location of the small window.
- #2 will become #3. The new location of the entry door.
- #3 will become #1. The new location of the large window, under the turret.
Following this?
Today, the large window (#1) was removed. The window has a large single sash, with a diamond-paned leaded-glass sash above. This has been dropped off for restoration as it is falling apart. After the whole is restored and painted, it will get installed under the turret. It should look really good there.
On Friday, the small window (#2) will be removed. After it is restored it will go where window #1 was, now covered with Tyvek.
Moving the front door to the new porch is a no-brainer. But flipping #1 and #2 was…as I know you will agree…just genius.
With the new porch in place, a person would have been able to look through the large window (#1) and into the living room.
Creepy.
But by replacing the large window (#1) with the small window (#2), privacy is afforded. Ross happy.
I also never liked the idea of a banal window under the turret. I have been pondering this since 2019 and kept thinking: There needs to be a better window under the turret. So, by moving window #1, and its diamond-paned upper sash, to under the turret, one’s eye will be drawn to the turret as a focal point. And I think the two will well complement each other, in their both being dynamic elements.
This is what the carriage house looked like when I purchased the property in 2014. The huge porch was part of the circa-1921 conversion. It was in a profound state of decay and needed to be wholly rebuilt.
But why rebuild a circa-1921 porch wholly at odds with the 1894 carriage house? Why rebuild something which diminished the dynamic turret? Oh, the horror.
The problem though is that the result of what I did was a curious and not attractive mix of 1894 and 1921. (Again, the turret is 1894 but everything else…door, windows, and dormers…are 1921.)
My goal, thus, has been to develop a THIRD iteration of the carriage house, and one the reinforces its 1894 qualities, and highlights the dramatic turret.
To this end…
…in addition to the changes outlined above, I plan to remove the curious flat-footed dormer sandwiched between the turret and the dormer to the right. I may…may…also change the right dormer from a 2-sash to a 1-sash, matching the reconfigured dormer to the far left. These changes would allow the edge of the roofline to be continuous, instead of being interrupted. And THIS would allow one’s eye to focus on the turret, the ONLY element puncturing the roof edge line.
It is important to note that all my changes will only impact later alterations to the carriage house. Original elements will remain, untouched.
To me, the carriage house represents a kinda 3-dimensional historical preservation chess game. All old buildings evolve over time. It is common though for such changes to…ahh…diminish the original structure, the artistic portrait envisioned by the architect.
Now, I do not think all later changes to a building should be reversed. If I did, I would return the carriage to a literal carriage house with a hayloft on the second floor!
So, the 3-dimensional historical preservation chess game here is NOT to erase all aspects of change to the carriage house, but to figure how to make 1894 and 1921 blend together in an attractive manner.
It ain’t easy.
But I do enjoy a good game of chess.
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That all sounds good and makes perfect sense. A big advantage to your plan is that all of those basement windows will finally be exposed and the basement will get natural light. You have a free hand to do pretty much whatever you want as the coach house isn’t original to 1894 and it has seen other changes after being extensively remodeled in 1921.
My house is 1922 and has a very small covered porch as I believe some of the original porch was walled in to create a foyer for the house. The porch doesn’t look like that original monstrosity at all. In fact, there is nothing in my neighborhood of 20s houses that looks like that. They look like what you are creating. Extended roof line. The only thing that is similar is that I have a half wall on the porch with a pillar support at the corner and next to the steps to hold up the extended roof just as you show only my half wall is solid matching the house and yours is open. None of the porches in the area are open with spindles. Under the roof I have a flat tongue and groove “ceiling” with a light fixture fairly flush because it is normal ceiling height. It isn’t until you come into the main part of the house that the ceilings are much taller.
*Jaw drop*
Wow Ross, genius!
Makes sense. But I’m curious how the changes impact the interior spaces.
Hi, Nona!
The interior impact will be minimal.
The living room will feel more private. And there’s a triple window facing north so there will be plenty of light.
The large window #1 will make the entry feel more expansive.
Removing the odd flat-footed dormer will not much matter. One can’t see out of it as it’s too high. And there’s another window below it so the staircase will still receive light.
I was hoping for a balcony with a rail roof over the porch so the second-floor door could be reopened. But it’s your house, not mine. 😊 I love that you’re restoring it all so meticulously. You and the Cross House are treasures with which Emporia is blessed!
Hi, BJH!
The old Sanborn Insurance Maps show a porch in the NW corner with a “shingled roof”. So, as I have this evidence, it seems prudent to go in that direction.
I *think* I followed all the chess pieces as they moved around the board (or in this case, the facade). I remember the demolished porch from my time living in Emporia, and I’ve always felt the front of the Carriage House looked strange without it. I think the changes you’re making will give the front a coherent whole again, especially if you paint it to complement the Cross House.
On the strange second-floor door: I wonder if the Carriage House was once split into two apartments, up and down. If so, it would make sense to have a door onto the porch for either a fire escape or for access to a porch from the top-floor apartment.
I like the look of the reconfigured facade, and I look forward to seeing it happen in future posts. Well done, you!
Barb!
The carriage house had been divided into THREE apartments.
1) A studio in the basement which I demolished last year.
2) A first-floor unit.
3) A second-floor unit.
And, yes, the exterior will be painted to match the big house.
Ross!
I completely forgot about the Alfred Hitchcock horror movie apartment that was in the basement. I can’t believe I did, considering your photos made me glad that guy I helped move was living in the Cross House and not the carriage house basement. I might never have been seen again!
As someone who designs a lot of custom homes, the changes you are outlining with look great and definitely more balanced and focused on where it should be. The flat shed dormer looks awkward and should go away. I personally like the idea of going with one sash on the far left dormer and running the roof line through. I think it ties in with the change on the right side dormer and looks more cohesive! Great Job Ross!
I think this is going to look great.
Okay, if I’m following this all correctly, there will be a new and wonderful porch on the left, but it doesn’t continue across the front of the house. I think this is truly an awesome idea!
What do you plan to do below the turret to tie it into the front of the house?
Hi, Julie!
I’m not sure what you mean about the turret.
The way it juts out is what turrets do. And I love this.
Relocating the large window #1, and its leaded glass panel, will help to ‘balance’ the turret.
What Brian says is what I meant about the turret. But I do see what you’re saying about the large window balancing it. I’m looking forward to see this completed!
Julie, I’m very much tempted to agree with you, the turret needs some kind of visual structural support, as it is now it looks like it’s floating in mid-air and I can’t imagine it’s always been that way!
To me, at the very least it needs some decorative corbels or other trim that looks like it holds up the turret!
I think rearranging the windows and door is great, but I, too, can’t quite get past the feeling that the turret just looks awkward being cantilevered out over the porch. It needs some bracing or something, at least. Regardless of whether it was originally built this way, it just feels like something beneath it was chopped off–much like those old houses where you can tell the original porch was removed and the house looks naked without it.
Agreed, but I am well known among my friends for hating a cantilevered turret. I just think they’re the most awkward things and always look unfinished.
Awesome as usual! Love how your mind works! Can’t wait!
Wow, great job moving the (chess) pieces around to get a cohesive design. I would never have been able to think up something like that. You’ve got us looking forward to seeing another project completed and looking awesome.
Is it possible to extend the turret down to the first floor? It would have three sides with windows to match, like the second floor level. I love to see each daily change you do to these amazing houses.
Ross,
Such interesting ponderances!
While I before still had reservations about the look of the carriage house without the spanning Squires porch, I think you have come up with a happy medium iteration in a restoration project with no clear path forward. I really like the leaded glass window moved toward more of the main facade, it definitely in some way imitates the large barn doors that once sat underneath that same turret overhang. I also support the removal of the odd flat dorner. While it is a strange and cool oddity, I think the more sameness of the roofline will probably go a ways to helping the carriage house feel more like a unified structure in your iteration of it. Truly such an odd and interesting piece of architecture and excited to tune in and see progress!
My apartment has similar additions over time, old buildings accrue them. As I type, I sit in what was previously an enclosed sunroom with french windows, but is now a bedroom. It’s not a huge change, but it’s always interesting to see how people adapt and use older buildings over the course of history and this will be your stamp on the quirky timeline of this building. Someone 50 years down the road will spot the foundation under the front and think, wow there used to be a porch here! and get to discover the whole carriage- turned -house house all over again.
Ross, the Carriage House changes are genius!
I love these detailed planning blogs that reflect your vision!
Hi Ross – These are some great changes. As a lover of natural light, I’m not sure about putting a little window into the living room. So many porches have windows that let you look directly into the main room. If privacy is a concern, put in curtains. That’s what they’re for.