Ridgedale Park

The Study of an average house that became a … Classic Home

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Context

The project began with a modest 1,400 square foot house built in 1932. It is located within a small in town neighborhood located in Atlanta Georgia. The neighborhood has retained much of its

original scale and charm over the years and has seen a rejuvenation of spirit due to young families and professionals moving back in to the city seeking shorter commutes and a higher quality of life.

Like the neighborhood, the one story, 3 bedroom 2 bath house had seen only minor cosmetic alterations over the 70 plus years of its existence. It occupies a narrow deep lot of 70’ x 220’ which is

typical for the street.

Design Program

The neighborhoods desirable location, sought after school district and high quality of life inspired new owners with a young family to consider a large scale renovation. The layout of the original house, while appropriated in the early 1930’s, included many short comings which the couple

desired to correct. These included an under sized galley kitchen, tight bedrooms, baths, closets and a single small living room. In addition, the house had very poor internal circulation patterns and

limited visual or physical connections to the front or rear yards offered by the deep lot.

Design Intent

The owners desired a Classic New House which embodied all the functional interior amenities found in new luxury homes. Despite the functional short comings of the original house, there were features such as 10ft. ceilings, a handsome Regency Style plaster mantel and a sense of continuity

with tradition which compelled the owners and the design team to choose solutions which would respect the spirit of the original house. The simple footprint and Georgian Cottage vernacular of the house lead to a vision of a Jeffersonian inspired new house that would be internally and externally elegant yet livable and comfortable for a young family. It needed to connect to and embrace its deep site while also respecting and enhancing the existing fabric

of its surrounding revival style neighborhood.

Ridgedale Park Renovation

C 2008 Stephen Fuller, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical without written permission of Stephen Fuller Inc.

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Original Site Plan The original site occupied a prominent position on the street. However the footprint of the original house was quite modest, and left the front of the house too far from the street to allow pedestrian and social connections.

Original Elevation Prior to Remodeling

70ft..

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50ft. B.L. 20 B.L.

220 ft.

70 ft.

W S N E

Eulalia

Road

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The rear of the lot was equally under developed. The house had only one door which entered through a narrow galley kitchen and connected the interior to the yard. Although the rear yard was deep, the house was cut off from access due to the close proximity of the detached garage and motor court.

Original Rear Elevation prior to Remodeling

Southeast ICA & CA Shutze Awards 2009 Design Competition Entry

View looking at detached garage View looking at door into Kitchen from Motor court

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Original Front Elevation Prior to Remodeling

Original Rear Elevation Prior to Remodeling

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Original Left Side Elevation Prior to Remodeling

Original Right Side Elevation Prior to Remodeling

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Original First Floor Plan Prior to Remodeling

The house was originally only one level. The 1,480 square feet included a 14’x19’ Living Room. The Master Bedroom was located to the left rear of the house with the only access entering off the Living Room. The Master Bathroom was undersized and the Master closet was not adequate for a couple. Two smaller bedrooms shared a center bath. Closet space was limited, and there was no formal guest bath. A narrow stair led up to an low unfinished attic as well as down to a small unfinished partial basement. The Kitchen was isolated from a social connection to the Living Room, it was undersized and had little storage or pantry space. The Breakfast room was not adequate for a family and was in the traffic flow between the Kitchen and Dining Room. A small side porch was too narrow and had no privacy from the adjacent house.

C 2008 Stephen Fuller, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical without written permission of Stephen Fuller Inc.

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The exterior renovation included removal of the roof, all original brick, cornice, windows and doors. Interior renovation included all mechanical, electrical, appliances, plumbing, flooring, cabinets, interior doors, and millwork. Overall the house was taken down to the original framing and increase from 1,480 sq.ft. to approx. 4,400 sq.ft.

Construction photo from front left side

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Construction Photo: Dining Room view back through Foyer to Living Room

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Construction photo from front left side

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50 B.L.

20 B.L.

70 ft..

70 ft.

Eulalia Road

Garden Gate

Fountain

Motor court

Detached Garage/ Guest House

Oval Lawn

Play Set

S E W N

Center Lawn

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11Garden Enclosure Wall: Fountain Detail

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One of the initial aspects of the site design involved an enclosure wall which would transform the rear yard into a secure private garden ideal for both family functions as well as entertaining. The wall was designed as a double thickness of painted brick, with single thickness inset lattice brick panels occurring at various midpoints. The wall featured both solid and transparent sections with wrought iron infill panels. A central focal point off the Conservatory Terrace is a deeply arched fountain with semicircular pool below. Creeping fig and water plants give the fountain a sense of life and create a living sculpture.

Reclaimed Terracotta Keystone

Coy Pond

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Another feature of the Garden Wall is a centrally located pedestrian gate which ties the site together with the adjacent property to the east. When open, the Cypress Gates appear as wings and have fostered a close relationship between neighbors. Compositionally, the gate adds a significant visual focal point to the midpoint of the rear yard between the Conservatory and the detached Garage/ Guest House. A formal center lawn aligns with the Gateway.

Garden Wall: Gateway to Neighboring Site

Iron Cross

“Butterfly” Gate

6ft.

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The revised main level floor plan began by doubling the size of the Living Room. The two small first floor bedrooms were relocated to the second floor. The Master Suite doubled in size with the addition of a sitting room. The master bath was expanded to the rear and the master closet was enlarged into the space previously occupied by the side porch A central stair was added, and the Kitchen was expanded considerably. . A formal powder bath was added, a walk in pantry, a back hall way with a second refrigerator and coat drop. The highlight of the first floor is addition of a Conservatory / Breakfast Room with 12ft. ceiling. This space completes the interior circulation as well as connects the interior of the house with the rear gardens. Revised First Floor Plan

Wine Bar

Up

Master Closet

Cedar Closet

Back Hall

Master Bath

Pantry

Butlers pantry

Original FP

Motor court Garden Terrace

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The revised second level plan includes 3 new bedrooms and 3 full baths. The central stair climbs from the Kitchen to a ¾ landing with storage closet. A gable window brings light into the stair hall. A large laundry and craft room opens through a open railing into the stair hall and brings additional light into the spaces.

Conservatory Roof Below

Dn

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Revised Second Floor Plan

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Revised Front Elevation

Photo of Front

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The revised exterior of the home took its cues from the original Classic American Materials. In addition, the homes clean lines and simple shapes inspired the design team to look to the Colonial Neo Classical work of Thomas Jefferson for inspiration. A Centrally positioned shallow portico was introduced with a simple Tuscan order that emphasizes the importance of the main Living Room space in the middle of the house. The portico is raised to a twelve foot height in order to bring a sense of importance and scale to the front façade. The portico steps back and returns to form the primary entry into the foyer of the home. A matching entablature and pilasters mirrors the entry to the left of the Living Room and brings interest to the blind closet beyond. The Second floor hides beneath the roof line except in the central body of the house, where it steps forward and creates an attic story above the portico and completes the taller central massing of the house. A classically detailed front facing gable roof crests the façade and features modillions and a gothic inspired fanlight window which lights attic floor.

C 2008 Stephen Fuller, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical without written permission of Stephen Fuller Inc.

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Revised Rear Elevation

Rear Elevation: Conservatory Photo

C 2008 Stephen Fuller, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical without written permission of Stephen Fuller Inc.

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The Conservatory becomes the central design element of both the interior as well as the exterior lifestyle. As the Tuscan Portico emphasizes the formal arrival façade of the house, so the Gothic style Conservatory also rises up above the primary cornice lines and becomes the central massing element of the garden façade. A small Tuscan columned side porch becomes the daily entry point from the motor court as well as the detached garage and guest house. A variety of outdoor terrace and landscape spaces make the rear garden a beautiful marriage of architecture and nature. Initial Perspective

Drawn from Garden

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Living Room view to front

Living Room view of Fireplace

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Master Bedroom

Dining Room

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Conservatory

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Kitchen

Elevation at Range and Stair

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Elevation at Sink Wall

Elevation at Wine Bar

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Photo at Sink

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Detached Garage / Guest House

First Floor Second Floor

The Original Garage and Motor court did not take advantage of the narrow deep lot. Therefore it crowded the rear of the house and cut the house off from accessing and enjoying the yard.

Photo of Original Garage

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The new detached Garage maintains a small 21’x21’ footprint in order to minimize the impact on the lot. The second floor is expressed as a full two story and takes on the low hipped roof proportions of the main house conservatory. The configuration allows the Guest Suite and Studio space to be filled with light, and have excellent views out over the rear gardens and back to the main house. A side stair is celebrated with a cascading expression of treads that tie into a guest patio and masonry bench.

Detached Garage / Guest House

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Ridgedale Park Renovation Comparative Drawings/ Plans

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First Floor Original House First Floor Revised House

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Ridgedale Park Renovation Comparative Drawings/ Elevations

C 2008 Stephen Fuller, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical without written permission of Stephen Fuller Inc.

Front elevation Original House Front Elevation Renovated House

Rear Elevation Original House Rear Elevation Renovated House

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Ridgedale Park Renovation Comparative Drawings/ Elevations

Left Side Elev. Original House

Right Side Elev. Original House

Left Side Elev. Renovated House

Right Side Elev. Renovated House

C 2008 Stephen Fuller, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical without written permission of Stephen Fuller Inc.

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The Renovation at Ridgedale Park was a project that looked at the past and made a conscious decision that the patterns, materials and decisions made by those that preceded us, were based on sound architectural and ethical principles. Therefore they deserved to be studied and understood rather than simply overlooked and discarded. This decision often leads to more difficult solutions, but in the end, was the wise choice, and yielded surprisingly fresh new and relevant forms and places. We believe that this approach is consistent with the principles of Classicism and Traditional Architectural in general. The past should be understood, studied and used and form the basis for all new endeavors. When this is done, the old becomes new and past lives on in our new places.

C 2008 Stephen Fuller, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical without written permission of Stephen Fuller Inc.

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Southeast ICA & CA Shutze Awards 2009 Design Competition Entry

C 2008 Stephen Fuller, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical without written permission of Stephen Fuller Inc.

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3079 Crossing Park Road Norcross Georgia 30071

678-775-4663 1-800-274-2444

www.stephenfuller.com

C 2008 Stephen Fuller, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical without written permission of Stephen Fuller Inc.