“I am planning to add a two-story wing to the left rear side of my 30-year old 3,000 square foot stone-and-stucco residence in order to create space for a first floor family entertainment area with guest quarters above. The wing must complement an existing pool, and should offer inviting views of the recreation area and surrounding gardens. I’m told the house is a neo-Tudor, so I wonder how much the license I will have to introduce a window wall and other fairly contemporary ideas. What are some guidelines that will help me preserve the neo-Tudor style, and avoid diluting its currently well-articulated look?” FM, Great Falls, VA
Serving the Washington,
DC Metro Area
DC Metro Area
Bruce Wentworth, AIA, is a
practicing architect whose
insights on residential architec-
ture have been published in
House Beautiful, the New York Times, Southern Living, the Washingtonian, Washington
Post, Colonial Homes and Other periodicals. Ask the Architect appears frequently in the Times Mirror news group, and has been featured in titles published by Media General, Network Communications and others.
insights on residential architec-
ture have been published in
House Beautiful, the New York Times, Southern Living, the Washingtonian, Washington
Post, Colonial Homes and Other periodicals. Ask the Architect appears frequently in the Times Mirror news group, and has been featured in titles published by Media General, Network Communications and others.
Categories
Category Archives: Q&A
Posted on December 27, 2010
“My husband and I own a Queen Anne Victorian with a cross-gabled roof and a spacious front porch. I am told the facade is a nearly perfect expression of the period. The problem is that we want to add two stories (about 500 square feet in all) to the south-facing right side of the structure while retaining the distinctive architecture. We also want a new addition to enjoy lots of available light. I’d appreciate any advice on how to reconcile these goals with the applicable architectural Victorian architectural rules.” Mrs. ST, Vienna VA.
Posted on December 27, 2010
“I own an 1870s Victorian row house. The front façade is flat, about 18’ wide, and clad in wood clapboard. Windows are taller on the first floor than the second. The front door has a semi-circular transom and there’s an ornamental cornice with brackets at the roofline. What are some things I should know before repairing the front façade?
E.P., Herndon, VA
