This is a renovation of an existing garage that had previously been renovated into a commercial kitchen. The redesign converted the structure into a 450 square foot guest house.
The structure is located in a pasture of ancient apple trees where the client requested autonomous living space for guests and their college-aged children. The requirements were living space, bed space, bathroom, outdoor shower, and recreational storage.
The Town of Little Compton bylaws forbid detached guest houses, and the existing commercial kitchen had been built after a special change of use permit was granted. To move forward we had to request another special permit to change the use. Further, the existing structure featured a sloped roof that was not fully livable in head height. Since the garage floor had been leveled for the kitchen, the client chose to grind and polish the concrete rather than add a new finished floor.
Our first approach was a complete teardown and rebuild as shown with the initial sketch design, but the price tag was too high. With the sloped roof being too low for normal head room while staying on the existing footprint we had to figure out how the structure could be better utilized. That solution was to renovate the existing roof structure by inserting a new cross beam and raising the roof of the rear to make new living space. Lastly, we added a Bris-sole’ or fixed sunshade as exterior trim which helps to unify the pitched and flat roof portions in the composition.
While the initial design was rejected due to cost, the final outcome was just as complimentary to the existing house and property. The family has a special process for designating who stays in the guest house as it is everyone’s favorite place.
GF Architecture offers complete architectural design services. Our scope of services is refined to the requirements of each project. In addition to architectural services, we also provide site analysis and property planning consulting.
GF Architecture offers full-service custom residential and light commercial architectural design for clients throughout eastern Massachusetts –including Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket –and Rhode Island.
