Every lovely old neighborhood has an eyesore, and this 1926 Denver home had been sufficiently neglected and insensitively expanded to fit the bill. “Its original character was long since obliterated,” said architect Doug Walter. The judges wondered about the philosophy of “applying a separate style to a blank slate” but quickly concurred that the changes were contextual with the neighborhood. Overall, they said, this “under-detailed” house became “1,000 times better.”
Largely an exterior renovation, the project was inspired by neighboring structures including a 1903 Spanish gate (shown). The new Mediterranean villa features a tile roof, broad overhanging eaves, and classically paired windows flanked by carefully sized new shutters. The old roof was literally cut off, replaced by a new trussed roof, and an elegant new porch welcomes guests.
The project includes a small addition, yet the home's mass is more human-scale, particularly on its long north side, thanks to roofs introduced to “layer” the façade.
Category: Old-house renovation, $150,000–$300,000
Location: Denver
Contractor: Consolidated Construction Management, Lakewood, Colo.
Designers: Doug Walter and Hamid Khellaf, Doug Walter Architects, Denver