This update and expansion of a small ranch home featured extensive reuse of existing materials and an emphasis on remaining consistent with the context of the neighborhood.
PROJECT DETAILS
> Location: Atlanta
> Builder: Carroll Bell
> Architect: Randy E. Pimsler and W. Allen Hoss, Pimsler Hoss Architects www.
pimslerhoss.com
> Interior: Kathryn Aldrich
The first time architects Randy E. Pimsler and W. Allen Hoss sat down with the owners of 213 Murray Hill Ave., a small ranch home in the Kirkwood neighborhood of Atlanta, “green” was not part of the conversation.
“Their main drive was to update the home, both inside and out, and to expand it. To tell you the truth, even today it’s not completely unusual for people to define their program in those kinds of basic terms,” Pimsler says.
“They asked for a master suite consisting of a sleeping area, bathroom, and closet. They also wanted a new living room, a screened-in porch, and needed to address some circulation issues within the home” he says.
But as the principals of Pimsler Hoss Architects, long-time partners steeped in environmentalism and sustainable building practices, worked on the preliminary design of the project, what they initially saw as a somewhat conservative project began to change.
Although Pimsler says he doesn’t know how long the clients had owned the home before he came on the scene, it was clear that the owners had done only some minor interior remodeling in the past.
What had changed, however, was the surrounding neighborhood, with redevelopment of several blocks adjacent to Murray Hill Avenue causing property values to rise.
“It really was a case, I think, of the homeowners seeing more and more possibility with each pass we made at the design,” Pimsler says. “As a result we went from what had been a very brief initial meeting to a situation where they encouraged us, in their words, to push the envelope on this a little bit”
The firm came to the project on the recommendation of Carroll Bell, a realtor who delves into small remodeling projects from time to time, and her partner Kathryn Aldrich, who specializes in interior design.
Before taking on this project, the architects and the women had worked on two commercial and two custom residential projects and found they enjoyed working together. As a result, it was a no-brainer that Bell would serve as the general contractor for the project, while Aldrich would do the interiors and the lighting.
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