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Erkel Residence

 

Ivy, Virginia

DESIGN CONCEPT
This house is an extensive addition/remodel of a small, “L”-shaped, dilapidated 1800’s farmhouse.  The owners wanted to retain the charm of the original house while providing enough living space for their large family. 

INTERIOR FEATURES
The main level consists of many generous spaces most of which have large plank wood flooring and large wood baseboards.  The dining room and library provide a measure of formality while the large kitchen, adjacent family and breakfast rooms, provide ample space for the daily living routines of the eight family members.  The service entrance is more than just a mud room, as it has a full bath for cleaning off muddy or snowy children, and laundry machines to avoid the transporting of the muddy or snowy clothing through the house.  A screened-in porch completes the level.  Upstairs, the six bedrooms surround a large, common space for television or homework, avoiding a long, dark interior corridor.  There is plenty of bathroom space for what must be hectic morning and bedtime routines, and a larger primary laundry room.  The master bath boasts a large shower and clawfoot tub in a space brightened by wall-to-wall windows.

EXTERIOR FEATURES
The long front porch provides shelter for those approaching from the adjacent parking area and also creates a shady space for relaxing and enjoying the acreage in the front of the property.  The screened-in porch near the service entry and the master bath above with its wood finish contrasting with the stucco exterior walls, is designed to appear as if it were added to the mass of the house after the house was completed; in fact, the mass is added to the “L” shape of the original house.  The roof is composition shingle but the accent roofs over the bay windows and the porches are a standing seam metal, very common for farmhouses throughout the area.

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