Pecan Addition + Renovation

emerymcclure architecture

Project description

A relocated 1930’s bungalow on a pastoral country site outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana required an addition and major renovation. A new main bedroom suite, contemporary in scale, is added; exterior living space is expanded; and cramped rooms are expanded to provide views to the lush landscape. Because the house had already gone through multiple modifications and adaptations, the renovation demanded a surgeon’s precision and in-situ problem solving as walls were torn down and issues exposed. The core of the renovation is the relocated and celebrated stair from which all public space radiates; around this stair are the kitchen, living, informal and formal dining areas. The loadbearing walls around the stair were strategically cut to allow views between spaces and maintain structural integrity. For the addition, the living room expanded, doubling the indoor living space, increasing the exterior porch and allowing for more views out to the treescape. A new main bedroom suite was also added accessed by a narrow “bridge” which creates a visual and physical refuge for busy homeowners. From every vantage point in the house, new or renovated, there is a view to the pastoral.