This is the second phase of a renovation initially completed in 2012. Originally built in 1849 by Architect Henry Austin, the early residence of Moses Perkins is characteristic of 19th-century rural Maine architecture. In the first phase, the barn and ell were gutted and completely transformed. A new dining room with a large bay window was placed in the ell and the kitchen moved into the barn with a gallery above. Phase two came about several years later and involved converting the cramped attic into an office and sleeping area. This would entail new vertical circulation and modifications to the hall and bath below.
The existing attic had been a series of small bedrooms with two doghouse dormers providing filtered natural light. A circuitous staircase intertwined with the bathroom provided access to the third floor, but it was tight and convoluted. The first design challenge involved solving the vertical access problem. Disengaging circulation from the bath, a new steel and wood stair was inserted into the hallway providing a simple direct connection between the two floors. Skylights above the stair lure light down into the second floor below taking what was a dark passageway and immersing it in daylight. The second challenge required a spatial expansion to increase the volume of the third floor. A large shed dormer placed upon the roof increases the floor area and ceiling height in a single move. Drawing from the language established previously in phase one, thermally broken steel windows were employed to expand the view to the south. This move not only establishes a panoramic vista of the water, drawing in natural light, but also takes the architectural language from the first phase and continues it along the exterior of the façade. The remaining roof structure was reinforced to eliminate collar ties providing additional height in the center of the space.
A system of wall panels with reveals spans the aperture between the two floors and binds them. The bath, with the stair’s imposition negated, has been reorganized. Glass slabs on the shower walls and panelized cabinetry relate to the simplicity of the hall detailing beyond. The stair follows a paneled wall that culminates in a bookcase at the top of the run, each reveal aligning precisely with each riser. Built-in cabinetry completes the third floor. Along the window wall, a sit-stand desk nests into a custom painted surround replete with file drawers and storage. Along the north wall a continuous bank of oak cabinets comprises more bookshelves, closets, and a carefully concealed Murphy bed. A bespoke screen, commissioned for the space, provides separation between conference and sleeping areas. Inside, the interiors are clean and modern, distilling the historic details and materials of the old into elemental form. The result is a 21st-century renovation that quietly integrates with the old without sacrificing its integrity.
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