Construction is well under way on a complete renovation and second story addition to a simple South Boulder ranch house. The original house is a simple, 1,200 sf, single-story rectangular box with a simple, single gabled roof.

This is fairly typical for not only South Boulder, but a vast majority of developer-driven builder homes constructed throughout the United States in the 1960s and 70s.  It is the most basic of this generation of suburban structures, a simple rectangular box, and as such it is considerably easier to find design solutions for additions and renovations than many of its split-level or tri-level cousins.

As I have posted about previously, the City of Boulder has a number of fairly restrictive zoning ordinances that limit the size and location of additions based on lot size and orientation.  These restrictions go hand-in-hand with Boulder's rising household income as they do in most places, reflecting a desire to control growth and protect property values.  And, like you can imagine, these zoning restrictions have unintended consequences that are slowly transforming the physical artifact that is the city.

On this project, the restrictions actually work to our client's advantage, constraining the second-story addition to the south side of the property where the best views are accessed.  The proposed covered front porch does have to bend to Boulder's odd rules, dictating posts on a porch that would otherwise be cantilevered which would have been better conforming with the modern language of the architecture.

By angling the second story off the orthagonal geometry of the existing main level, the upper story rooms take better advantage of spectacular flatirons views and open the rear yard to a spreading courtyard.

The construction is almost completely framed and the building can be seen in its final form, but there are months of electrical, plumbing, mechanical and finish work ahead.  ACI, our design/build arm, is in charge of the construction management for the project and the client's input has been, and will continue to be, the driving force on the overall design.  Check back in for future updates.