with Tim Martin PE

A yoga instructor needed a retreat - a screened porch on which she could enjoy the beginnings and ends of her day. This was an addition to a bungalow built in 1920, nestled on a quiet street in an historic neighborhood. Constraints on the tenth-acre lot became opportunities. We designed the porch around two existing site features - an existing accessory structure we renovated into a yoga studio, and a beautiful Japanese maple tree located at the bottom of a small open air back porch off the main.

The screened porch is taller than it is wide to accommodate the Japanese maple and frame tall views of mature hardwoods on the eastern edge of the property. The porch is constructed primarily of dimsional lumber, and has a metal roof and gutter. At the connection to the main house, we designed a small transition area with a transparent roofing material, allowing light to filter into the adjacent kitchen. The small portions of the backyard that were left over after the screened porch construction and yoga studio renovation have become cozy garden spaces for meditation and gathering.

For more information on additions to historic structures, contact us here.