The Connection

Sometimes a significant home improvement starts with small repair considerations. In fact, as Roger Lataille, senior design consultant at Sun Design Remodeling, recalls, his first discussion with Jeff and Sharon Roman of Great Falls concerned how to solve a water drainage problem.

“There were no gutters over the three garage ports, and rain water splash-back was causing the garage doors to deteriorate,” Lataille said. “Also, the front entrance was too exposed. And the original wooden deck on the back of the house had decayed so badly it wasn’t being used much at all.”

Then there was the problem with woodpeckers regularly attacking the house, a reflection of moisture build-up and bug-infestation under the home’s sprayed-on stucco exterior.

Yet rectifying these everyday dysfunctions turned out to be a comparatively small part of the Romans’ agenda, as Lataille soon discovered.

As the conversation progressed, the outlines for a sweeping, state-of-the-art makeover began to take shape even as the home’s exterior was gradually re-imagined as an architectural statement fully integrated with its setting.

At 6,500 square feet, the nearly 20-year-old, six bedroom center hall Colonial offered considerable grandeur, yet the facade lacked detail, definition, even warmth.

“There were a lot of distinctive architectural themes in place,” Lataille said. “Our first concern is always helping the owner articulate a program that suits their goals, and then initiating an effective collaboration process.”

With this in mind, the solutions proposed for the home’s front elevations came right to the point. A metal-clad overhang supported by decorative brackets above the garage doors not only re-directs rainwater into a discrete functional drainage system, but also gives the facade a unifying accent that ties in with the redesigned front entrance.

The defective stucco cladding has been replaced with sand-colored Hardiboard and a stonework “water table” motif that scales back the mass of the looming three level facade, making the whole feel more intimate and approachable.

LIKEWISE, on the rear elevation, opportunities for self-expression quickly became inspirations.

Situated on two rolling acres and surrounded by woodland, the home’s setting provided a sprawling backdrop for an indoor-outdoor solution.

Boasting a southwesterly view from the rear elevation, the existing rear deck was usually bathed in soft sunsets on summer evenings. The visual display was, likewise, available from the house — except the windows were too small and the only exits to the outside converged in a recessed hyphen joining the two main blocks on the rear of the house.

“Ironically, we’ve always loved spending time outdoors,” Sharon said, “so it’s surprising that we hadn’t changed the exterior of the house in the 13 years we’ve lived here.”

During summer vacations at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland, however, the Romans discovered how much they enjoy sitting by a fire pit on pleasant evenings. This revelation prompted thoughts of adding not only a fire pit, but a screen porch on the rear of the house — one that could be used from early spring and well into fall.

“I also pictured more natural light in the back of the house,” Sharon Roman said. “A rear elevation with oversized windows and doors that invites in the beauty all around us.”

As the vision evolved, the Romans decided on a plan with four main components: a 20-foot-by-15-foot screened porch, a 21-foot-by-16-fot grilling deck, a ground level sunken patio that exits from a lower level room, and a stand-alone fire pit with seating for six.

“We were thinking ahead in many ways,” Sharon Roman said. “Jeff and I have elderly parents, and a lot of family in the area. A direct entrance to the lower level, for instance, might make it easy to convert the space into an in-law suite if needed.”

Overall, the Romans sought the capacity to comfortably entertain up to 40 or 50 people.

Of course, for a fete of that size — well-constructed decking is essential. Phase one to the new plan was, thus, a nod to necessity: re-design the decking system to accommodate traffic circulating from directions never previously in the picture.

“We learned immediately that the concrete supporting the existing 20-year-old deck hadn’t been properly set,” Lataille said. “Also, to assure the durability of the deck’s surface, we specified Trex instead of wood, and narrowed the span between undergirding joists from 16 inches to 12 inches.”

Structurally, the new decking is not only an upgrade, but thoroughly necessary since it’s now directly accessible through oversized double glass doors from the family room, the dining room and the billiards parlor. It’s also linked via a new flagstone walkway to the both fire pit and the new rear entrance to the lower level.

“Access to the outdoors from the house is one of the most fundamental features of an integrated indoor/outdoor solution,” Lataille said. “Bringing the aesthetics of nature into your daily life is a lifestyle change. The goal is to create spaces that can be easily maintained, yet allow owners to comfortably extend the open-air season.”

THE SPACIOUS NEW screened porch demonstrates how highly durable materials can be shaped to meet demanding aesthetics. The Ipe decking chosen as the porch flooring, for instance, is not only one of the most enduring materials offered for outdoor surfaces, but — installed in a tongue-and-groove pattern — is more effective in keeping out bugs than a screen mesh undergirding. Ipe, which is Brazilian walnut, was also specified for the porch handrails.

Meanwhile, the fiberglass charcoal screen — which makes it hard to see the porch interior from the outside — creates a cozy sense of closure. Overhead, the fir-beaded tongue-and-groove wood ceiling lends a natural burnish to the open-air ambiance.

Taking the lead from other finish work details, the design team installed a stone work “water table” for the porch’s inside wall — a textured backdrop for the wide-screen TV.

Equipped with both overhead fans and portable heaters, the outdoor room is habitable in all but the coldest days of winter.

“It’s really our preferred family room now,” said Sharon Roman. “With overhead fans, shades and other convenient adjustments, we can use the porch from early spring to late fall.”

John Byrd (byrdmatx@comcast.net) has been writing about home improvement topics for 30 years.