Historic Home Addition in Davidson
Categories: Davidson NC, News & Updates
The best compliment about an addition to an existing home is “it looks like it’s been there all along.” We recently added on to a 1920s home in downtown Davidson, and I think it’s safe to say ‘it looks like it’s been there all along.’
A good architect is always a necessary and first step to a successful addition. A good architect understands historical details, and can help blend the new into the old.
Details are critical. In these cost-focused times, it’s easy to focus too much on doing something cheaply rather than doing it right. Fortunately, for this addition on Lorimer Road in Davidson we had a customer who wanted to do things the right way, and subcontractors who know how to replicate the features of an older home.
All of the trim in the addition was custom made to match. We could have saved a significant amount of money by buying stock profiles that were close to those in the existing home. The exquisite judges paneling in the billiards room is made of maple and poplar moldings. Three coats of a special wiping stain were used to give the paneling a rich look. All of the trim materials were biscuited and glued to ensure that they will stay together tightly for decades.
The exterior window trims and boxing were also made to match the existing home, with the exception that we did not replicate the aluminum siding and metal wraps that had been added to the house by a prior owner. We built a patio on the rear of the house that matches an existing – but too small – patio. Rather than sticking out like a sore thumb, the addition blends in nicely with the original home.
Our homeowner is very satisfied with the addition to their Davidson, NC home. The new spaces adds entertaining areas that were missing in the original home. This project was completed on schedule and within budget. Most importantly, it complements the existing home and the historic downtown Davidson, NC neighborhood.