Architects present major rear addition at 157 Rustic Place; commission offers positive feedback and requests details

Rogers Kraniak Architects presented a conceptual plan for a two-story addition, replacement windows and a reconfigured rear porch at 157 Rustic Place. Commissioners gave generally positive feedback on form and materials but asked the team for more-detailed documentation before final approval, including a window schedule, material samples and a landscape plan.

The proposal calls for a single-and two-story addition, a covered porch with an arched standing-seam metal roof echoing the house's dormer shapes, replacement of deteriorated cedar shakes with 12-inch-exposure cedar to match existing, and new Marvin Ultimate casement windows to match previously installed units. The design includes composite decking and railing material (the applicant brought TimberTech product samples) and proposes cultured or matched stone piers to tie the addition to the original house.

Commissioners asked the applicants to provide a window-by-window package (rough opening dimensions, product cut sheets and detailed section drawings), photos documenting existing historic steel-sash windows and a landscape plan showing proposed foundation plantings and how the porch skirting will be treated during construction. Staff also asked for product data for deck cap rails, composite facing and the proposed stone so commissioners can evaluate visual texture and color.

Commissioners said the addition's volumes and sympathetic detailing were appropriate and recommended that the applicant proceed to a formal submission with the requested materials. The commission did not vote on final approval at the hearing; it offered design guidance and asked the applicants to return with the requested documentation.