Expansion Project Has Improved Livability, Yet Kept Integrity, Of An Antique Farmhouse

By Andrew Gorosko
Home & Garden: A Supplement to the Newtown Bee

When Derek and Cristina Arnold bought a historic Colonial-style farmhouse on 2.5 acres at 34 Taunton Hill Road in 2001, they did so because they admired the handsome structure that was built circa 1805.

But as time passed, they learned that the stout, post-and-beam wood-frame house was not all that it could be.

Equipped with a tiny galley-style kitchen, the home lacked the modern amenities the Arnolds desired to foster their passion for gourmet cooking.

They also realized that a compact enclosed porch at the rear of the building could become something much more useful if it were expanded into a modern family room.

The Arnolds decided that an expansion project at the rear of the home could provide them with a spacious modern kitchen, as well as a airy light-filled family room suitable for entertaining guests.

As planning for the expansion evolved, they decided to create a outdoor patio behind the new family room, a breezeway linking the house to their detached garage, and also an improved dining area.

The Arnolds enlisted the services of Academy Design and Construction, LLC, a local general contracting firm that designs and builds unique new homes, additions, and renovations. The firm is run by Ben Pilchard, the managing member who designs projects, and his brother Ted, who is project manager.

The Arnolds desired a unique home expansion that provided good functionality for their specific needs, explained Ted. The expansion project increased the house’s area to approximately 4,000 square feet, said Ben.

Construction, which started in March 2006, took about six months to complete. The expansion project greatly increased the home’s value, said Ted.

To make the home livable for the duration of the project, Academy created a temporary kitchen within the house to allow the five-member Arnold family to carry on with the activities of daily living. The builders carefully worked around the daily activities of the family as they built the expansion wing, Cristina said.

Cristina said that she and Derek find their house to be a much better, more livable environment now that the expansion has been accomplished. The expanded house provides them with much improved opportunities for gourmet cooking and entertaining, she said. The expansion also has made life better for their three children Evan, 18; Ali, 13; and Meg, 10, said Cristina.

Ted noted that one of the project’s goals was to improve the residents’ interior-exterior circulation patterns.

Beside providing facilities well-suited for entertaining guests, the expansion has given the family an environment that enhances “family time,” said Cristina.

“It was a cold kitchen. Now it’s warmer,” Cristina said, contrasting the previous cramped kitchen’s heating deficiencies with the new high-ceilinged kitchen’s spacious, warm environment. The new kitchen is designed in an antique Tuscan style.

“I’m very happy with the kitchen,” she said.

The Pilchards explained that while a construction project is underway, they stay in continuing contact with their clients to ensure that the project is proceeding well.

When a renovation/expansion project on an old home is underway, workers tend to find physical surprises within the structure, Ben said. Consequently, many decisions must be made by the clients as construction proceeds, he said.

“They were like a part of our family for six months,” Cristina said of the Pilchards’ continued presence and communication with the Arnolds during the course of the improvement project.

It is a virtue for clients to have patience with the construction process, considering that the process is iengrhy, Ted said.

Approximately 70 percent of Academy’s work involves residential expansion/renovation projects, with the remainder consisting of new home construction, said Ted.

Considering that suitable building lots cost between $250,000 and $300,000 locally, many families have decided that it is more economical to improve or expand their existing homes, rather than construct new homes, Ted said.

He described the Arnold residence as a “gorgeous antique house” that was suitable for expansion to provide modern features. Whether a residential expansion project is a worthwhile is a decision which a homeowner must make, said Ben.

After having lived at 34 Taunton Hill Road for three years, the family realized that there were functional deficiencies with the house, Cristina said. In planning what needed to be done, they met with the Pilchards multiple times, she noted.

Those discussions refined their thinking about an expansion project, with the conclusion that a new and bigger kitchen, a new family room, an improved dining area, and improved resident circulation patterns would solve the problems, she said.

Also, the house expansion has provided the family’s three children with better a better physical environment for their friends’ visits, Cristina added.