Locust
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Year completed: 2022
Architecture: Gehrung + Graham
Locust
Summary
This 100+ year old carriage house, located on the rear side of a prominent Locust Avenue home, was urgently in need of structural repair and maintenance after years of neglect from prior owners. The team identified the opportunity to restore the carriage house building, turning a liability into an asset, by creating an accessory dwelling unit which provides income and additional property value to the owner.
boncraft Scope:
Acquisition
Envisioning, Design Collaboration
Project Management
Architecture Notes
As a contributing structure to the Martha Jefferson historic district, the team’s priority was preserving the rich architectural elements of the building, including the brick vernacular with symmetrical gabled ends, and lofty open interior with exposed brick and rafters. Converting what had originally been a more utilitarian barn type structure into functional living space with modern building systems presented technical design, construction, and engineering challenges.
For the exterior, the team selectively repaired, replaced, and repointed the bricks and bolstered sagging openings and compromised structural loads. Vinyl windows and warped plywood doors were replaced with historic true divided light windows and doors consistent with the historical period and surrounding context.
For the interior, hydronic radiant floors within an insulated and polished concrete slab were installed. The team reinforced and triangulated the roof rafters to create a well-insulated roof cavity while maintaining the vaulted ceiling with exposed beams. To feature and leave the interior side of the brick walls exposed, most electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems needed to be hidden below grade (i.e. within or below the concrete slab floor) or contained within exposed metal conduit on the brick walls.
The result: a handsome exterior and expansive interior, fully functional yet resonating with history.
