Trimmer Road.

Trimmer Road is a modern addition to a renovated 1910, single-story, 1,000 sf log cabin. The original cabin is sited on a picturesque, rural, relatively steep sloping, 1 ½ acre lot.

The client’s brief called for a two-story addition that would accommodate a new foyer and entry sequence, an open dining and kitchen area large enough to entertain comfortably, a small seating lounge, and a new primary suite for two. A location for a new outdoor hot tub was also a principal element to be considered. The kitchen area of the original cabin would be reconfigured to house a new powder room, laundry room and bar/potting area.

Our initial take on the design of the addition was that a “modern interpretation” of the existing cabin would risk feeling contrived. Rather, the rustic charm and simplicity of the original log cabin should stand alone, as it does. The form of the new addition would be a clear and distinct divorce from the architecture of the cabin but relate with a careful sensitivity to both materiality and the overall siting and planning strategy of the new build and landscaping. Natural stone is purposed to mirror the exposed stone foundations of the original cabin while Shou Sugi Ban Cypress horizontal shiplap siding relates to the existing log exterior.

The footprint of the new addition is offset from the cabin. The result creates a dual courtyard condition, forming both a new entry court and a rear private courtyard that connects the new kitchen and dining area to an existing stone patio and garden. An exterior connection to the existing Living Room is reinforced through shared access to the patio. A new stair is situated on axis with a new shallow hallway that serves to lightly connect the new with the old.