Objective: construct
a "simple" two-bedroom addition to the existing house.
Special challenges: determining the available floor area
(as related to the allowable floor area determined from the property
floor area ratio) applicable to the floor area of the addition.
Additional Information:
The addition proved to be far from simple. Instead it was extremely
complex because of the restrictions imposed by the limited available
floor area.
A complicated, lengthy review of the City of Aspen Zoning Code (to
verify the allowable floor area of the existing house including
the addition) determined that 370 square feet was available for
the expansion of the total existing floor area. [The total allowable
floor area of the house including the addition was a function (in
part) of the exterior wall area below grade of both the existing
and proposed addition, corresponding to the actual floor area of
the house including the addition.]
The addition could be constructed only if the existing basement
mechanical room was relocated, and the basement renovated to include
a guest bedroom and bath accessible from inside the existing house,
but with a new required exit door to grade. The determination of
the available floor area was complicated because the surface area
of the exterior renovated basement wall at the new lightwell affected
the included floor area that could be applied to the basement.
One bedroom with an adjoining bath occupies the
first level of the addition. A new basement and crawl space (constructed
below the first level) adjoins the existing renovated basement under
the north wing. (The north wing is the portion of the house on the
extreme right in the photographs of the exterior.)
Because of the floor area limitations, the enclosure at the upper
level of the existing spiral stair could not be modified. This meant
that the spiral stair had to be incorporated into the new design.
Fortunately the existing spiral stair was constructed as a kit enabling
the direction of the spiral to be reversed to accommodate the circulation
flow at the middle landing of the stair as related to the adjacent
hall to the bedroom. Another new stair section was added below the
existing portion to provide access to the basement. As simple as
the stair extension appears it was not easy because the interior
sheetrock enclosure had to continue in an uninterrupted plane from
the upper level wood wall framing (which could not be altered) to
the basement level concrete wall (which also could not be altered).
Careful manipulation of the wall surface framing by the very savvy
job superintendent enabled this to happen.
The basement renovation required new openings cut into the existing
reinforced concrete foundation. The existing concrete slab was removed,
and a new slab (whose elevation had to correspond to the accumulated
riser heights of the spiral stair) was constructed at an elevation
below the footing of the existing foundation wall (requiring underpinning
of, and reinforcement to, the existing footing).
The bottom left photograph shows the state-of-the-art glass and
tile shower (and adjoining tub) accessed at the basement level guest
bedroom. The bottom right photograph shows the reversed, upper portion
of the existing spiral stair at the first floor landing where the
new portion of the stair continues to the basement level.
The general contractor was Rudd Construction. The addition was constructed
at approximately the same cost as Rudd's original estimate of $350,000.
Interestingly, because of the inflated value of homes in Aspen,
it was less expensive for the owners to build the addition than
to purchase another larger house.
The successful completion of this project was the result of, (1)
decisions based on my knowledge of design as related to construction
details, (2) a comprehensive set of architectural drawings that
included the complex floor area calculations, (3) on-site decisions
made by a very talented job superintendent, (4) interior appointments
including bath furnishings and cabinetry selected and coordinated
by a knowledgeable project manager, and (5) no insurmountable excavation
surprises occurring during construction (such as an excavated boulder
rolling into the adjacent house, or the shifting of a foundation
wall during underpinning). Careful coordination between myself and
the contractors representatives was maintained via phone conversations,
faxes and several site visitations.
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