Framing is virtually complete for the kitchen and mudroom addition we designed on Union Street in Northfield. This shot shows the diminutive size of the addition that will greatly enhance the functionality of this home.

It is a bit like a gift waiting to be unwrapped; windows and doors will be cut in soon, allowing the passerby to glimpse the exposed structural steel and tongue-and-groove fir ceiling deck. The addition is decidedly modern in character, intentionally distinct from yet sympathetic to the original home. It will feature a plantable green roof that ducks under the existing exposed rafter tails. The angle opens the view to the back yard and retains access to the garage behind.

Taylor-Made Builders is doing a nice job with the construction work and the attention to detail an older home project requires.

The past seven days have seen excavation on two current projects, making this a holey week.

The shot above shows a trench dug to bury geothermal heating and cooling piping on Gates Avenue. After looking into horizontal boring and wells, trenching was selected. This method avoided rock and came in less expensive than the other two options. Today the trench looks like tilled lawn; it has been filled and leveled over the pipes. Soil corrections have already begun for the footings for the home’s rather significant addition. The home will appear as a cluster of buildings linked together with low, curved connective tissue.

Here is the hole for a petite addition on Union Street in Northfield. This will be a kitchen and mudroom addition to replace the sun porch and deck. Site constraints and the Owners’ sensibilities steered this addition toward a modern addition sympathetic to the historic home. Look for a low slope roof with greenery on top in the months to come.