Grey two story house at Chautauqua Institution with rebuilt porches on both floors, a new front garden and a stone edged walk
Projects  /  Chautauqua Institution

Raised house, Chautauqua Institution

Chautauqua Institution, New York·Renovation·New lower level

Where
Chautauqua Institution, New York
Building
Two story house with porches on both floors
Work
House raised for a new finished lower level. Porches rebuilt, first and second floors reworked
Service
Chautauqua Institution
The problem

Small, separate rooms split by a central stair, and porches that had weathered.

The whole house went up one floor.

A couple from Florida bought a large, traditional Chautauqua house on a corner lot and wanted it to become their forever home. The house had good bones and porches on two levels. What it did not have was a layout that worked. The first floor was a series of small, separate rooms split by a staircase in the middle, the connection between the floors was awkward, and the porches had weathered.

The lot was tight and it slopes. The basement ceiling was far too low to be useful, so the firm raised the entire house, matched the new grades inside and out, and rebuilt the porches, bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen.

Moving the stair to the back of the house opened up the middle. The kitchen, living and dining spaces now run together and open straight onto wraparound porches and an extended open deck. A long peninsula links the kitchen to the living room, and built-in shelving frames the fireplace. Upstairs, the second floor was reorganized into well sized bedrooms, a central bath and a laundry closet.

Below, the new lower level could have been dark. Careful placement of doors and windows gives it plenty of light. It is fully finished, with its own kitchen, living room, bathroom and two bedrooms, so it works as extra space for large gatherings or as a separate rental when the family is away. Outside the lower level, a deck doubles as parking and a place to sit. Mitchner Builders built it.

The stair, moved to the back of the house so the first floor could open up, with the dining area beyond
Kitchen peninsula with woven stools and black pendant lights, linking the kitchen to the living room
Fireplace with white built-in shelving and cabinets on both sides
The finished house

Raised, with the porches rebuilt.

Rebuilt porches on both floors of the grey house, with a new paved walk and steps up to the front door
Side of the raised house from the street corner, with the new lower level and a stone retaining wall along the drive
Wraparound porch with white wicker seating and bright cushions, open to the neighbouring houses
Looking down the length of the porch past the front windows
Upper porch with a wicker sofa and blue cushions under the roof
Inside

One open floor where the small rooms were.

The open first floor from the dining end, with the kitchen on the left and the living room at the far end
Dining table with blue chairs beside the kitchen, looking toward the living room and the fireplace
Living room with a fireplace framed by built-in shelving, seen from the kitchen peninsula
Living room with blue armchairs and a pale sofa, and windows on two sides
White kitchen with new cabinets, counters and appliances
Sitting room with a grey sofa, blue curtains and a round leather ottoman
Bathroom with a white vanity, a navy mirror and a glass walk-in shower
Upstairs and the new lower level

Bedrooms above, a second place to stay below.

Bedroom with a white iron bed and a blue patterned quilt
Bedroom with a striped bedspread and a window onto the trees
Family room on the new lower level, with a blue sofa and a television
Small second kitchen with white cabinets and a blue tile backsplash
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