Hotchkiss Grove Residence

Location: Renovation of a private residence. Branford, CT.

Program: Renovation of the first floor of the home to create an open floor plan with a causal and spacious feeling. The home service as a gathering place for the clients, their adult children and their families.

Upgrades to the first floor should include a large kitchen with views to the water, a shared living and dining space with a flexible furniture layout, a full bath, and informal entry with direct access to an outdoor patio. An outdoor shower should be located near the patio and new bath for rinsing off after visiting the nearby beach.

Any additions to the home should not extend beyond the current sides of the house in order not to block views of the water from the patio or for adjacent neighbors. Keeping the architectural style, detail, and proportions of the home intact is a key requirement of the client.

Client: Professional Couple

Design Solution: The home originally built in the 1940’s had a first floor plan comprised of individual rooms with only the living room and an enclosed front porch having any substantial water views. In order to create an open floor plan a centrally located stair was reconfigured, and walls between the kitchen and dining room were removed. A new full bath, entryway, and storage areas where moved to the back of the first floor and located in a new addition and a partially in an attached one car garage. Interior living room windows opening to the porch were enlarged allowing for better views of the water from the kitchen and dining areas. A one story addition was designed in keeping with the original home by using detailing and materials similar to the original home, and new double hung and casement windows were installed in the original house. A modest size patio was created by partially setting it into the sloping rear yard and using a low retaining wall for sitting.