Does the house in the above photo look like a good tear-down candidate? Many Raleigh residents might think so, but not homeowners John and Betty Aldridge, who took a more patient and respectful approach to expanding their living situation. Setback requirements prevented an additional bedroom on the ground level, but through the guidance of Kenneth E Hobgood Architects, the owners were able to find a solution that accommodates all of their needs. The existing structure is utilized, though reconfigured on the interior, and the addition attaches to it in a strikingly contemporary manner.
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This metal, wood, and glass addition is formally interpreted as a sort of dormer, maintaining a quiet profile from the street front, yet introducing a modern language to the neighborhood.
Sited in an affluent Inside the Beltline neighborhood where land is worth as much as 1.5 million per acre, this project is a great example of how tearing down and rebuilding the house would have been an easy fix, but brain power was used to reach a more cost-effective, more respectful solution.
Construction is underway, and the progress can be seen while driving along Glenwood Avenue between St. Mary’s and Oberlin Road. This bold residential project will be an interesting tick mark in the timeline of Raleigh’s architectural history, and is an important example in the ongoing discussion of tear-downs.
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images: Kenneth E Hobgood Architects and newraleigh.com
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