Lexington, KY - The home at the corner of Dudley and Hart roads in the Chevy Chase neighborhood was built by J.W. Davis builders in the late '30s. Once owned by the Miranda family, renowned for their Derby parties and social connections, older neighbors still recall big bands playing atop the carport and frequent celebrity guests, like former Kentucky governor Happy Chandler.
When it came time for Doris Clark, the Mirandas' daughter, to sell the home in 1997, she made sure potential buyers Trent and Wendi Rogers were aware of the home's history; she pointed out special cabinets used to keep Derby party supplies.
Upon purchasing the home, the Rogers family, which includes the couple's two children (Zoe, 11, and Ellis, 4) promised Doris they would be considerate stewards of the home. They took possession on Wendi's birthday, and found that Doris had decorated the home with birthday signs.
The house is a unique Tudor Revival cottage with a front gable that extends beyond the eves, nearly touching the ground. The exterior has a fairy tale appearance, with earthy, green Buckholtz French concrete tiles cloaking the vast roof lines that flow over large limestone block with protruding mortar lines. Stone steps and a retaining wall flank the side of the property's Hart Road exposure, exceeding half a block to the drive way and carport. That exposure lends way for the expansion the Rogers have been planning since buying the home, but they were cautious about what the project would look like.
"We knew we didn't want to slap a box on the back of our house," said Trent, a Ph.D. research scientist at the University of Kentucky, of the potential expansion.
The couple wanted to allow the existing structure and their needs to shape the final product, and they sought out the services of noted architect Graham Pohl of Pohl Rosa Pohl. "Graham is really masterful at this," Trent said. "He was able to tie the emotional feel of the existing structure to the addition that kept the design continuity without feeling retro."
Pohl enlisted the service of Bob Montgomery of Montgomery Construction for the project. "Graham's projects are a vast departure from the standard vinyl clad box," Montgomery said. "There are many interesting and challenging details that make this project appealing."
The addition used hardwood flooring to expand the kitchen and tie in the existing house. The kitchen features custom-made, straight line mahogany cabinets with granite countertops. A breakfast area and large pantry make good use of the expanded kitchen space. The kitchen flows effortlessly via a hardwood step that runs the full width of the addition down into a new family room, which features large, open air windows that invite the outdoors in. "The family room windows deliberately link the interior with exterior, giving a sense of release and generosity," Pohl said.
Instead of building a traditional staircase in the new family room to reach the upstairs bedrooms, a spiral staircase was installed next to the entryway. "The addition would have been four or five feet longer if we'd had to accommodate a conventional stair. The spiral stair is like a machine inserted in the space, rather than a space-defining element like a normal stair."
As you wind your way up the ash stair treads, surrounded by windows looking out on a hemlock tree, you get the sense of being in an exotic tree house. The stairs lead to an open hall, with Zoe's bedroom at one end and the master bedroom at the other, which is complete with large windows offering a birds-eye view of the neighborhood. The master bath has a walk-in shower made of natural slate by Dennis Hulsing.
"Dennis is a very talented, old-school artisan, a mud set specialist," Montgomery said about bringing Hulsing on to the project, "a vanishing breed, due to modern time-and-cost-saving techniques."
Custom cabinets and imitation aged bamboo floor complete the Rogers' self-described "Zen hobbit" style.
The addition of a dormer allows the previous attic area in the existing house to be transformed into Zoe's bedroom, with her own full bath -
and gives Ellis more space downstairs in his bedroom.
The addition's coverings of stone and natural cedar reflect Rogers' love of the outdoors, and the new patio area perched above the sidewalk along Hart Road provides a perfect outdoor dining spot for the family. "We've only eaten inside when it was raining," said Wendi, a guidance counselor for Elkhorn Middle School in Franklin County.
Graham describes the addition as being respectful of the neighborhood's texture of scales.
You may not see a band playing on the carport anymore, but the Rogers' love of music and friendly people, mixed with the careful thought and consideration put into the remodel, certainly keep the promise of continuing a positive, artistic presence in the neighborhood.