Loudon County, VA
The Spring House Addition is located just outside the National Landmark at Waterford, Virginia. The 18th century Presbyterian stone house was purchased by the Clients in the 1970’s. Shortly thereafter they constructed a curved acrylic sun enclosure on the rear of the house which by 2000 had reached the end of its useful life. The project was to remove the 1970’s enclosure and create a passive solar sunroom using materials and an aesthetic more suitable to the historic structure, as well as updating and renovating the western end of the house. The project also included the addition of a new, yet historically appropriate, kitchen. The sunroom was constructed using super insulated walls and roof with high performance windows and sky lights. The existing slate floor was reused as a heat sink while constructing a thermal break at the exterior walls. A beloved, hand dug well at the corner of the house was required by county officials to be capped and abandoned. The informal entry to the house was designed to be a remembrance of the well by mimicking the form of historic well house structures in the surrounding area. Modern systems and insulation enhancement were installed in the existing west end of the house to improve energy performance.
