Das Swartzenreader Haus, Virginia Home, USA Residential Architecture, Images
Das Swartzenreader Haus in Winchester
American Residential Redevelopment ? design by Reader & Swartz Architects
14 Feb 2017
Das Swartzenreader Haus
Design: Reader & Swartz Architects
Location: Winchester, Virginia, USA
Das Swartzenreader Haus

This house was originally built in the late 1960?s, with a 4/12 gable roof and a second floor that cantilevered two feet past the first floor. The house sits on the top of a hill, on a small, steep, corner lot, within an established neighborhood. It had a great view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, but virtually no way to see them.

It had a minimal number of small windows, and a choppy, conventional floor plan. The 8? ceilings were interrupted by bulkheads, lowering them to 6?-8? in some rooms.
The goal of the project was to make an open, light- filled loft space, which would take advantage of the Blue Ridge Mountain views to the east. The design involved flipping the living and sleeping levels, so that the bedrooms got the existing, eight- foot high ceilings, and the living level got the highest ceilings and the best views.

The first floor of the existing house was reworked, to convert the old living spaces into an entry room, two children?s bedrooms, and a bath. On the second floor of the existing house, all of the interior walls were removed, and just the stairs were retained. The new, open plan contains a dining area, a library area, and an exp...