Kim's Home Addition

Kim had lots of questions- so I will break them up. She has a home addition that needs help with. The photo above I found on her blog- she said that she loved this feel. My words will be in blue.



Dear Christine,

I think I need an architect more than a designer but I'm sure you are good with architecture too. I was trying to lay out the furniture to make sure that the building design would be functional and pleasing. I'm trying to get the plans nailed down so we can get bids and not be apt to make expensive changes once we start building.I'm worried about what type/size of windows to use, and where to place them. The north wall has windows up high so that we have lots of wall space for my husband's photographs, which also need to be incorporated into the design.

From your kitchen, from your library, from your family room, you have a view of the north wall. I would put your fireplace on that wall. Frank Lloyd Wright said, and I have to agree, that the fireplace is the focal point of the room. This is a prominent wall becasue of it's location, and I think it is the perfect place for a fireplace. The great room, where the north wall is that you are referring to, is 30 feet in length. Adding the fireplace to that wall will also help to break up a very long wall. Break that room into two areas. You should never have a sitting area where seats are more than 12 feet from each other.

Where do I put the gas fireplace, what type of fireplace?


Well- I guess I just told you the where- what type? I discussed some of the different options in this post ,this post ,and this post. The fireplace in the picture that you liked so well is stone, concrete, or cast stone. That would be a great option in your place- or you could shop for an antique. A beautiful recalimed fireplace could also add a lot of character to your room. Make sure the fireplace is an appropriate scale. (not too small.)



Do I reuse my current mantel or update/paint? If I paint it, what color? How far do I build it out from the wall? I would replace it. The scale seems too small to me- and it doesn't have that "focal point" feel to it. I would have the fireplace as flush to the wall as you can- have the depth of the firebox poke out the back of the house- not inside your room. (fireplace photo from Old World Stoneworks) Do I plan a raised hearth? If you think you might want it for additional seating- a raised hearth is nice- and you have pleanty of square footage in the room to add it. As a mother of small children, I like a raised hearth as it adds some distance to the fire. I would select the exact furniture you want first- to make sure you have pleanty of room. (from your dimmensions- I think you do.)

Do I build the wall out all the way to the ceiling (like a chimney) or have it end at the mantel? (The gas fireplace doesn't need a chimney.) If you have to have the firebox inside the room- build the wall out to the ceiling. A little dimension - change in the elevation of the wall is nice, to break up the wall- but not the entire depth of the fireplace.


What type of window design to put on each side of the fireplace. I would keep two of your high windows on the other side of the 30 foot wall- for room for your photo gallery.




This is my advice IF you are having a flat ceiling in the great room. If, on the other hand, you are having a pitched ceiling with beams, I think you almost HAVE to have the fireplace on the end of the long room. You mentioned that you wanted a wall of windows on the far end- so I put the fireplace on the other end. In which case the lack of symmetry is less than ideal- do you need that door there? Or can we have symmetrical windows?

I will tackle more of your questions another day, thanks for writing in Kim. Let us know about your celing.

Christine