Staff recommends approval with the following conditions: 1) that the building code is met with the addition of balusters on the screened porch and the stair handrails; and 2) the operable skylights are confirmed as necessary to meet code for egress.
Level II Work (Updated 8/14/2018)
Front Porch: Removal of non-original concrete stair & replacement with brick stair (brick recliamed from existing house); removal of non-original concrete wall caps & replacement with stone or concrete caps to match existing. New painted steel handrail with balusters to meet building code.
East Side of Roof: Addition of (2) skylights to provide code-required egress from new finished space at attic.
Back Porch: Removal of damaged / rotted wood railings & replacement with new wood frame / trim and wire mesh insect screen with wood panels below and simple wood handrail with four pickets to meet code; removal of non-original concrete stair & replacement with brick stair (brick reclaimed from existing house); removal of non-original door & replacement with new painted fiberglass-clad wood door.
Level I Work
Front Porch: Removal of paint from existing brick; mortar repair / repointing; repair & repainting of existing wood porch floor and beadboard soffit; in-kind replacement of previously removed decorative painted wood bracket. Repair fixed panels on door and sidelights.
Exterior Woodwork, Trim, & Siding: Removal of non-original vinyl & aluminum siding. Epoxy repair, refastening & other structural stabilization, repainting of all exterior wood. In-kind replacement on a last-resort / as-needed basis.
Windows: Repair of existing wood windows and addition of new prefinished aluminum storm windows.
One-story frame with weatherboard wallcovering. Hip and gable roof with asphalt shingle covering, rafters and knee braces. Double-hung 6/1 windows. One-story, one-bay offest gable front porch with dentils on eaves of porch gable. Brick foundation. Irregular plan. Leaded divided-light transom over front door with sidelights. Contributing.
1) The house is a contributing structure in the Old North Knox H-1 Overlay.
2) A small portion of one of the proposed skylights will be only slightly visible when approaching the house from the north, given that the projecting side gable will obscure the majority of it.
3) The front steps and brick piers and caps were re-constructed at some earlier point from non-original materials. Given that the craftsmanship is poor and the bricks do not match the original, these elements have not acquired any historic significance over time.
4) The re-use of brick from the original house is an appropriate material for the steps and piers.
5) The existing rear porch and steps are not original or early; therefore, there will be no loss of historic material in its reconstruction with a brick foundation
6) A screened-in porch is not inappropriate for the rear of the house.
7) The proposed stair handrails require balusters spaced at ~ 4 inches on center in order to meet building code.
8) The screened-in porch will require 36-inch-high balusters to surround it wherever it is 30 inches above grade. The appropriate type of balusters would be 2x2 square.
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