Staff recommends approval of the work as proposed, with the condition that final garage door specifications be submitted to staff for approval. The Commission should discuss the appropriateness of the composite railing system instead of wood materials for the new rear deck.
Level 1 Scope: repair and repointing to brick masonry foundation. Right rear corner of foundation will require reconstruction; existing historic brick will be retained, cleaned, and re-installed in place. All work to meet masonry standards of NPS Presevation Brief 2, re-using existing bricks and using mortar appropriate for historic masonry elements. Installation of new gutters. Foundation repair project only approved 4.5.2021; all other scopes of work to be reviewed at 4.15.2021 Historic Zoning Commission meeting.
Level 2 Scopes
BASEMENT DOORS: Replacement of two basement-level doors on rear elevation. Left side basement door opening currently enclosed with plywood; a one-third-light, three-panel wood door will be painted and installed. Right side basement door opening to receive a five-panel, solid wood door. Both doors are 32" wide. Basement entry openings will not be modified in size.
DECK: Addition of deck to rear elevation. The deck will be 12' deep by 21' wide overall, with recessed sections on each side. The deck will be supported by 6" by 6" columns, with a 36" tall railing of square pickets set into top and bottom rails. Applicant is proposing TimberTech composite railing system, featuring square posts, a beveled railing, and square wood pickets. Deck flooring is proposed to be TimberTech Legacy Collection composite decking.
To accommodate the deck, a window on the rear elevation will be replaced with a half-light, fiberglass door. Window to be replaced is third bay from the left, and has received modifications in the past.
GARAGE: New secondary structure (garage) in rear of property. Garage will be located in rear left (south) corner of property, set 7' from rear property line and 7' from interior left (southwest) property line. The garage is 26' long by 26' wide, with an additional 6' wide by 12' long massing on the elevation facing the front property line (southwest elevation).
The garage features a front-gable roof with a 12/12 roof pitch clad in architectural asphalt shingles, an exterior clad in wood clapboard siding, and one-over-one, double-hung wood windows. The shed-roof massing on the southwest elevation features a 4/12 pitch roof and a small covered entry supported by a wood post.
The front elevation is the northeast elevation, which features two paired garage doors. The proposed doors feature three-light windows above two vertical panels and centrally located hinges. A one-over-one, double-hung wood window is centered in the gable field in the upper story. A secondary entry door is recessed on the shed-roof massing on the front elevation.
The right elevation (northwest) faces E. Scott Avenue and the rear of the house. Another one-over-one, double-hung window is located on the leftmost bay, with paired 1/1, double-hung windows on the shed roof massing. The southwest elevation (fronting the side yard) features a window in the upper story and the alley fronting elevation does not have additional fenestration.
Conditions of approval identified at 4/16/21 HZC Meeting: 1) final garage door specifications be submitted to staff for approval.
One-story, wood frame residence with a hip and gable roof clad in asphalt shingles, an exterior of wood clapboard siding, and a brick foundation. Front gable features full cornice returns and shingles with an arched double-hung window, while side gables are clad in lap siding. One-over-one, double-hung wood windows. Interior brick chimneys.
1. 510 E. Scott Ave. is a contributing resource to the ONK National Register Historic District and local historic overlay.
2. Repair to the existing, and the proposed replacement, basement doors meets the design guidelines, using wood doors that are compatible with the originals in size, scale, and materials and do not create the impression of formal entrances.
3. The proposed deck is modest in size, will be installed in a manner that will not affect any character-defining features of the house, and will not be visible from E. Scott Avenue. While the deck will be visible from the alley, the deck will be recessed approximately 75' from the alley. The deck meets the base zoning requirements. Placement of the deck is appropriate.
4. The applicant is proposing a composite material for both the flooring and the railing. Composite materials have been approved for new rear deck flooring in ONK in the past, contingent on the deck being a new element and not visible from the primary street. The proposed decking material does have a faux-grain element that would not be appropriate on a front porch, an original rear porch, or a more visible deck element. In staff's opinion, the proposed composite decking material is consistent with past approvals and appropriate for a new rear deck not visible from the primary street.
5. The application also includes a composite railing system (TimberTech RadianceRail composite railing system), featuring a larger rounded handrail and a square picket railing system. While not easily shared in a virtual meeting format, the applicant does have material samples available for review. An Azek (manufacturer of TimberTech) composite railing was proposed at 240 E. Scott Ave in 2018 (8-H-18-HZ). The staff report noted "7) The proposed extruded PVC material for porch balustrades does not altogether simulate wood in texture and visual qualities because it does not have the imperfections or undulations of a hand-crafted wood balustrade and the material is very smooth; however, a paint-coat may somewhat mitigate only the texture issue. [...] Azek products are not recommended for painting. (Additionally, some PVC balustrade products have exposed fasteners; however, the proposed Aeratis and Azek products offer hidden fasteners.) 8) The top rail profiles shown in the samples offered by Azek appear to adequately duplicate historic profiles" but staff recommended the "PVC balustrade receive more study." The Commission ultimately recommended the applicant use a wood balustrade with a beveled top rail and 2x2 square wood pickets.
6. Removal of the one double-hung window and installation of a new fiberglass half-light door to accommodate the deck will not have a detrimental effect on the house's character-defining features. The Commission should discuss the use of a fiberglass door on the rear elevation in terms of compatibility of materials.
7. The garage is proposed for the rear of the property, recessed from the main house, and within the requirements of the base zoning code for garages. Placement of the garage is appropriate.
8. The elevation which will be visible from the primary street (right elevation on the drawings) has sufficient visual interest from the windows and the shed-roof extension. The gable fields feature one-over-one, double-hung windows to break up large massings of siding.
9. All material elements of the garage meet the design guidelines, including a wood lap siding with an exposure to match the house, a 12/12 roof pitch to reflect the main house's steeply pitched roof, and eave overhangs. The garage sufficiently corresponds with the primary residence. Final specifications for garage doors should be submitted to staff for approval.
Home | contact@knoxplanning.org | (865) 215-2500
Knoxville-Knox County Planning
City-County Building | Suite 403 | 400 Main Street | Knoxville, Tennessee 37902
