Historic Zoning Commission
Old North Knoxville H-1: Level II
8-F-15-HZ
Staff Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION FOR 4/21/2016
The proposed removal of the addition's roof overhangs to reduce the width by 24" is the only mitigation that can be made without removing the entire addition. The HZC will need to determine if the elimination of the visbilibility of the addition from the front of the house and from the west is sufficient to mitigate the most major concerns.
RECOMMENDATION FOR 3/17/2016
Although the rear dormer addition is not viewable from the frontand meets guidelines for Additions 2 and 4, it does not meet guidelines for Additions 1,3, and 6 as submitted. Mitigation strategies to minimize the appearance of dormer addition are 1) paint it the same color as the siding or dark gray to blend in with the roof, and 2) to add back the roof skirt at the lower edge of the dormer. Also, staff is to approve design of the front porch balustrade with sawn balusters prior to installation.
RECOMMENDATION FOR 8/20/2015
Approval with modification from a shed- to a hipped- roof on front porch and approval by staff of front porch balustrade design.
Applicant Request
Level II POSTPONED FROM 3/17/16 Level II. Rear roof addition
Architectural feature; Doors; Guttering; Masonry repair/painting; Material changes (wood, brick, metal, etc.); Porch elements; Roofing; Siding; Windows; Other: remove late additionsAFTER-THE-FACT-REQUEST of 3/17/2016 POSTPONED to 4/21/2016 to explore mitigation options mainly to reduce size of gable-roofed frame addition projecting from the rear roof. The proposal is to reduce the width of the dormer by 24 inches by removing the roof overhangs on each side of the addition.
AMENDMENT TO DESCRIPTION OF WORK 8/20/2015 - AFTER-THE-FACT-REQUEST: Construct gable-roofed frame dormer addition projecting from the rear roof that accomodates headroom for a stairway to the attic. The dormer addition is 10-feet high, 13 feet wide, and 8 feet deep. A two-over-two double-hung window is located on the right side of the face of the dormer. Install a new 2/2 double-hung wood window on the rear first floor.
WORK APPROVED 8/20/2015
Remove recent frame infill walls on front and sides of front porch and from beneath front gabled projection to reveal original porch. Repair asbestos existing shingled-siding siding on sides and rear. Add new weatherboard siding to front façade. Restore and reuse existing 2/2 wood windows. Reconstruct front porch with hipped roof, wood tongue-and-groove flooring, wooden beadboard ceiling, chamfered wooden 4x4 porch posts, and balustrade with 2x2 wooden balusters or a simple sawnwork design. Porch design based on neighboring similar houses. New balustrade to meet code, but be designed to appear lower in height with final design approved by staff. Replace inappropriate, late front and back door with wood half-light door with two panels below. Rebuild wooden rear deck with 2x2 balusters set into the top and bottom rails. ADD HIPPED-ROOF DORMER WITH 2/2 WOOD DOUBLE-HUNG WINDOW INTO THE HIPPED REAR ROOF (see drawings). Replace covering on flat roof on late rear addition with prefabricated metal roofing with standing seam appearance. Repair and repoint chimneys and rebuild as necessary utilizing the same bricks and and cap them off. Repair parging on brick foundation. All per submitted drawings.
Site Info
Queen Anne Cottage (c. 1890)One-story frame with wood shingle wall covering. Steep hip roof with lower front cross gable and asphalt shingles, round sawn wood attic vent and sawnwork in front gable. Two-over-two double-hung windows. One-story two-bay front porch with wood trim and square porch posts with Doric capitals, sawnwork balustrade. One interior offset side brick chimney. Brick foundation. Irregular plan. Projecting bay on east elevation. Identical to 231 Leonard Place. (Contributing)
AMENDMENTS TO STAFF FINDINGS 3/17/2016
1. A hipped roof dormer on the rear roof, large enough to accommodate the framing for a centered 2/2 double-hung window, was approved by the HZC on 8/20/2015.
2. The roof of the rear dormer addition is a gabled roof instead of hipped as stipulated by the 8/20/15 COA.
3. The rear dormer addition is 13 feet long by 8 feet deep by 10 feet high with an off-center 2/2 double-hung window.
4. The rear addition is not visible from the front. It is visible from N. 4th Street on the east and from the rear alley.
5. The rear addition was constructed to accommodate interior stairs so that the attic level could be considered as habitable space.
6. The applicant and owner assert that the original rear 2/2 double-hung window was too deteriorated to repair. The installed window is an adequate replica.
PREVIOUS STAFF FINDINGS (8/20/2015)
1. The inappropriate front porch infill occurred sometime after 1985.
2.There is evidence in adjacent properties providing the design of the front of the house and its porch, since this house is noted in the historic resource survey to be similar.
3. All materials proposed to be used in the renovation are to be wood, except the masonry repair and parging.
4. The existing 2/2 windows to be retained and repaired are original.
5. THE PROPOSED DORMER IS SMALL RELATIVE TO THE ROOF SURFACE AND NOT VISIBLE FROM THE FRONT. THE HIPPED ROOF SHAPE ON THE DORMER and the 2/2 double-hung window ARE COMPATIBLE WITH THE REST OF THE HOUSE.
6. A hipped roof front porch is appropriate for this style of house as exhibited in similar adjacent houses.
7. The historic resource survey notes that the balusters were of sawnwork, but there is no photo or existing sample of the design. Simple sawnwork or 2x2 balusters would be appropriate for the style of this house.
AMENDMENTS TO STAFF FINDINGS 4/21/2016
1. The dimensions (eight, width, depth) of the addition were determined by the HZC to be inappropriately large.
2. The proposed removal of each 12" eave overhang will reduce the width of the roof addition by 24 inches tota; and will eliminate visibility of the addition from directly in front of the house.
3. The view of the addition when approaching the house from the west will be reduced and the addition will be only slightly visible from this angle.
4. The visiblity of the rear roof addition from N. 4th Avenue and from the rear will not be greatly reduced.
5. Eliminating the overhangs will eliminate a typical characteristic of main roofs and dormer roofs from this era, giving the roof addition a more contemporary appearance. However, the low roof pitch of the gable nonetheless already has a modern appearance.
