Historic Zoning Commission

Mechanicsville H-1: Level II

9-L-17-HZ

Applicant Request

Level II. Construction of outbuilding

Construct carriage-house-type side-gabled garage at rear of property to the west of main house. Asphalt-shingled roof to have a pitch of 10/12 to match that of the main house. Wood-frame with 4-inch clapboard siding with overall dimensions of the enclosed portion being 26'Lx24'Wx ~22'H, with roof extending to cover brick-paved patio with dimensions of 12'Wx24'L. Roof extension over patio supported by six 8'x8' square posts with trim to match those on main house porch. Block foundation to be stuccoed with 8" to 12" of exposure and no exposure on the alley side to accommodate the driveway into the garage. One-over-one wood double-hung windows in each side gable of garage to match the size on the main house. Front-gabled dormer on east side with twin set of double-hung windows and exposed rafter tails. All windows to be wooden and 2'-4"x5'-2" in size. Two carriage house-style metal roll-up doors on north side and wooden access door on north and south sides with 2 to 5 recessed panels. Architectural elements, including 8-inch facia, 8-inch corner boards, eave brackets, and exposed rafter tails to match those on existing house. Install half-round gutters with copper finish.

Site Info

Late construction, one-story, frame side-gabled Craftsman.

1. Auxiliary or outbuildings were very common in Mechanicsville. They served a variety of purposes, including storage, and after the first decade of the 20th century, garages.

2. The design of the garage suggests a carriage-house function, an occasional original use of outbuildings in the neighborhood.

3. The designof the garage doors that face east along the alley mimic carriage house doors from the Craftsman era are consistent with the primary building on the lot.

4. The garage is located behind the main house at the rear of the lot. It is located behind the rear plane of the house, but not behind the house itself. Therefore, the end-gabled façade with open porch will be clearly visible from Oak Avenue. However, it will be at the very back of the lot.

5. Since the lot is a double lot l (103' wide by 149' deep), there is enough room on the lot to accommodate a larger accessory structure (12'x24'x23'h) without it overwhelming or being too close to the main house, which is 2,472 sf and 38 feet wide and ~28 feet high to the peak. The shorter, end-gabled 12-foot-wide façade will be the one facing the street, and the visual mass of its façade will be reduced by the open porch overhang.

5. The materials and design features proposed for construction are those that are listed in the guidelines, and therefore, match those on the main house, so are therefore compatible with the house as well as the district.