In the summer of 2000, we began work on an addition for Chris and Danna Buono, of Wakefield, Massachusetts. The addition was designed by Peter Sandorse, of Phoenix Collaborative architects. The addition includes a 24' x 30' in-law apartment and a 16' x 12' exercise room, with a common stairway from the two-stall garage below. The exercise room and in-law apartment open in the rear to an 8' x 12' deck of Trex and cedar. The new structure has a new two-stall garage below, which is designed without lally columns, allowing for a 24' x 24' clear span.

Our headaches began during excavation. A few years earlier, a family room addition was built on posts. When we began digging the foundation hole, we had to support the family room so it would not collapse during excavation. Also, the Buonos wanted the ceiling height in the new garage to be eight feet. We discovered why the ceiling in the original garage was only seven feet: We hit ledge at seven feet. To remove the ledge, a hoe ram was brought in.

To set apart the addition from the main house, the architect designed the new ridge beam perpendicular to the main house. The ceilings in the in-law apartment are vaulted, while those in the exercise room are cathedral. There are six different roof pitches tied together in the main house and the addition! The ceilings, combined with the ridge beam and clear span garage, presented some unique framing problems. We had to use 188 lineal feet of 1 3/4 x 11 7/8 glulam beams and 160 lineal feet of 11 1/4" I beam joists.

The vaulted ceilings in the in-law apartment make it feel very spacious. All the doors are three feet wide, with latch hardware for handicapped access. The bedroom has a walk-in closet and a separate walk-in laundry room. The efficiency kitchen has a linoleum floor, while the bathroom has tile. The remainder of the unit and the exercise room have pre-finished Bruce hardwood floors.

The exterior was finished with Certainteed premium vinyl siding, to match the existing house. The front is finished with vinyl shakes, and the rest is finished with three inch dutch-lap siding. All of the trim is covered with aluminum and vinyl, making the exterior maintenance free. We even reroofed the main house with architectural shingles, when we installed the roofing on the addition.

In all, despite the problems with excavation and the complexity of the framing, we consider the Buono project to be a success. We spoke with Danna recently and she said her mother was really enjoying the new apartment. They have recently completed their landscaping. We will get a new photo of the project when the driveway is complete.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS:
-The existing house had an addition built on posts. We had to temporarily support the addition during excavation.
-Ledge was encountered during excavation. It had to be broken up with a hoe ram.
-The roof beam of the in-law apartment is perpindicular to the main house. Therefore, six separate roof pitches had to be tied together.