Birdie Galyan Porch Addition
The homeowners of this classic country estate contacted us about fulfilling a vision that had been formed years earlier. Russ Herndon, a current member of the LWB design team and former owner of Russ Herndon Design, had drawn a front porch addition for the clients about 15 years ago.
Our clients were now ready to execute the porch design to complement their two-story traditional colonial that was custom-built in the early 1990s. Other exterior features of the original house include beautiful natural redwood siding, a gorgeous patio and pool area in the back, surrounded by a park-like setting with mature hardwood trees and a pond.
Alex Minor joined Russ for the second design stage of this project. Priorities for this porch build included weather protection, scaling the porch to the existing house, and respecting the integrity of the original home materials selections.
The porch design speaks to the clean and simple Williamsburg colonial form. Austere columns were introduced in a rhythm and scale to deliver a slightly more modern–possibly even prairie– aesthetic. The hip roof provides a continuous protective overhang yet respects traditional colonial massing of forms.
One highlight of the build is the 1×4 Douglas Fir tongue and groove wood ceiling, expertly installed by the LWB build team of craftsmen Rick Dyer, Curt Silvers, Stewart Hamilton, Bailey Swan, and others. The framing and finishing of this ceiling was a challenge because of the seamless transition between the ceiling field and plentiful overhangs — there are no visible headers!
Chad Bowling of Elite Masonry expertly executed the stone wrapped column bases and horizontal- stepped wing walls of pitch faced limestone with milled limestone caps. The LWB excavating and concrete team of Jim Oliver and Jake Loudenbarger provided footers, driveway work, concrete prep, and drainage. Rob Shederly’s crew at Above the Grade concrete matched the stamped concrete pattern of the previously poured back patio. RCV Roofing sourced a match for the existing “extra thick” dimensional shingles.
The LWB finish team member Chris Reese clear-coated the fir and stained the redwood. LWB Paint Coordinator Dan Knipstine worked with our clients to match the existing patina on the redwood. The finishes are punctuated by the measured, yet comprehensive, selection and installation of lighting by LWB’s Brad Snyder and Erik Weaver.
As one approaches the home at twilight, the evening light casts against the redwood columns and limestone walls which evokes warmth and timelessness. We are thrilled about this project— and it was an honor for all of us to participate in the evolution of this one-of-a-kind home.
