your house is a midcentury modern. Sorry you don't like the structure and the roofline. I do! I don't think this is a DIY job. You'll need an architect. and they will show you what's possible.

I would love to see an updated midcentury modern with this roofline! I've seen some that are close but  most have been converted to a pseudo- Craftsman. Unfortunately, I'm anything but modern; think chintz and chinoiserie. 😁 

When we initially bought our farm (40 acres) we planned to build a second house in the property. Changes to county laws have rendered that impossible. I do feel like I'm trying to hammer a square peg in a round hole...

I agree completely that we need an architect, and one is on the job; I'm just having difficulty explaining what I want.

How about something like this?

I realize you want to enclose your porch and this is 2 story house, but I am thinking if you cut one of your rooflines in half you might be getting somewhere.

Maybe cut the back roof line in have but bring it all forward?

so excuse the preschooler drawing, but what about this? I have no idea how much glass you want on the sun porch, But this would essentially be a box with an uptilt roof that follows one-half of your rear roofline, the left half. And it would snip off a bit of your front roof line on the left. Your front roof line would dead end at the porch column. You would lose the porch column, which would now be the wall of your new porch.

If you wanted to be jazzy you could angle the roof more steeply so that it jutted up more sharply and a bit longer on the upward end than your existing roofline.

Kinda Chinese don't you think?

Consider bringing the right side out 10 or 20 feet (whatever size you want) with the same roof line. In my area, tall story poles and ropes with flapping pennants (like a car dealership) are used to mock up the design of additions. Cheap and easily moved, they can give you a good idea of the size and overall box shape.

Alternatively, you can buy an instant-up screen room in a size comparable to what you are planning, then use it the rest of the summer to see what you prefer. They'll run a few hundred dollars for a good big size or $200 for a 10 by 10 foot size, maybe less since this is end of season in August.

Chintz is lovely for sunroom cushions.

Unless the builder will build it to match the roofline or it is placed on the side or back, it will look like a pimple. An addition will likely make existing rooms much darker, so be prepared for that.

I think the house is quite attractive, not an ugly duckling. It has strong, pleasing lines. The shutters don't belong on it.

Does it matter in terms of access to the sunporch what is behind the walls you are going to be building onto or removing? What kind of room is behind that right window? Ditto the left.

I think all your problems will be solved if you can build a side addition instead of a front one, so perhaps you should first fnd out if that's legal and structurally sound.

So many great ideas! Thank you! 😊

It's funny that a half-roof is mentioned, as that is what's at the back of the house. (See photo below.)

I think the issue is that the house is a blend of different styles, and while it has the architecture of a mid century modern, it was never styled as such. It's never had the beautiful huge windows or vaulted ceilings of a true MCM and was initially white with black shutters; not exactly modern! 

The room on the right is the master bedroom and the room on the left is the living room. 

I agree that building onto the right, similar to the addition on the left, would be easiest. I'll have to see  whether this is an option. 

I love the idea of using props/screen rooms to determine the size. And I can't draw any better than my 4 year old niece, so the sketches look great to me! 😁

I'm off to take a photo of the side of the house. 😊

Yes, it is not an historic house! I once owned a house that I feel pretty certain was a Sears catalogue house plan from the early 20th c., slightly squeezed on both sides to fit onto a pre-bought lot. And it was the devil to correct for the exaggerated verticality of the house. It really wanted to be wider. Fortunately a lot of landscaping and some hardscaping made it stop looking like it was going to tip over into the street.

So, do you hate the back of the house? With all new modern windows framed in black, and a slightly more radical angle of roof tilt for the porch, and vertical windows with black framing, and the whole house painted white or --- ? Might you be at peace?

If you had been able to build from scratch, what would you have built?

PS: If it turns out you can only do front, don't you want the porch off the living room rather than the bedroom?

I think our house is a kit house as well! Apparently, most homes built on our road are. 

Your description of a true mid century modern sounds lovely...but not for me. If I had my choice, it would probably be an Edwardian 2-story. Though as I age, a single story Craftsman sounds just right. 😊

I think you can eek a single story craftsman out of what you've got.

This would be great if money is no object

https://www.weekand.com/home-garden/article/convert-ranch-craftsmanstyle-home-18012490.php

Thanks so much for sharing the article. It contains so much usual information! 

As usual, the home in the 0hito is spectacular, but not for me...who also does not have a limitless budget. 😊

Improve the existing......

Change every single possible window to the biggest/prettiest you can fit in the walls, improve all the entry and landscaping and go to Florida for three months......bag the sun room addition for more light in the house. The weather won't change, that's for certain. It's Alberta.

OR........

Make an enclosed "breezeway" passage to it and completely detach it, and its roofline from the rest of the house....... wherever it fits on sides or back. Keep the connection small, like ...5 x 10 ish....then into the sun room

Love the trip to Florida idea. 😁 Hubby and I spent a couple weeks in Marathon (Florida Keys) in 2020 before the world stopped turning. 😊 

The breezeway idea is genius, but beyond our budget. 

 But...can we talk about your incredible pencil rendering of our home? Wow!! It's beautiful! May I print it and frame it? It's not only an inspiration, but a reminder of the beauty we already enjoy. 💖  Thank you!

Like I said........ forget the addition, change the WINDOWS: ) ps I despise the harsh reality of digital. Pencil makes much better use of your imagination.

I'd love to switch out the windows, but that won't add square footage to the house. 😔 Apparently, the family is quite tired of me taking over the living room every January when I start my plants from seed. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Hubby would also like a bigger, brighter office, so it's more than just a desire for more light, though your suggestion to install bigger windows would certainly help with that! 

And yes, our digital world is not kind to artists. 😊

Would it be possible to add on to the chimney side of the house? Square off from the back roofline and keep going till you hit the front. It would enclose the chimney and take up that whole garden bed area. Not sure what the square footage would be, but for a greenhouse space you could have two walls of glass there.

I've often thought of adding to the chimney side, but unfortunately, we're too close to the property line. 😔 Otherwise, it would be ideal with both southern and western exposure. 😊

Could the sunroom become an extension of the master bedroom? If so, its roof could tuck under that existing roof (because the sunroom's floor is lower, so its roof can be lower), matching its pitches. Then maybe the MBR window could become a door (sliding or French) for entry down a few steps to the sunroom? The sunroom could extend out as far as needed. It would be light-filled (especially if there are skylights), so light to the master bedroom should not be seriously reduced. There could also be an entrance from the entry patio if you wish, for direct in and out. (But you would probably want an interior entrance during Alberta winters!) Here's a rough sketch.

By the way, I love your house!

What happens if you combine the above idea of an almost all glass sunporch in front of the bedroom with the idea of a breezeay, and use this as the starting point, but instead of solid roof on the front left, it is all skylights and and between the columns is glassed in?

So basically the idea is 2 crafstman conservatories and a breezeway

Marin Craftsman Bungalow Jewelbox · More Info

In the end, maybe some trusses to take away the last of the curse of your roofline?

Shaw Residence Custom Craftsman Home · More Info

simplynatural: Oh.my.goodness! You have read my mind! 😁 I've been trying (badly), to sketch exactly what you posted. It's beautiful! My only concern with this style, is that in order to accommodate the square footage needed for our needs, it will stick out too far. The width of the master bedroom bump out is 14 feet. At a minimum , we've want it to extend it 14 feet as well. 🤔

I have been playing around with the idea of wrapping the sunroom around the right hand side, but again, am not quite capable of conveying what I have in mind. See photos below. 😊

Thank you so much for the mock up! 💗

Okay, again, your ideas are brilliant. They must be, since they're similar to mine! 😁  (The horizontal overhang on the first photo is "speckled" to make it stand out for my hubby, who has a science/math brain. 😊)

Thanks for sharing your creativity! 😊

The wrap-around could work, too; in fact, I like it better. The longer roofline is in better balance with the living room roof.

Like your last drawing as well.

By the time you do this? You could leave only the chimney wall standing, tear all else off and start over with a house you really love. In the USA? That often falls under "remodel. with a variance perhaps.

Nice mockups kenheather :)

Would it be possible for you to give us a plat map? As in the property lines and how the house is situated on it with it's lines? The ideas and mockups are good, but since you say you have property lines and other lines to work around it would be nice to see what all space you really have to deal with.

An inside layout with dimensions, and some pictures is informative as well.

Jan Moyer & beesneeds: I'll see what I can find. 😊 (And I'd love to start all over, but 🤑. And around here, you need a building permit for a deck, to ensure you are following all the rules. 🙄 They'll say sorry, of course, 🇨🇦 but certainly have more restrictions here!)

simplynatural: Again, your depiction is beautiful! Thank you so much!  Even hubby can see it now. 😁 I love my house too. It's small (1200 sqft (x 2 with basement) & 200 sqft mudroom addition) but has a "can do" attitude. I've hosted 32 people for brunch and 77 for a BBQ. 😊

This is why I've been so conflicted; it's like she's a Edwardian lady stuck in a micro-mini skirt and go-go boots! I'm hoping that the sunroom will add a softening effect to the building.

Okay, I found some photos. 😊

Hopefully they upload in the manner I laid them out, or this won't make any sense. 😁

1. Floorplan using Google Room Styler. I might have a preoccupation with moving furniture and walls around. 😬 The sunroom will be accessed off the Master Bedroom, as it won't be a "public" space, but an office and growing/lounging area.

2. The entrance to the mudroom and myself, in my jammies, robe and chemo cap taken last Christmas. Don't I look impressed! 🤢

3. An old photo of the kitchen. The walls are no longer yellow and I've ditched the curtains, but the layout is the same. 😊

4. My living room as it looks today. Literally. I just took the photo! 😁

5. My dining area, with my antique dining set purchased off FB Marketplace. 🤩

Less stuff, or a bigger house : ) A lot bigger.

Did you consider building up and then using part of your downstairs as a sunporch? (I'm assuming you can't have an upstairs solarium because you want something of a gardener's potting area in a sunporch). I realize if this is a forever home a 2d-story without a lift might be a "no way."

I'm never really sure if you want the exterior of the house to be converted to a different era-style or if you simply want a nice looking functional house wiith a sunpoirch even if it stays mid-century modern in appearance.

Jan Moyer: You are right! I find it funny how I don't notice how "stuffed" every corner is until I see a photo. :) Unfortunately, I have yet to find the proverbial money tree, despite traversing our 40 acres many times, so decluttering it is!

simplynatural: I think you understand my dilemma perfectly! I love history (was a History minor in university many years ago) which is causing a slight house-related identity crisis. I think that might be why I'm attracted to the Craftsman style. It's similar but has more history. My house is a few years older than I am, but not that old! And thank you for your kind words. We love our home, quirks, and all.

mytwo cents: I don't think building up would be advisable, as we've already had to repair the foundation once. :( I do love two-story homes, though! As for what I want...well, I think that's why I posted. :) The feedback has been instrumental in helping me realize that I'd really like to add some Craftsman flare to it, as the MCM vibe doesn't work for me; I'm not cool enough! :D

Fro a HALF of trying to turn that home into craftsman anything"

Go out the master to an addition with a lot of window. By the time you turn it to "office cum lounge?" You won't even see the floor.

Change all the windows wherever you can to larger...., longer!!! better.

Reduce your belongings by a full third to what is used DAILY. , WEEKLY.

Post an accurate drawing of the interior living floor, scaled at 1/4 inc to a foot. Every passage door and window included, every foot and inch.

Toooooo much stuff, and you are correct- every bit of it shows in a photo. You aren't an old granny yet, right? Don't have it look like you are ! "Chintz and Chinoiserie" has nothing to do with it all can not fit. Nor has it anything to do with Craftsman, at ALL. The prettiest ( and most comfortable ) living comes from living within the walls you have : )

Following......

was looking at another thread and this photo was part of it, so I thought of your house.

Were it me I'd be more interested in turning the left side into a glassed in sunporch (and I guess it would be an expanded bedroom on the other side. But seems this works if it is the right side that gets the sunroom.

Note to self, do not read Houzz comments while at work. I was lol-ing in my corner and I'm sure everyone thought I'd finally lost what little still remained of my mind. :)

Jan Moyer: I had a quick browse through your projects. You do beautiful work! I find it a bit sparse...joking. :) I can see how my house would drive you crazy. 15 years of homeschooling means I have way too much stuff. (No, I'm not one of "those" homeschoolers. I don't own a denim jumper and my kids are all professionals; IT guy, nurse & doctor. Phew!)

mytwo cents: I love the sofa and the chairs and the thought of a checkboard entrance with an Asian piece and, and...:) Seriously though, our homes are a reflection of our lives. (Apparently, mine is cluttered and too busy...true story.) I recall reading an article that said NOT to buy anything that you don't love, nor display anything that doesn't have a story or reason to belong. Your home tells me that you appreciate traveling to experience many cultures, love beauty, read expansively, and that you're a dreamer at heart, though practical out of necessity...usually. How'd I do? :D

I love the before and after you posted. I'd be happy with something like that, though our project would likely be done in stages. It would certainly be easier to put the sunroom on the left, but I fear we're too close to the property line; we have to be 30m (98 feet for the Americans). Adding it to the master bedroom might already be pushing it.

I can hardly wait for the architect to visit. I'll have some stellar options to show him! Meanwhile...I'll be decluttering. (Good thing I didn't post a photo of my laundry room...:D)

You came close but the reality of this decor is that faced with an empty house and an urgent need to move in, and not having a bit of furniture on the day of the real estate closing (I was relocating from another country), I just had to buy a house full of things to sit, sleep, eat and work on that could be put on trucks and carried into the house. The best piece of advice I ever got about decorating was from a 70+ woman who had a huge oak-paneled Victorian she had bought on impulse when younger and had no money, so she furnished it out of 2d hand shops and yard sales over the years. She said "Everything you love goes together."

I'm going to delete my home photos if you don't mind. I just wanted them up for you to see.

I think your #4 idea has possibilities for a solarium. Add another gable in front of the original. Wouldn't a glass roof give you more solar heat and light? I think this photo is a kit, but I'm sure a creative contractor could figure out how to make it tight to the weather. If needed, radiant heat could be added under the floor.

BTW, love the Latin. 4 years of it with the nuns and 4 more with the Jesuits.

mytwo cents: Thanks for sharing the photos of your home; I totally understand your desire to remove them. I must admit to not being the most comfortable with the idea myself. 

elcieg: I think you're right. Another gable in front would work beautifully. We were advised to not get a glass roof, as it gets too hot.  As someone who has had melanoma removed, I tend to avoid direct sunlight. :)

Ahh but you can have shades installed to throw shade!