When these owners thought about how to redeem an inherited 1960’s ranch house in Kennett Square it was hard for them to see the forest for the trees. The property was a cramped and random arboretum of odd trees. The house was gloomy to say the least. Rather than live through, or move out of, what would have to be a thorough gutting of the ranch house, a new residence became a more practical solution. Once the decision was made to clear out the landscape by shipping specimen trees off site, building a new house only inches behind the old became a logical next step to keep the family in situ during construction. While not for the faint of heart, this arrangement proved wildly successful for a family deeply interested in the care and craft of construction. Daily visits with the superintendent were no trouble for the couple, often over coffee in the old knotty pine family room! From one perspective at the front of the original house you could miss entirely that a new home was emerging behind the old so life carried on as it had for this family of five.

Upon completion of the new residence the family moved their belongings across the narrow gap between old and new with the anticipation of the old house coming down in hurry. It was a grand unveiling to the neighborhood of an elegant new home that had been hiding behind the rancher for a year in production. Would they do it again? “In a heartbeat!” says the wife, who made the most of her opportunity to refine every aspect of the interiors, landscape and details by being so close during construction that she could learn and grow with the project.

Archer & Buchanan Architecture designed the new home to both meet the family’s need for informal gatherings and their aspirations for a more historically sensitive home. To that end, they created a simple cottage made of timeless materials; stone walls with brick cornices and wood that nestles quietly into the hill top site. By breaking the mass down into farmhouse ‘telescoping’ sections and keeping the eaves low, the total square footage appears to be much less than its actual 7,500 square feet. One arrives at the boldly scaled front door on the north side via a gentle loop driveway. Beyond the formal Front Stair Hall, the heart of the home spreads across the south side of the house to the views and light, encompassing Living, Dining and Kitchen in one volume. These are delineated into zones by a coffered ceiling and changes in wall surfaces. A lofty Screened Porch with a more rustic fireplace concludes the sequence on the garden side to the south. The Master Suite occupies the wing to the west and Family Entry / Mud Room is to the east off the garage, kids and guest rooms upstairs and recreation and guest suite are downstairs. This very simple pattern gives family and friends places to come together and yet makes a cozy home for two.