![AN AMERICAN HOUSE The Essence of Traditional Wills in Vermont](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/6178/392718/5e01bc9c2a164/AN-AMERICAN-HOUSE-The-Essence-of-Traditional-Wills-in-Vermont.jpg)
A SINGLE-STOREY Cape by the office of the Colonial Revival architect recently got unobtrusive additions that added space while knitting the house to a patio and the yard. “Two separate wings were kept secondary by their placement and scale,” says the Vermont architect Sandra Vitzthum. To the rear, she added a master suite over a drive-in workshop. A dining room was added off the side. Additions comprise 600 square feet.
“This is an unassuming house, but that was the idea,” Vitzthum explains. “Wills was a genius in re-creating the Colonial home for everyday Americans after WWII. He was the East Coast version of Cliff May, who dreamed up the California ranch house.”
The firm of Royal Barry Wills designed ordered and simple houses, most often furnished with such Colonial Revival conventions as Federal mantels, wing chairs, and antiques. This house was built in 1977, when architect Richard Wills was principal. “It’s a comfortable place to live,” agrees owner John Meyer, who collects work by Vermont artists—and who restores Model T Ford cars.
Wills’ revival houses nevertheless were modern, built with electric kitchens, ductwork, closets, and mid-century bathrooms. In fact, “what’s new, as we renovate these houses in the 21st century, is that the kitchens become more nostalgic, no longer frankly ‘modern’,” explains Vitzthum. The kitchen she designed in the original space is “refined without being showy; modest, like a New Englander.
Denne historien er fra January - February 2020-utgaven av Old House Journal.
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Denne historien er fra January - February 2020-utgaven av Old House Journal.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![a farmhouse renewed](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/zgt8tB1sf1724757674350/A-FARMHOUSE-RENEWED.jpg)
a farmhouse renewed
Sensitive renovations and restoration work preserved a house that dates to 1799.
![AN OVERVIEW OF METAL ROOFING](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/-fpelgTgh1724757559664/AN-OVERVIEW-OF-METAL-ROOFING.jpg)
AN OVERVIEW OF METAL ROOFING
METAL ROOFS ARE RESURGENT, FOR GOOD REASONS.
![ENDURING BEAUTY IN WALLS of STONE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/CRufPFRhB1724756889127/ENDURING-BEAUTY-IN-WALLS-OF-STONE.jpg)
ENDURING BEAUTY IN WALLS of STONE
Now back in the family who had been here since 1830, the old farmhouse is again ready for generations to come. Additions dating to 1840 and the 1950s were preserved.
![ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS COME TO LIFE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/v8F4cxphw1724756563730/ARCHITECTURAL-DETAILS-COME-TO-LIFE.jpg)
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS COME TO LIFE
Owners and their designer celebrate the unique features of a 1912 Arts & Crafts Tudor.
![For a Wet Basement Wall](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/aBl--dLFh1724754857566/FOR-A-WET-BASEMENT-WALL.jpg)
For a Wet Basement Wall
If there's problem common to old houses, it's a wet basement. I'm not talking about occasional flooding, but rather a basement that apparently seeps or leaks after even a rain shower or during snowmelt. Several approaches are available; sustainable solutions will get to the root of the problem.
![Patching a Plaster Wall](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/5LpeCPP_21724754495498/PATCHING-A-PLASTER-WALL.jpg)
Patching a Plaster Wall
Fix a hole in the wall with a few common tools and some drywall supplies. Practice your technique!
![Navigating the Lumberyard](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/PVWqH4hex1724754161333/NAVIGATING-THE-LUMBERYARD.jpg)
Navigating the Lumberyard
Here's some lumber lingo you should know before you venture into a lumberyard.
![Roofing & Siding](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/vxx8uE8GP1724753957320/ROOFING-SIDING.jpg)
Roofing & Siding
Make note of these historical and unusual materials for the building envelope.
![The Riddle of the water](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/I20crK0da1724753589716/THE-RIDDLE-OF-THE-WATER.jpg)
The Riddle of the water
When water incursion happens, the roof isn't necessarily the culprit. Maybe snaking a drain line, or clearing debris from a clogged gutter, temporarily will stem a leak. But a recurring problem usually means other forces are at work. It takes persistence-and a team with the right skills and patience—to identify the source and apply a solution.
![Light-filled Craftsman Redo](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/nvf7uAO121724753136097/LIGHTFILLED-CRAFTSMAN-REDO.jpg)
Light-filled Craftsman Redo
For a dark kitchen in a 1914 Illinois house, the trick was anchoring white expanses with woodsy warmth.