Plantation Grandeur Rises at a Home's Back Addition

“Often farm homes needed to look striking from the front, and then whatever occurred on the back just occurred,” says architect Cameron Scott. The hodgepodge he struck along the back of his customers’ house in Jackson was no exception. When the house was constructed in 1904, another smokehouse had served as the place where servants could prepare the dishes. Haphazard renovations over the decades clumsily attached the abandoned smokehouse to the main home and added a cramped and dark galley kitchen elsewhere in the back of the main residence. The current owners needed a kitchen that could serve as the heart of the house, where they can prepare their foods, eat, relax and spend some time together.

Scott made a gorgeous 1,000-square-foot addition which gave the back facade a symmetrical and elegant look worthy of the plantation house’s grand style. Porch and A kitchen give a modern-day living space. Extending the back facade’s new formal style, he also sited and made a brand new garage with the home, providing room for elegant Southern gardens between.

The facade in front of the house, constructed in 1904, is quite impressive.

CHEATHAM FLETCHER SCOTT ARCHITECTS

Out back the structure on the left was previously a detached smokehouse.

CHEATHAM FLETCHER SCOTT ARCHITECTS

After Scott, of Cheatham Fletcher Scott Architects, came on the scene, a random walkway attached the smokehouse to the main house. Now the transition is smooth; the hip roof portion on the ideal side of this photo is your original smokehouse; the rest of the roofline is all the newest accession.

Scott used the smokehouse’s hipped roof as inspiration for renovating the entire back of the house. He mirrored the roof construction on the other side to make symmetry and extended the kitchen in the back of the main house into the smokehouse and supporting the new screened-in porch.

Also, the renovation created a formal plan which connects the main house to a different garage. The brick route marks the axis in the back of the house to the garage.

CHEATHAM FLETCHER SCOTT ARCHITECTS

The brand new roof on the right contains a large screened-in porch which wraps the side of the home.

Historical details were closely matched to make the new structure appear original. These include a timber balustrade which matches with the one on the roof, a painted tin roof, shiplap siding, windows and shutters.

CHEATHAM FLETCHER SCOTT ARCHITECTS

Within the last 150 decades, the kitchen had evolved from the original smokehouse into a cramped galley in the primary house. The brand new addition creates the kitchen the true heart of the house.

CHEATHAM FLETCHER SCOTT ARCHITECTS

A huge island with counter-to-ceiling cabinets on each end separates the utilitarian zone in the kitchen. This helps hide the food-prep mess in the kitchen that is open.

CHEATHAM FLETCHER SCOTT ARCHITECTS

CHEATHAM FLETCHER SCOTT ARCHITECTS

There is a comfortable lounge place at one end of the room, which abuts the new screened-in porch. The knee wall on the right separates the breakfast nook, which occupies the old smokehouse area. French doors on the ideal lead to the backyard.

The brand new screened-in porch wraps around the side of the kitchen also goes down to an office in the main house.

CHEATHAM FLETCHER SCOTT ARCHITECTS

The porch’s painted pine floors contrast with the white paint, although the stylish roof allows for an intriguing ceiling. Beadboard lends a historical look to the ceiling, making the porch seem as though it has always been there.

CHEATHAM FLETCHER SCOTT ARCHITECTS

The couple now enjoys views of the new formal backyard from this end of the porch.

CHEATHAM FLETCHER SCOTT ARCHITECTS

The office at the conclusion of this shooter also includes access to the side porch.

CHEATHAM FLETCHER SCOTT ARCHITECTS

The ideal half of the plan shows the reach of the renovations.

This photo was taken in the doorway into the new garage and shows off the axial plan of the backyard. A round garden and fountain occupy the space between the garage and the main home, together with the brick route serving as a strong axis connecting the two.

CHEATHAM FLETCHER SCOTT ARCHITECTS

The route extends up a few terraces to some new three-car garage. Boxwood hedges and brick walls define the space, while crape myrtles include shade, sculptural forms and flowers.

CHEATHAM FLETCHER SCOTT ARCHITECTS

The new garage takes its style cues from the main home, including the painted tin hip roof along with colonial style.

CHEATHAM FLETCHER SCOTT ARCHITECTS

The garage’s second floor is a big guest suite complete with a kitchenette and wood-burning fireplace.

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