RAIBLE HOUSE
HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, NY
Process & Construction
This mid-century modern renovation reflects a restrained design approach to a modest 1-story house designed & built in 1964 by architect John Raible for himself and his family. The house is sited on a steep rocky hillside, 12 miles north of New York City the Westchester County. The 50’x50’ post & beam structure is organized as a simple 9-square grid and after 60 years of aging, many of the original components of the house were in need of upgrades.
The design requests focused on two primary objectives: to reorganize the rooms to create more generous bedrooms; and to replace the ladder access to the loft with a new stair. A modest 3-foot expansion of the west wall provided just enough space for more suitable bedrooms. With this expanded footprint limited to the space under the roof eaves, the project side-stepped a more rigorous, lengthy and expensive jurisdictional review.
On the exterior, new windows replaced the original single pane units and exterior rough-sawn boards & battens were sourced to match the original. The interior approach focused on retaining, where possible, the material sensibilities and intentions of the original house; rough-sawn board & batten surfaces, door trim details and the general expression of simplicity, unique to this home.
With the exception of the main living room and its monumental fireplace, all interior surfaces were rebuilt, rewired and replumbed. With adjustments to room partitions, a new layout emerged that offers a larger more functional kitchen, more suitable bedrooms & bathrooms, and a new code-compliant stair to the loft above.
New gardens have been planted at the front of the house and when established, will provide screening for the south facing rooms. With the house is sited on a hillside, the east and north decks extend over the landscape and remained largely unchanged. The outdoor space to the west is bracketed by exposed rock ledge creating a more intimate sensibility. The patio was resurfaced with weathered bricks found on the property.
PROJECT TEAM:
Mike Jacobs, Eliana Drier, Isabella Krebs
General Contractor: Diavel Designs Group
Structural & Civil Engineering: Laurel Gaffney