The split foyer house

The 1960’s bi-level home (synonymous with modified raised ranch, split foyer, stacked split level and split entry) was developed from a typical ranch style home to afford residents more space in the same footprint. The entry foyer is typically a small landing between floors with a short flight up to the main living space and some bedrooms and a short flight down to a family room, garage, utility rooms and perhaps more bedrooms.
This project’s goal was to decompress both levels and better integrate the entry foyer with both levels. The entire roof over the public areas was removed to achieve more than the restrictive 8 feet the existing roof offered and replaced with Scissor trusses that vaulted the ceiling to 16 feet. The chiasma at which the new roof meets the old is structurally expressed internally, punctuated with skylights and culminates in a large 4 foot long scupper to direct rainwater to a dry bed below. Also, to detract from the compression expressed on the front elevation and in keeping with the expression of a porch, a steel brise soleil stands. It is clad with fiber cement panels and lattice-like brickwork to tie into the existing brick house. The neighborhood fabric remains intact and integrated with the other split foyers despite the modern interventions. The main level exemplifies integrated living and entertaining. Living space seamlessly flows outdoors to the deck through a large 12’ slider patio door, which connects to the large back yard. The chef’s kitchen has custom maple cabinets and quartz counters with a bespoke 11 foot island, 5- burner 36” dual fuel stove, 4-door smart refrigerator, drawer microwave, beverage fridge and storage galore.