September 25, 2024

Winner Ribbon Longtime residents of Lancaster City, the homeowners had recently found and moved into a historic carriage house overlooking a picturesque city park. The owners enjoy hosting parties throughout the year and were looking to transform the garage space of their carriage home into an area where they could hold these events. They wanted a space suitable for small gatherings with family and friends in the reception area and larger events where they would utilize the garage space for tables and chairs. When designing the reception area, the owners wanted it to be usable throughout the year. In the winter, the areas can be closed off and heated while allowing natural light to flow through the many large transom windows. In the summertime, you can open the overhead door, the large barn doors, and the exterior French doors to seamlessly transition from the beautifully hardscaped rear patio to the park in front of the home. During the summertime music series, you can open the barn doors and have an almost 12′-0″ wide doorway, which allows the owners and guests alike to enjoy the concerts from the comfort of their homes. Creating this space presented a few challenges. The owners wanted to keep the original aesthetics of the garage while adding modern comforts. Running mechanicals to the island and bathroom had to be done under the concrete floor to avoid disturbing the tin ceiling tiles. After this was done, the concrete floor was poured and pointed to match the existing “cobblestone” pattern. Given its age and original purpose, the existing garage floor was far from level, so a cabinet platform was built and scribed to the floor to allow for level installation. The owners also wanted a true 3″ thick butcher block top on the island as a centerpiece for the area. The hard maple top weighing almost 600 lbs had to be installed in sections, joined and finished on site. With its open-air design, modern amenities, and charming ambiance, this space is now a perfect venue for future weekend get-togethers or big celebrations.