Combining old and new ideas to preserve history while enhancing livability of an 1880s structure - Fall / Winter 2005 Articles
Nov 2005

Georgia Avenue in Olney, Md., was just a dirt road in 1880, when the farmhouse now owned by Peter and Sue Kopperman was built. The road linked Washington, D.C. with markets to the north, and the house was one of many such structures along the way.
Today, however, the newly refurbished Kopperman home is an Olney landmark
– perhaps even a bona fide historical treasure. Bright yellow with white trim and a wood shake roof, the house looks almost as it did over a century ago.
The Koppermans had grand plans for the house when they bought it in 2002. They wanted to use the front of the house as an antique shop – specifically Swedish antiques, their specialty. And they wanted to renovate the rear of the house for their living quarters. “We knew immediately it was the right house for us", says Sue Kopperman, coowner of Klaradal Antiques. “We wanted to replicate the feel of a Swedish country house – which is very open and airy. This house was perfect." Still, there was an enormous amount of work to be done. To accommodate the home’s dual purpose, both the upper and lower floor plans had to be reworked. The couple needed an updated kitchen and a second bathroom upstairs – as well as a handicap-accessible bathroom downstairs. The house also needed new wiring throughout. To help them accomplish this transformation, the Koppermans turned to Landis Construction Corporation, a District-based design/build firm headed by brothers Chris and Ethan Landis. The project garnered the firm national recognition: the 2003 Chrysalis Award for Best Design/Build Project, Commercial Historic Renovation. It also had the Koppermans open for business the day after Thanksgiving. “The period detailing was really secondary to the structural work on the project”, says architect Chris Landis, AIA.

“There had been two additions – a kitchen at the side of the house, and a large, poorly-constructed section to the rear. The trick was to make it all seem original.”
Attacking the problem of traffic patterns, Landis started by moving the firstfloor
bathroom – which previously one had to walk around to get to the rear section of the house. The new bathroom is located adjacent to the kitchen, and also handicap-accessible for customers. The result is a straight passageway from the front door to the family room in back. Streamlining was also accomplished on the second floor, once the decrepit upstairs bathroom was removed. In its place, two facilities – a master bathroom and a guest bathroom – were created. The guest bathroom is mainly for visitors to an upstairs showroom in the front of the house. The master bathroom is for the bedrooms in the rear. “In the trade, we call this ‘rationalizing’
the floor plan”, says Chris Landis, “Not to imply that the original builders
were irrational. It’s just that houses are often built in stages by different owners. It’s a common issue in remodeling in older houses like this one.” Indeed, hardwood floors serve as a link between past and present. The old (front) part of the house had them; the rear section was covered in worn carpeting –which Landis promptly replaced with
new oak flooring. Once the original floors were refinished, the difference between old and new could hardly be detected. The same can be said of the trim work. Landis custom-milled all new trim for the rear section to match the original trim used on the front of the home. They then replaced the addition’s vinyl windows and storms with Pella “architectural series” center-divided sashes. “The Pella windows have a great Rrating and they have the perfect ‘period’ look”, says Landis. “They help unify the
whole house.” Period “correctness” was also greatly enhanced once Landis replaced the existing asphalt shingles with wood shake. And the yellow paint? “It’s the traditional color for two-story Swedish country houses”, says SueKopperman. “One story houses are red.”