Stone house in Šumava

The object is located in a picturesque village on a plot with an exceptional view of the Šumava hills. The house, approximately 150 years old, which we were invited to in the summer of 2021, was in an unfinished and inappropriate reconstruction that aimed to turn it into a modern building with yellow plaster and plastic windows. This intervention suppressed most of the authentic elements of the original house.
Our goal was to rediscover, reveal, and appropriately complement these elements with period and contemporary building components. The construction was stripped down literally to the brick and stone, which became the main artistic motif of the reconstruction. Visible on the facades of the house are individual layers of historical reconstructions and extensions made of stone and brick, which we decided to preserve and acknowledge. The gable walls in the attic, built from modern blocks of various types, were plastered with hand-drawn stucco. Between the plastered and exposed façade, we reinstated the characteristic dividing cornice in the form of a subtle line of exposed concrete, set into the existing composition of facade bricks.
The original roofing made of eternit diamond-shaped tiles, which are found on most houses in the village, was preserved on the new roof in the form of painted aluminum tiles. Since the existing roof windows (an inauthentic addition to the building) remained, we decided to treat the roof as a uniform metal covering that conceals the details of the windows and chimneys. This creates a clear contrast between the stone pedestal and the technical modern roof surface.
In the interior, we preserved only the original walls and ceiling vaults. Other modern building elements were removed. By retaining the original structures, certain boundaries were created that generate spatial variability through different levels of floors and ceilings. This was supported by the addition of old stone steps in the interior. Similar stone features were created at the main entrance in the form of steps and paving made from Plzeň slabs. The other pavings around the house were made from the same stone used for the original house, thus creating a gradual transition between the house and the surrounding areas.
In the common room, the original dilapidated beam ceiling was completely removed, which created an open generous space where a wide range of construction elements, materials, and original building fragments can be discovered. In the place of the original ceiling, an exposed reinforcing reinforced concrete ring was created, which encircles the entire space and separates the ground floor from the attic. The ground-floor stone walls are internally plastered with coarse plaster made from dug sand, while above the ring, the walls are finished with classic stucco, thereby highlighting the original openings with frameless glazing in the gable wall. This theme is supported by a window between the hallway in the attic and the living room, where the original roof structure is further manifested. The ceiling of the space corresponds in color to the original wooden structure, and its darker shade visually softens the height of the space. A key feature of the space is a large-format frameless window from which the most beautiful sight can be seen – the Šumava landscape.
This house was commissioned by an investor who longed for a refuge from the busy urban life and desired an authentic yet modern reconstruction with regard to the landscape and sustainability. We achieved this mainly thanks to the local skilled and patient craftsmen with whom we were in constant contact. This friendly dialogue between the craftsman and the architect shaped the final outcome of the building.