Reconstruction of the house in Silůvky

The house, built in 1933, was purchased by us in a deplorable state, enchanted by its simple elegance and quality craftsmanship, which was evident at first glance even under layers of dirt. In its original layout, we immediately discovered a clear potential for reconstruction and an ideal field for realizing the bold plans of the architect - a handyman who feels most at home in overalls. The intention was to retain the proven quality of the original essence, i.e., elements that still function well or have a significant impact on the appearance of the house, to sensitively repair them and add contrasting contemporary extensions and infills. We established the concept of mutual coexistence of old and new, where both qualities are clearly defined and distinguished, yet together they create a harmonious whole, right from our first visit before purchasing the house. For us, it was essential to preserve the pleasant atmosphere, a certain "genius loci" of the old house, which has lived through something, which someone specific built long ago, and which we are now taking over and dusting off for a new life.

Financial possibilities were limited, yet the expectations for the outcome were ambitious, so the motto of the renovation became “what the architect cooks, he must eat himself.” It must be noted that sometimes the soup was quite thick, but thankfully it didn’t lose its flavor throughout the construction, although we were warned by many experienced builders that “crises will come.” It did not happen, even though it was necessary to sacrifice almost all of our free time for several years. The prospect of satisfaction in the form of sitting with wine on the garden terrace of a completed house, built with our own hands, was a strong motivator.

The new layout of the house aimed to follow the logic of the original design and expand the living space without dramatic interventions. This allowed for the addition of a new single-story section to the courtyard façade of the house, thus bringing the terrace staircase to the first floor, which remained unchanged, into the center of the layout. This is appreciated by the numerous child visitors, for whom the entire ground floor has become “circular,” creating an ideal space for playing tag. In the place of the original passage, too narrow for other uses, the entrance to the house was preserved, but the passage itself was sacrificed for the construction of a “box” for the foyer, wardrobe, WC, utility room, and pantry. While in the old part of the house, the original sash windows, massive rain-resistant door frames, historical flooring, exposed brick walls, cracked beams in the attic were preserved and restored, and appropriate products such as cast iron radiators or oak parquet floors were installed, the infill in the passageway and the new extension of the dining room and kitchen have a contemporary form and are defined by the principle of “from floor to ceiling.” These two faces declare the house differently to the street and to the courtyard.

In the attic, the floor level was raised above the supporting beams, and a corridor for access to the rooms was created by shortening the original room in the center of the house. The rooms in the attic are arranged so that most of the roof windows face only the courtyard, not the street, where they would inappropriately compete with the massive dormer. The only exception is one window necessary for illuminating the room on the southern, street side. The bedroom in the dormer space is open up to the roof, and the original ceiling beams remain in place.

The courtyard single-story wing with a technical room, laundry room, and workshop has a flat green roof, which smoothly connects to the spacious garden. The biggest asset of the house has become a large courtyard, perfectly hidden from the neighbors' view, pleasantly shaded, yet sufficiently sunny.