Reconstruction of a rural house

Jabloňovce is a relatively large village located at the foothills of the Štiavnica Mountains. The individual plots are divided by the surrounding hills into narrow land areas, giving the village a characteristic feature with a very distinct roof landscape. The typical buildings here are single-story houses with a porch, gable, or hip roof. The houses are narrow with a continuous layout extending deep into the plot. There is a readable hierarchy in the arrangement of the rooms, with representative spaces facing the street and utilitarian functions located towards the back of the plot. Most houses are finished with utility rooms. Besides the house, most plots also feature a barn.

The building we reconstructed was similar in this respect. After the representative room, there were two smaller rooms and a kitchen. The house was finished with a series of utility rooms. The facade of the house and the entrance were covered by a protruding roof, forming a porch – a gánok. The entrance to the building was in the center of the layout. All spaces in the house were relatively dark, illuminated only by small openings.

The renovation aimed to adapt the house to today's living requirements – transforming the utility area into a social space for residents and guests, thereby creating an adequate living area of the house connected to the terrace. The main requirement was to maintain the rural character of the house.

For the new house, the most important change was in the function of the garden, which was to transform from a former utility yard into a relaxation zone. This knowledge led to the placement of the living area in the center of the plot and the associated completion of the house. By removing the utility part, enough space was created for new areas. A significant feature of the original building was the roof and the construction of the truss; the wood gave the house a rustic character, while the simplicity and readability of the construction conveyed a sense of purposefulness. The principle of the traditional arrangement of the house, the addition of spaces towards the plot, was materialized in the unified line of the roof. The patina of the old roofing also gave the building a touch of durability, it was and is an integral part of its character. All of these were clues that hinted to us about the architecture of the future house.

By placing the living zone in the center of the garden, the need arose to optically close the western edge of the plot. At the same time, space was being sought for the placement of a sauna, storage, and garage. The objects of neighboring barns became an inspiration. The shape, volume, and materials used for the new barn strictly derive from local patterns. The placement also follows the site of the original entrance. Thus, a protected courtyard emerges between the barn and the house. The rest of the plot remains for the owners to shape. The garden is intended for relaxation and partially for recreational vegetable cultivation.

When you enter the reconstructed house in Jabloňovce, you find yourself in the entrance hall. On the right are the rooms of the old house, which we left unchanged. On the left is a new extension made of wood and glass, surprisingly cozy and well-lit. The dining and kitchen area is lowered, above it is a guest room in the attic with a view into the living room. The residential - daytime zone is at the very end of the house adjoining the garden. It consists of a raised space where the original truss construction is readable. The space is optically connected to the kitchen, separated only by the mass of the fireplace. The vertical columns create an optical barrier, which will be filled with books, thus becoming a prominent element of the interior. The southern facade of the house is dominated by a colonnade corresponding to the rhythm of the columns of the original porch, which on the western side transitions into a terrace. The facade of the original house is left without significant changes. The only more pronounced intervention is the removal of window sills between the columns on the porch, aiming to open the entire space more into the plot and to enhance its optical connection with the new part. The shape of the extension follows the original geometry of the house, the new roof connects in height to the original one. This connection is supported by the use of the original roofing, thus creating a unified roof line that refers to the historical method of expanding the house by adding spaces towards the plot. Under the mass of the roof is a new glass facade, functional in terms of the optical connection of the garden with the interior, which also conceptually captures the essence of the chosen solution – inserting a new function into the original volume.