When a resident of Newton, Massachusetts purchased a fire-damaged ranch house on a small neighboring lot as a speculative investment, he planned to replace it with a neo-traditional residence with the maximum square footage allowed by zoning. Kripper Studio convinced the client to distinguish himself in the marketplace by bucking convention with a 5,000-square-foot urban farmhouse. The board-and-batten cladding and open ground-floor plan draw inspiration from Massachusetts’ agricultural heritage, while wood-paneled exterior accents harmonize with the neighborhood’s remaining stock of midcentury buildings. As design progressed and attachment grew, the client ultimately decided to move his own family into the project upon its completion.
