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Before & After: Less is More

Design • Sustainability
Elevated walkway above a double height space leading to an outdoor patio in a Carroll Gardens patio
Peter Peirce

Sometimes it is what you remove that makes the biggest difference.

In this 16 1/2 foot wide Carroll Gardens Passive House, the removal of a portion of the rear parlor floorplate was instrumental in connecting the garden-level kitchen and dining den spaces with the parlor-level living space. Taking out a portion of brick between the rear parlor-level windows created a large expanse of glass that allows light to flow through these connected spaces and allow direct sight lines to the outdoors.

As a Passive House, the home requires almost no heat in the winter and significantly less cooling in the summer. The Passive House's sealed envelope, combined with mechanicals from Zehnder and Mitsubishi Electric, provide filtered, fresh air 24/7 to create an incredibly healthy indoor environment. Large Zola sliding doors seamlessly connect the interior and exterior while allowing for natural fresh air to flow through the spaces.

After View of dining room and double height space in a Carroll Gardens home with the kitchen island in the foreground.
Before Pink painted room in a Carroll Gardens townhouse in the site that would become the kitchen after renovation.
Creating a large double height space at the rear of the home drastically increased the level of natural light that reaches the main living spaces.
After Front façade of a Carroll Gardens home with large black dormers and transom and a white dog on the stoop.
Before Front façade of a Carroll Gardens brownstone before our renovation, with the future stoop framed in plywood.
The rooftop addition includes a mansard front façade with Ecostar recycled rubber shingles in place of slate, and a rooftop solar array generates energy for the home.

General Contractor: M2 Contracting

Mechanical Engineer and Passive House Consultant: Baukraft Engineering

Air Sealing Sub-Contractor: Brennan Brennan Insulation & Air Sealing

Photography: Peter Peirce

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