Five Fields Addition

Built in 1953, the home is one of the original houses in Five Fields, the idealistic mid-century neighborhood in Lexington, Massachusetts. Over the last half-century, it has been altered several times, and now, on its third family, it must change again. With two parents working from home, four growing children, and limited space, the house no longer fully supports the life unfolding within it.

In many ways, this renovation is a functional project: an expansion meant to increase capacity and better serve the family’s daily routines.  However, if it were that simple, they would likely have moved to a larger house. The family loves the home's mid-century design, the idealistic neighborhood it sits in, and especially watching nature unfold in their backyard. And so, they chose to continue the legacy of the house by renovating it to meet their needs and refocusing it around what drew them to the house.

The renovation expands the home both vertically and horizontally. A new second story increases the overall square footage, while a garage addition extends the footprint toward the front yard, giving the home a stronger presence along the street. To unite old and new together, two double-height spaces are woven through the section, connecting the levels and giving the interior a sense of openness, volume, and daylight to the interior. A new stair celebrates the expansion as a sculptural element that rises through one of the double-height voids, marking the threshold between the original house and its addition.

Generously proportioned windows and skylights bring natural light deep into the plan while carefully framing views of the surrounding landscape.  These openings do more than improve the interior atmosphere. They reorient the house toward the backyard the family treasures, deepening the relationship between domestic life and the natural setting beyond.

The renovation also significantly improves the home’s environmental performance. New exterior insulation, high-efficiency windows, and upgraded mechanical systems bring the 1953 structure closer to contemporary standards of comfort, durability, and sustainability. In doing so, the project prepares the house not simply for more space, but for another generation of use.

H I G H L I G H T S

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C O L L A B O R A T O R S

Evergreen GCI, Inc | Siegel Structural Engineers | Patriot Engineering | LEC Environmental Consultants, Inc.