Henchy Residence

Location

Hammond, Louisiana

Owner

Dr. Frank and Mary Ann Henchy

Completion Date

2019

In their desire to downsize their home, the Henchy’s purchased a small lot (50’x150′) in a historic residential neighborhood in Hammond, Louisiana. The lot sits on the corner, oriented north-south in the long dimension with a large live oak tree in the city right of way occurring at the north-east corner of the property at the street intersection. The building program requirements included an open plan on the first floor with living/dining/kitchen connected and a master suite and laundry. The second floor consists of two guest bedrooms. The second-floor footprint is a 1/3 of the ground floor footprint. The owners wanted a sunroom, which could be opened to the outside and yet closed and conditioned when required. A two-car garage and workshop were also requirements in the building program. The architectural style requested was that of traditional design, which blended into the traditional vernacular of the neighborhood, and the preference for exterior material was stucco and painted brick.

The design solution was to create a linear house north-south facing the 50′ property dimension and separate the garage from the main house, creating an outdoor courtyard in the French quarter style. The covered breezeway that connects the garage to the house and a masonry wall along the property line creates the courtyard’s privacy. The cross-gable roof extends above the house’s main gable to accommodate the two guest bedrooms on the second level. The gable forms are covered in stucco, and the painted brick occurs between the gable forms of the eve of the lower roof. The dark windows and metal roof contrasted white stucco and painted brick. The main house is held back away from the live oak tree along the main entrance to the house. A heavy timer canopy was attached to the main gable at the front entrance.