Opened up, brightened, updated, but it's still an English cottage

Sunset, Dec, 1987

Opened up, brightened, updated, but it's still an English cottage

Like many houses built in the 1920s, this one is a charming reference to another time and place. Mary Maletis's English cottage in a wooded Portland neighborhood was just what she wanted on the outside, but drawbacks inside included small windows, low ceilings, and a tiny, outdated kitchen.

Architect John Thodos built a 600-square-foot two-story addition off the rear of the house, leaving the original brick exterior wall with its high bedroom window as the end wall of the new living room. This reduced construction costs and displayed some of the house's past. "It's bold, beautiful art,' says its owner. Opposite the brick wall, big windows face woods behind the house.

The living room soars 16 1/2 feet to a peaked roof that echoes the pitch of the house's other gables. On the lower level, an office opens off an older basement den and guest room.

To add a big, bright space for dining, Thodos tore out the old kitchen and gave the space to the existing dining room. This room, like the new living room, now opens onto a house-wide deck through new French doors.

Space for the new kitchen came from the garage. "The garage was easy to sacrifice,' says Ms. Maletis. "It was only big enough for a Model T.'

Photo: Front and back, 1920s brick house keeps its period look; street side (above) is unchanged. Below, roof of two-floor gable addition matches angle of existing roof. New deck zigzags across back of house

Photo: In new living room, large windows offer views of trees. Dropped ceiling defines sofa niche. At opposite end, former exterior wall still has bedroom window; doors lead to remodeled kitchen (left) and dining room