restored century-old mill splits into a home in czech republic's green ponds

the charm of the mill is preserved as the renovation begins

‘it should be fresh but also unpretentious,’ was the client’s request to studio stempel & tesar architekti. the renovation project of the mill in czech republic fulfills the desire of the married couple to live in solitude by a former pond, and the decision was made after just one visit: ‘here, and in this house. we won’t be building, but renovating,’ they said. thus, the revitalization for a new home begins as an entire fundamental construction, while preserving the charm of the centuries damped on the mill.

‘here, and in this house,’ said the married couple when choosing the ex-mill as their new home

all images courtesy of stempel & tesar architekti

photographs by filip šlapal / václav šedý

marked by age, the unfavorable layout of the existing structure led stempel & tesar architekti to choose the radical solution of a far-reach ‘transplant’ process instead of changing completely what was found.

our main task was to get air and light into the building’s innards. but since nobody wanted to disrupt the gable wall, we “amputated” a part of the torso. the result was a patio inside the building’s original footprint, and from here sunlight could enter the home via the glassed-in cross-section. the main gable wall was laid bare from both sides, and the flow of fresh air reduced the constant dampness that would only increase with the pond’s renewal,’ explain the architects.

the architects opened up a patio inside the building’s original footprint allowing the sunlight to enter

the original mill structure

stempel & tesar architekti nurture a house back to health

the existing roof truss was taken apart, renovated, and returned to its original position, while from the living room with the kitchen and dining area the century-old craftmanship work is revealed and admired. what makes the project stand out is the removal of the ceiling, which opens up the entire space across two floors. outdoors, the waterwheel was constructed using traditional craftsmanship as the development involved the careful and gradual renovation or replacement of the various original elements in order to meet the initial goal: preserve the building’s beauty of age.

‘we have compared our work as architects and the work of all the participating craftsmen figuratively with the work of doctors treating their patients. as in medicine, it takes more to nurture a house back to health,’ continue stempel & tesar architekti.

by removing the ceiling, the entire space opens up across two floors