This vernacular bungalow is located in the heart of the Kensington Historic District, a turn-of-the-century garden suburb clustered around the Knowles Railroad .  Originally a single front gabled  structure, it has been added-on and changed to a cross-gabled house.  The current owners were looking to expand their master suite and reconfigure a family room, screen porch and deck addition at the rear. Considering its historic significance as a contributing structure in Kensington, included in the National Register of Historic Places, any additions and renovations were to follow the National Park and Service Preservation guidelines.  Moreover, any repair and refurbishment costs, including windows and doors, brickwork, roofing and more, when following the Secretary of Interior’s guidelines, could be offset utilizing tax credits available through the Maryland Historical Trust.  The proposed addition at the rear is  appropriate in its massing, maintains the original roof lines in height and slope, sits back from the side elevations, and ties in seamlessly in architectural details including window size and proportion, exterior finishes and eave details.  A more modern and elegant cedar screened porch with terne-coated-steel metal roofing does not try to imitate nor disregard the original structure.  We were also able to propose (and receive approval!) for a modest front porch upon a fortuitous finding of an old 1924 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map indicating an old front porch at this location.