FOR NEARLY THREE YEARS, DR. NICHOLAS SITINAS AND HIS WIFE, DR. STACY Robertson, co-owners of South Wilton Veterinary Group
in Wilton, Conn., tried to convince a local landowner to sell them a piece of property that they thought would make the perfect
home for their veterinary practice. In the end, their persistence paid off, and the completion of their vision won their new
facility a 2006 Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Competition Merit Award. But that's not where the story starts.
As owners of a 1,400-square-foot three-and-a-half-doctor practice, these doctors knew they needed more space to better serve
their clients. They had their eye on an old house and a barn that had been used as an antiques store at one time. The buildings
sat just 8 feet from the road and had beautiful curb appeal and endless possibilities for the couple. Finally, the owner decided
to sell. Then the real fun began.
Still playing the waiting game
"The existing buildings were great, and we were excited to preserve a part of history and the trees that surrounded the buildings,"
says Dr. Robertson. "Preserving old homes is our architect's specialty. What threw us for a loop were the 12 zoning variances
we had to fight to get passed." The zoning process took almost a year to complete. 
A look at the numbers
|
Zoning issues settled, there was a new problem: getting the old buildings cleaned out. The barn, which was in disrepair, was
filled wall to wall and floor to ceiling with old books and antiques that the owner used to sell.
After several requests for the owner to clean out the building, Drs. Sitinas and Robertson resorted to holding tag sales,
donating books to a local library, and giving some items to a local historical society. Then the barn itself needed a complete
overhaul—including a new foundation.
Floor plan South Wilton Veterinary Group
|
The old house, on the other hand, was in pretty good shape and mostly up to code. That left renovating both buildings to suit
a veterinary practice and designing a central medical building to link the two older structures. The doctors chose to use
the house for a phone room, employee kitchen, meeting room, and office for the practice manager and owners. They arranged
the barn to include large runs and a bird and cat ward for healthy animals. The central building houses the reception and
waiting areas, exam rooms, surgery suite, ICU, outpatient treatment areas, radiology, and the associate doctors' office.
Featuring Information from:
