Garden House
Allowing for Perfection:
Virginia
Our clients’ bi-coastal experience with different suburban landscapes introduced them to a wide variety of design options. Having raised children in a one-story 1940’s house on part of the 2-acre site, they were aware of its potential to accommodate different configurations of a larger, more complex house, all of which they wished to explore. Sophisticated preferences and willingness to investigate possibilities and carefully tailor every space made theirs a lengthy quest for the perfect house.
Orientation is north / south and the shed roof - lower and unified on the north, taller and modulart on the south - makes for a marked shift in scale and relates helpfully to heat loss/gain, daylight, spatial perception, and differing functions of exterior spaces. Duality is emphasized on the exterior by a change from thick masonry walls and limited fenestration on the front to vertical wood siding with large glazed areas and free-standing chimneys on the back. Stone veneer, 3" thick stone pavers, mahogany paneling give exterior character to the central hall that works like the breezeway in an old Virginia dog-trot log cabin to give a view directly into the rear garden from the front door. Interior spaces are discrete and emphatically different in character. Major rooms are linked by long axial views that cut through the house in the big-scale alignment (enfilade) of a Palladian villa but, stepping off these axes, the rooms take on a more intimate character.
Up-to-date support systems and materials dramatically improve building performance. HVAC, controlled by a digital electronics, combines hydronic and forced air heating. It’s supplied by a groundsource well system in which constant water temperature elevates both heating and cooling efficiency. Insulation is Icynene, a spray applied foam system, that improves moisture resistance, air flow / temperature control, as well as interior acoustics. Retractable awnings and window shades are controlled by the Lutron Homework system as is lighting for optimal daily and seasonal implementation.
Virginia
Our clients’ bi-coastal experience with different suburban landscapes introduced them to a wide variety of design options. Having raised children in a one-story 1940’s house on part of the 2-acre site, they were aware of its potential to accommodate different configurations of a larger, more complex house, all of which they wished to explore. Sophisticated preferences and willingness to investigate possibilities and carefully tailor every space made theirs a lengthy quest for the perfect house.
Orientation is north / south and the shed roof - lower and unified on the north, taller and modulart on the south - makes for a marked shift in scale and relates helpfully to heat loss/gain, daylight, spatial perception, and differing functions of exterior spaces. Duality is emphasized on the exterior by a change from thick masonry walls and limited fenestration on the front to vertical wood siding with large glazed areas and free-standing chimneys on the back. Stone veneer, 3" thick stone pavers, mahogany paneling give exterior character to the central hall that works like the breezeway in an old Virginia dog-trot log cabin to give a view directly into the rear garden from the front door. Interior spaces are discrete and emphatically different in character. Major rooms are linked by long axial views that cut through the house in the big-scale alignment (enfilade) of a Palladian villa but, stepping off these axes, the rooms take on a more intimate character.
Up-to-date support systems and materials dramatically improve building performance. HVAC, controlled by a digital electronics, combines hydronic and forced air heating. It’s supplied by a groundsource well system in which constant water temperature elevates both heating and cooling efficiency. Insulation is Icynene, a spray applied foam system, that improves moisture resistance, air flow / temperature control, as well as interior acoustics. Retractable awnings and window shades are controlled by the Lutron Homework system as is lighting for optimal daily and seasonal implementation.
