Mill River House is a design for a speculative single family home on a fully approved building lot in bucolic Southport, Connecticut. Near Southport’s harbor and downtown, the house sits within a tightly constrained zoning envelope with water access and views of the nearby river and marsh. The design for the home introduces a simple gabled form perched above the FEMA flood zone, clad in charred larch, forming a natural yet highly resilient and low-maintenance facade. Windows are carefully oriented toward specific views, opening up to the south and west. The master bedroom and light-filled living spaces are on the main floor, while three bedrooms and a spacious family room open below onto a series of cascading stairs, inviting one down to the water’s edge and to a gracious internal courtyard. Accordion doors transform this space into an active indoor/outdoor space in shoulder seasons.