Stone Meadow
This project is a single family home and guesthouse located on a six acre coastal site. The site is primarily open meadow, with rough stone walls bounding and dividing the site into three unequal parcels. The site slopes gently from the wooded northern edge to open meadow with a wide view southwest to the Atlantic Ocean. Fieldstone walls sustain a plinth adjacent to the house creating a boundary between meadow and lawn. The majority of stones for these walls were salvaged from the existing site. The existing house was removed and the old granite stones from the foundation were salvaged to construct the pool coping and retaining wall. The landscape architect collaborated with a local sculptor and metalsmith to locate several events in the walls: a granite table to be used as a stage by the children, a sundial, and other carved pieces. The entry gate was fabricated by local craftsmen in granite, oak, fir and bronze. Planted forms were developed as hedgerows, orchard and grove to reinforce the structure of the existing stone wall and create microclimates for wildlife habitats. A beach plum orchard planted on the sloping meadow above the auto court and pool screens neighbors while visually linking the main house landscape to the pool garden. The design integrates an ambitious building and landscape program with the strong natural features of the site. Native plant materials and dry laid granite walls reinforce the original physical setting and link the built landscape to its context.