Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: A Flexible, Resilient Coastal Home
An architect designs a home to take in the views of the Rhode Island coast and withstand potential floodwaters
Architect Stephanie Horowitz believes in designing homes that not only are customized for her clients’ lifestyles and preferences, but that also will be adaptable for generations to come. “During the design process, we are always thinking about flexibility and creating a house that will outlast our clients — how will it work for the next potential owners and the ones after that, whether it is inherited or sold,” she says. This ethically sustainable approach results in long-lasting homes and less waste created by teardowns and extensive renovations.
In the case of this striking home on the Rhode Island coast, putting such flexibility to the test occurred on a much faster schedule than expected. A retired couple bought a beautiful piece of land along Mount Hope Bay and hired Horowitz’s firm to design a sustainable second home for themselves and their extended growing family there. But while it was under construction, they had to bow out for personal reasons. A family with young children snapped it up as their full-time home before construction was complete. Because of the built-in flexibility of the custom design, the house worked well for the new family and their needs. In addition, the home is resilient and built to sustainable standards that are almost at net zero, meaning the house creates almost as much energy as it uses.
In the case of this striking home on the Rhode Island coast, putting such flexibility to the test occurred on a much faster schedule than expected. A retired couple bought a beautiful piece of land along Mount Hope Bay and hired Horowitz’s firm to design a sustainable second home for themselves and their extended growing family there. But while it was under construction, they had to bow out for personal reasons. A family with young children snapped it up as their full-time home before construction was complete. Because of the built-in flexibility of the custom design, the house worked well for the new family and their needs. In addition, the home is resilient and built to sustainable standards that are almost at net zero, meaning the house creates almost as much energy as it uses.
One flexible component of the home’s design is this area beneath the main level. The original owners planned on using it for garage and storage space. But the current owners were more interested in expanding their indoor-outdoor living space. It was easy to adapt the area into an open-air lounge that overlooks the bay. It opens to a fire pit seating area, seen here. A spiral staircase provides direct access to the back deck off the main level.
These doors provide direct access from the covered lounge area to the pool.
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Horowitz broke the L-shaped home into two complementary forms: a horizontal structure with a gabled roof on the left and a dramatically vertical structure with a shed roof on the right. Water views and light influenced their placement and openings. “The site planning was also influenced by finding a good place to install solar panels. They are on the shed roof,” Horowitz says.
She chose durable, low-maintenance materials for the exterior of the house. Lap siding on the building on the left nods to more traditional coastal New England architecture and emphasizes the horizontal form. The building on the right’s white fiber cement siding provides strong contrast and works well with its tall scale. Horizontal cedar boards and FSC-certified ipe wood on the ground level create continuity between the two structures.
The building on the left contains the common areas. The building on the right contains the kitchen, bedroom and office spaces. The three-story glass wall on the right houses the elevator, which is wrapped by a staircase.
She chose durable, low-maintenance materials for the exterior of the house. Lap siding on the building on the left nods to more traditional coastal New England architecture and emphasizes the horizontal form. The building on the right’s white fiber cement siding provides strong contrast and works well with its tall scale. Horizontal cedar boards and FSC-certified ipe wood on the ground level create continuity between the two structures.
The building on the left contains the common areas. The building on the right contains the kitchen, bedroom and office spaces. The three-story glass wall on the right houses the elevator, which is wrapped by a staircase.
The horizontal structure contains the main living and dining areas, which enjoy vast water views and cathedral ceilings provided by the gabled roof. The kitchen is through the opening on the left past the dining table.
Resiliency also meant restraint when it came to operable windows and doors. The homeowners were concerned about wind driving rain into the house, so rather than having sliding doors to fully open up the living room to the porch, they opted for swing doors. Most of the glass is fixed-panel. “These are better for weather resistance,” Horowitz says.
Browse sectional sofas in the Houzz Shop
Resiliency also meant restraint when it came to operable windows and doors. The homeowners were concerned about wind driving rain into the house, so rather than having sliding doors to fully open up the living room to the porch, they opted for swing doors. Most of the glass is fixed-panel. “These are better for weather resistance,” Horowitz says.
Browse sectional sofas in the Houzz Shop
A contemporary glass chandelier nods to the seaside location without veering too nautical. A dark recessed TV wall on the right puts the focus on the gas fireplace. The base of the fireplace is streamlined cabinetry for storage.
Sustainability comes not only from the flexibility of the plan and the resilient design, but also from the fact that the structure is extremely well insulated. Airtight construction, continuous insulation and triple-pane windows create a tight envelope. Paired with right-size heating and cooling systems, they ensure the house stays at a comfortable temperature year-round despite the strong winds coming off the water. The home is all-electric, and the solar panels provide roughly the same amount of energy that the family uses.
Sustainability comes not only from the flexibility of the plan and the resilient design, but also from the fact that the structure is extremely well insulated. Airtight construction, continuous insulation and triple-pane windows create a tight envelope. Paired with right-size heating and cooling systems, they ensure the house stays at a comfortable temperature year-round despite the strong winds coming off the water. The home is all-electric, and the solar panels provide roughly the same amount of energy that the family uses.
Slatted wood breaks up the fireplace wall. The opening beyond it leads to the family room.
The original owners, who planned to use this as a vacation home, had specified this space as a more formal room for frequent entertaining. But the young family adapted it to be their family room and TV den. The TV is front and center and the fireplace is tucked into the corner. The wood slats continue along the cathedral ceiling, giving it a warmer feel. The glow from LED strip lights adds to the coziness.
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A bar off the family room makes entertaining easy. Leather pulls add character to the sleek cabinetry.
Large windows provide dramatic views of the bay.
While there’s a large opening to the kitchen from the dining and living areas, these clients didn’t want the kitchen to be in plain view. “We are finding our clients are split about 50-50 on the open-kitchen issue,” Horowitz says. “Many want to freely circulate between spaces but want to refine the open-plan concept.”
Here, the appliances are concentrated along one large storage wall. The door on the right leads to a mechanical room.
Here, the appliances are concentrated along one large storage wall. The door on the right leads to a mechanical room.
“This kitchen was designed to focus on the view,” the architect says. By concentrating most of the storage and large appliances on the interior wall, there was plenty of room for large windows along the bay-facing side.
The original owners weren’t planning on doing much cooking, but the current homeowners wanted work surfaces that faced the view. They added a prep sink under the windows. The main sink and dishwasher are underneath the floating shelves on the right. And while in a typical work triangle arrangement this would be the work side of the island, it was more important to this family to have the island seating face the water.
The original owners weren’t planning on doing much cooking, but the current homeowners wanted work surfaces that faced the view. They added a prep sink under the windows. The main sink and dishwasher are underneath the floating shelves on the right. And while in a typical work triangle arrangement this would be the work side of the island, it was more important to this family to have the island seating face the water.
The large deck off the kitchen and living room has space for dining and lounging.
The open staircase wraps the elevator shaft in the more private portion of the house. The garage provides direct access to this area. And even though these owners usually opt to take the stairs, they can put groceries or luggage in the elevator and send it up. The main level of the vertical volume of the house contains the kitchen, two children’s bedrooms, a guest room and bathrooms. The top level contains the couple’s bedroom suite and an office.
In one of the kids’ rooms, a loft bed provides a cool lounge hangout space below. A wall-mounted desk also saves floor space.
The couple’s bedroom enjoys expansive bay views from up high. More wood slats add warmth behind the bed.
In the en suite bathroom, the window frames a view of the gabled roof’s peak. This bathroom has two separate toilet rooms.
The office is on the same floor as the master bedroom. Large windows in the corner let in light, while the sloped ceiling gives it a cozy feel.
This is how the house looks from the water-facing side. While it’s currently the only house on the block elevated above ground level, it most likely won’t be the last.
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their young children
Location: Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Size: 4,700 square feet (437 square meters)
Designers: ZeroEnergy Design (architecture) and Equilibrium (interior design)
Contractor: Newport Renewables
Landscape architecture: Charles Earl
Landscape installation: All Island Landscape
With new flood-elevation requirements in place, the look of coastal architecture is changing, most noticeably in terms of height. In this spot along the bay, new homes or homes rebuilt after severe storm damage are required to be elevated significantly above the flood plain. Accordingly, Horowitz took the house up one story to create garage and flexible space beneath the main floor. The finished floor of the main level is 12 feet above ground. For the original owners who wanted to age in place here, that meant they needed to install an elevator.
Other resilient features include the helical piers the house sits atop and the use of breakaway panels along the ground level. The home’s design allows for water to flood beneath it. When expecting a storm, the family opens the garage doors. Should floodwaters put pressure on the breakaway walls, special fasteners will allow them to detach. All the mechanical and electrical equipment is on the main level to avoid damage during a storm.
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