5 minute read
RUSTIC CHARM
It goes without saying that wood is often chosen for its “rustic” effect. Live-edge surfaces, natural finishes and handcut beams add to the overall sense of craftsmanship, while honoring the tradition of wood construction.
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RECLAIMED BEAUTY
Big Barn and Tack Barn, Glen Ellen, CA
The 3,686-sq.ft. Big Barn house draws inspiration from the site’s existing Tack Barn, which was renovated into a bunk house the year before (see above). A minimal material palette of reclaimed redwood, corrugated Corten steel and black steel sash windows is reflected throughout the home’s interior, which uses California oak for floors, walls and ceilings. Wherever possible, the interior wood was left unfinished. A steel grated bridge connects the upper sleeping level with the hillside and Tack Barn.
For the Tack Barn renovation, no new lumber was used to transform the bare-bones shed into temporary living quarters for the family of four. The project incorporated all existing Douglas fir framing, with additional framing material from the existing attic dormitory. The reclaimed redwood rainscreen is left to weather naturally and requires zero maintenance. An unheated, screened porch serves to ventilate the living space with prevailing southwest winds through a shutter-fitted double-hung steel window. A cook’s sink shares the wall, while facing the valley. The living space is heated with a new radiant concrete slab; a 10,000 BTU propane-fired boiler provides heat (seldom needed) and domestic hot water.
ARCHITECT: Faulkner Architects/Truckee, CA STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: CFBR Structural Group/Reno, NV GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Hammond and Company/Penngrove, CA IMAGES: Joe Fletcher
SOPHISTICATED PLYWOOD
Veil House, Vancouver, BC
A 2020 Citation Award winner (see last issue), this 3,300-sq.ft. single-family home elevates the use of plywood. A family of four wanted a home that would allow them to easily engage with neighbors, while being somehow “veiled” from the street. As such, the front door is tucked behind the primary wall of the building, so that it can be opened with full privacy. Silver-stained Western red cedar cladding creates an understated first impression.
Inside, white-washed Douglas fir plywood is accented by blackened steel and concrete floors. The furniture and lighting have been carefully curated to complement the structure. As one of the owners is a chef, the kitchen is the “hearth” of the home. It is open to the living area, but with the ability to be enclosed with a wood butcher block when more intense food preparation is required.
In place of drywall, whitewashed plywood frames the staircase and continues up through the media room and the office. The staircases were formed and built from reclaimed hardwood flooring salvaged from another site demolition.
ARCHITECT: Measured Architecture/Vancouver, BC STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Entuitive Corp./Vancouver, BC GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Powers Construction/Vancouver, BC IMAGES: Ema Peter
A TRADITIONAL RETREAT
Cox Cove, Penobscot Bay, ME
This summer retreat is separated into three structures, creating a small courtyard that is precisely aligned to the meridian to manage the sun and the views to the north. The tool shed defines the south side of the court and screens the parking area. A small sleeping cabin with two bedrooms and a bathroom defines the west side, and a dense copse of trees closes the east side. The main cabin, sited on top of a gentle rise, completes the north side of the court. The shadows from the window mullions act as a sundial and mark the hours of the day and the seasons. Following a long-held New England building tradition, the cabins are framed, sheathed and sided in wood. Choosing wood as the primary construction material keeps the buildings light and gentle on the land. Siding is locally sourced Eastern white cedar shingles, left unpainted as is customary in the local vernacular. The steep pitch of the roof planes shed water, and the overhangs protect the windows and walls from weather and direct sunlight. Rust-red paint connects the design to another New England tradition of using iron oxide barn paint. Interior walls are faced in white pine, finished with a coat of transparent white stain. The oversized south-facing windows ensure ample light all day long, and all structural rafters are exposed. A screened porch extends the living space to the north through a 12-ft.-wide glass overhead door, exposing 270-degree views of the tidal cove.
ARCHITECT: Albert, Righter & Tittmann Architects, Inc./Boston, MA STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Webb Structural Services, Inc./Reading, MA GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Stone Contracting & Building, Inc./North Haven, ME IMAGE: Barry A. Hyman
NATURAL LUXURY
Hillside House, Atlanta, GA
Located near the Chattahoochee River on a site overlooking a golf course, this 6,970-sq.ft. two-storey home was designed according to jurisdictional land disturbance restrictions, with additional consideration for environmental concerns. The six-bedroom house faces primarily south, so passive solar eave extensions shade in summer but allow heat gain in winter. The exterior siding is thermally modified poplar. Ground source geothermal heat pumps provide heating, cooling, lap pool conditioning and hot water. The eco-conscious interior design incorporates high-efficiency plumbing fixtures, LED lighting and uses salvaged pine for flooring, furniture and finishes. Cross ventilation is carefully designed for each space, allowing suspension of heating and cooling during the extended mild climate of Atlanta’s spring and fall.
In the living areas, wrap-around custom Douglas fir wood windows face the primary site views to the south. The structure was emphasized by exposing the glulam beams and Douglas fir columns. Throughout, salvaged old growth long-leaf pine floors are finished naturally. The stair adjacent to the foyer serves the lower level of the house and is built primarily with salvaged oldgrowth long-leaf heart pine treads and steel stringers, with LED strips beneath the treads. Natural light filters in from clerestories above and a strip window to the side.
The master bed cantilevers out of a multipurpose custom closet and storage cabinet. with sweeping views to the south. Cherry veneer cabinets, exposed structural elements and custom window system are stained to match. The exposed tongue-and-groove Southern yellow pine roof deck is unfinished, supported by large glulam beams.
ARCHITECT: Robert M. Cain Architect/Atlanta, GA STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Mike Quinn/Atlanta, GA GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Pinnacle Custom Builders/Decatur, GA IMAGE: Fredrik Brauer
