description
The owners of a 1950’s colonial style home dreamt of creating elegant and efficient spaces thoughtfully connected to the outdoors. In its existing state, the home exhibited confined rooms and convoluted circulation, making entertaining guests and the functional patterns of daily living unnecessarily challenging. Furthermore, a large inaccessible flat roof sat on a daylight basement garage directly outside the poorly lit interior living space. The architect was engaged to rethink these relationships and offer solutions which allow the owners to take advantage of their home’s unique quirks to improve their lifestyle while prioritizing efficiency.
To open the restricted floorplan, the basement stairway was shortened and the primary bearing wall was removed. Complemented by a clean and consistent material palette, the new connections between the reimagined kitchen, dining, and living areas allow for a highly efficient use of space. The resulting space is generously daylit throughout, with a focus on increased glazing on the southeast to visually connect the interior to the new roof deck and the landscape beyond. To further improve efficiency, the existing oil-based heating system was replaced by a sustainable wood pellet boiler, and the home’s electricity is now produced by photovoltaics on the roof, allowing the home to be fully fossil fuel free.
Further utilizing the existing structure, a generously sized deck was constructed on the previously inaccessible garage roof. An overhead pergola formally connects the deck with the primary structure while providing shade for the new outdoor dining area as well as the pass-through windows and glass doors of the home. In promotion of year-round outdoor living and a healthy lifestyle, the roof deck integrates a custom designed cedar sauna complete with a visually-screened outdoor rinsing station. These newly integrated features expand the home beyond the exterior walls to harmoniously connect it with the desirable outdoors of Maine.
insights
Prospect and Refuge
The concept of prospect and refuge, wherein a space allows the occupant to see their surroundings from a great vantage while remaining protected from view themselves, is a fundamental element to consider in the creation of a dwelling. When successfully incorporated, these spaces lend a sense of security, safety, and peace. Using the structure of the existing garage allowed for a budget-friendly way to offer an elevated view of the site while feeling protected from the surroundings. Inward facing spaces, such as the sauna, offer a pleasant spatial contrast as well as views out over the landscape.
Connections
The architectural strategies employed here aim to improve the usability of the home and increase the functionality of the indoor-outdoor relationship. Varying levels of enclosure allow the owners to connect to the outdoors regardless of the season: open dining zones for evening entertaining, a semi-covered pergola area to experience a sense of protection from the elements, and a custom sauna to keep warm on the cold winter nights. All of these spaces are oriented out toward the landscape, where the client spends much of their time honing an edible and forageable landscape for family and friends.
Energy Independence
In tandem with substantial improvements to the functional efficiency of the home, the project team prioritized the modernization of the existing antiquated energy systems. Positioned on the south-facing roof, a new 6.8kW photovoltaic solar array now provides 95-100% of the dwelling’s annual electricity needs. In the basement, an outdated heating oil boiler was replaced with a high efficiency wood pellet boiler. This system, utilizing a renewable and sustainable fuel source, is complemented by a new cord wood stove; ensuring the home is now heated exclusively by locally harvested biomass, achieving complete fossil fuel independence.
Builder: Cousins Co
Structural Engineering: L&L Structural
The owners of a 1950’s colonial style home dreamt of creating elegant and efficient spaces thoughtfully connected to the outdoors. In its existing state, the home exhibited confined rooms and convoluted circulation, making entertaining guests and the functional patterns of daily living unnecessarily challenging. Furthermore, a large inaccessible flat roof sat on a daylight basement garage directly outside the poorly lit interior living space. The architect was engaged to rethink these relationships and offer solutions which allow the owners to take advantage of their home’s unique quirks to improve their lifestyle while prioritizing efficiency.
To open the restricted floorplan, the basement stairway was shortened and the primary bearing wall was removed. Complemented by a clean and consistent material palette, the new connections between the reimagined kitchen, dining, and living areas allow for a highly efficient use of space. The resulting space is generously daylit throughout, with a focus on increased glazing on the southeast to visually connect the interior to the new roof deck and the landscape beyond. To further improve efficiency, the existing oil-based heating system was replaced by a sustainable wood pellet boiler, and the home’s electricity is now produced by photovoltaics on the roof, allowing the home to be fully fossil fuel free.
Further utilizing the existing structure, a generously sized deck was constructed on the previously inaccessible garage roof. An overhead pergola formally connects the deck with the primary structure while providing shade for the new outdoor dining area as well as the pass-through windows and glass doors of the home. In promotion of year-round outdoor living and a healthy lifestyle, the roof deck integrates a custom designed cedar sauna complete with a visually-screened outdoor rinsing station. These newly integrated features expand the home beyond the exterior walls to harmoniously connect it with the desirable outdoors of Maine.