Young Family do it yourself

Copyright Mario Grigni Architect 1990-2010 ©

Two story with 2200 SF of heated area. Two children bedrooms upstairs and master bedroom downstairs.

Lots of light, cathedral ceilings everywhere.

• Designed in traditional style deep in the woods, using inexpensive but durable building materials, for a young couple with two preteen children.
• The house, built in 1988-89 , is located at the edge of a bluff, the first of several buildings on the site,including a garage and a barn for horses. The owner was familiar with construction in general and decided to be his own contractor, with my supervision. The steep lot required the construction of a daylight basement that was left unfinished.
• The main floor features an open plan with cathedral ceiling open to the second floor. The platform kitchen (one step up) is the center of the space and commands views of  the living areas and the decks. Next to it the spacious master bedroom has a privacy screen, suitable for a built in TV, an efficient dressing area that includes a vanity and a complete bathroom.
• The second floor bedrooms share a passthrough bath but have private vanities. They open to a loft play area in the upper part of the living room, permitting close surveillance from downstairs (the "stair to nowhere" was a great success with the children).
• The entrance provides privacy from unwelcome visitors in the isolated location. 
• The built in barbecue pit, practically an extension of the kitchen, brings back memories of the traditional summer kitchens, that avoided bringing the cooking heat inside.
• The plan is very compact, providing surprisingly spacious rooms for a 2200 SF house. The overhangs, the location of the windows and  the orientation of the house on the site were maximized for Passive Solar heating and cooling. A wood burning boiler in an outbuliding and a water source heat pump provide comfort at minimal expense and minimize the carbon footprint.
• Maintenance was kept to a minimum with effective overhangs, no gutters and pre-finished exterior siding.