Some clients don't need much square footage, yet still desire something custom, tailored to their specific needs. This home is under 1,000 finished square feet and was designed for a sole occupant, yet she hosts parties here and has overnighting grandchildren on a regular basis.
One of my long-time contractor clients bought a piece of canalfront property in Chincoteague and asked me to design a weekend beach house for his family. Although the home is modest, the open floor plan creates a big house feel. We positioned the patio doors and windows to take advantage of the prevailing breezes, and the air conditioning is only needed on the hottest days of mid-summer. The home is constructed on piers due to its proximity to water. A sleeping loft over the right half of the home is furnished dormitory-style, to accommodate visiting relatives. We have stayed in this home for the weekend and wish it were our own!
This stone and sided two-story home was one of the very first homes I designed when I went into business for myself in 1998. The homeowners have a very busy family and social life, so we worked together to make sure there were lots of open spaces for gatherings, but also that there were private areas for solitude when needed. The clients liked the idea of a traditional two-story colonial but wanted something that looked a little more unique; we raised the gutters on the front middle portion of the home to give it some dimension, and also projected that section of exterior wall, which had the added benefit of providing architectural interest in the living room and the home office. The windows in the upstairs girls' bedrooms were made to appear recessed, as if they were actually dormers, by adding window seats and built-in bookcases around them. There is a craft room over the three-car garage, which can double as guest quarters, especially since there is a "buddy bath" right outside the door.
