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Interview with the client

Building a healthy house

TOUR  OF THE HOUSE AND SITE

Building the house to be as non-toxic as possible to our client was the overriding concern in this project and affected every decision made. Yet equally important was to maintain the integrity of the design and craftsmanship, never compromising on that score. Meeting these challenges successfully is the measure of our success.

The potential residing within the site for the house was inspirational. It was clear from the outset that in creating a healthful place to live, we needed to create not just a home, but a sanctuary that was calm, welcoming and, above all, that belonged to this particular land.

THE SITE

“I believe all good building design begins with its response to its site."
--Debrah Walker

When the site was purchased, a 3 acre rectangular meadow had been cut out of the 10 acre forested parcel, sloping down from north to south with a well at the north end and 3 1/2 acres of forest beyond. There was a wonderful sky, good sunlight, and a park like feel in this forest room. However, the site had been developed to situate a house at the far north end; this was not very interesting.

In the center of the property, where there was a natural bowl and a few remaining conifers, air flow was the most advantageous. Also, from this point, views to the rest of the site were intriguing and there were opportunities for outdoor spaces to be incorporated naturally into the interior spaces of the house.

Thus, the site design took the natural characteristics of the land and enhanced those qualities to make distinctive outdoor spaces with strong relationships to the indoor rooms. The house, which is nestled into the bowl, changes elevations with the site. Entrances are close to the level of the ground creating an immediate sense that the rooms flow into the site. Natural light and the views continue the site to room relationship. 

One of the delights of the project was designing a number of “out” buildings which, while filling practical needs, also needed to respond to the landscape. These buildings included a potting shed, workshop, a forest guest cottage, a room above the garage for a college age son, and a water tower.

The water tower, which houses the well pump with an observation room above sits at the top of the clearing at the forest edge. It is an overlook to the rest of the site by day, and a faintly lit beacon by night. From it, well water runs down to the house both literally in underground pipes, and symbolically in the water and spill way positioned on a centered north to south axis that runs through the site and the house design.

THE DESIGN

“Knowing what the finished materials and details are going to be, and making sure those details are considered and accommodated -- beginning with framing and throughout construction -- is a priority in my work as an architect.”

Debrah Walker

The design needed to respond to a number of stylistic and life style priorities. The client, a writer and a gardener, needed a place that supported and inspired both these activities since they play a vital role in her healing. She favored New England rural styles set in garden landscapes, but her husband wanted a casual western style, somewhat traditional but with contemporary simplicity. Consequently, the architecture and structure use rural references to tie together both traditions. The site design, with its southern meadow and nautilus-shaped garden bowl helped create the context for the marriage of these stylistic differences.

Of the many complexities in this project, first and foremost was the use of materials and protocols that had been carefully tested to assure no contamination. For every material eventually used, two to four others were tested and rejected. Not using conventional building materials was challenging and meant developing and designing new methodologies. For example, while the showers appear to be conventionally constructed, in fact they were meticulously put together to assure water tightness without using the normally accepted, “tried and true” materials.

In this project a tremendous amount of time was devoted to pre planning and early detailing to assure that the complex systems inside the walls would not compromise final trim and finish details. The air ventilation and filtration systems are extensive, but they have been carefully designed to be unobtrusive. so that no one is aware of their existence. The eaves of each roof and trim had to meet precisely which meant that the framing required accuracy to a fraction of an inch. One of the triumphant moments during construction was when the timber framed clerestory in the living room was framed perfectly into the two story structure of the main house. The framers in this project were true artisans who worked intensely to make it all come together, sometimes accommodating details that would not be built for many months.

Overall, designing and building this house was a challenging project supported by a highly skilled and responsive team. The clients, construction manager, foreman, designers and subcontractors, all worked to forge the climate needed to solve problems creatively.