White Mountain View
The Context:
Bruce and Debbie had some land and a dream. Unfortunately, that land was in Maine and they were stuck in Texas for a few more years. But they wouldn’t let that stop them from getting on with that dream. Let’s see…how about a modest start: a small, 1-bedroom apartment with a bit of loft space for spillover guests, a barn for their Texas horses and a truly awesome view of the White Mountain range from the porch. Might that even end up being enough?
The Response:
The antidote to the Big and Showy of Texas was a grounded, New England modesty of gabled roofs with 12/12 pitch and classic saddlebag (and yes, this saddlebag would quite literally house saddlebags). Clean lines and a steady rhythm of black-edged windows to the south greet you, barely hinting at the mountain lookout that lies inside. The upslope siting and striking mountain framing of the barn doors gives the structure an ethereal quality, almost as though the house itself roams about, grazing in the field. Traditional red claps and shingles vibrate in the fall landscape and settle the home into its local context. The house greets you with a tough mudroom that scoops up southern sun onto its concrete floor, storing your hiking gear and snowshoes from another trip up into the White Mountains. Upstairs an open kitchen handcrafted by the contractor’s son shifts your vantage to Mount Washington’s Tuckerman Ravine to the west, with a suspended balcony hung out over the horse pasture below, possibly the best happy hour spot in the county.
The Highlights:
-Locally milled framing lumber and pine T&G ceilings, Canadian NordicLam black spruce engineered beams.
-Exterior foam board combined with 5 1/2in. of cellulose insulation allow a dramatic increase in comfort along with affordable long-term energy bills and a radical reduction in the heating equipment size and cost.
-Deep set windows and carefully sized overhangs prevent overheating in summer while maximizing winter sunlight.
-All roads and construction kept to the edges of the site to maintain the existing pasture and farmland.
-South-facing roof space has been left for future photovoltaic panels