In my last post I talked about the new homeowners’ desire to have their house reflect a simple vernacular farmhouse style. They talked often about the types of home you see in New England, and as a former resident of Maine, I knew exactly what they meant! Vernacular homes are rugged and practical - sometimes you see as many as four or five “additions” which connect the house to the barn in order to shield the owner from harsh winter weather. The goal for Pleasant Hill was to keep it simple and timeless - a well-constructed building which will stand the test of time, with all the details of an older structure but including the amenities one might expect in a modern home.
The home was built in the middle of a large field full of natural plants and the homeowners are in the process of re-naturalizing areas disturbed during construction. Respecting the natural surroundings was of utmost importance. And while simplicity was the name of the game, the home is anything but boring!
The house is sited well off the road on a natural hill (thus the name!). The home faces West and with the abundance of windows, allows plenty of natural light from sun up til sun down. The new owners wanted a home which mixed both low-maintenance materials with natural “living” finishes, so we wrapped the entire home in vinyl board and batten siding. The windows have painted wood interiors and Fibrex wrapped exteriors. Cedar and Douglas Fir accents combine with the wood decks to lend a natural touch to the all-white exterior.
I wish you could smell this Cedar! *I took these photos as the electricians were finishing up, hence the lack of exterior fixtures! ;)
There are two entrances on the front of the house - the main entrance welcomes guests into the light-filled living room, while the service door leads into the large mudroom which contains a full bath, mudroom bench and pantry.
Clear Douglas Fir frames the portico over the front mudroom entrance
The front of the home presents an open and welcoming facade to its residents and guests alike. By setting the garage askew from the body of the home, we increased the privacy along the backside, which features a generous porch running the entire length of the building.
This is the BEST outdoor space. I’m taking this photo from the outdoor shower! The door to the left enters to the back side of the mudroom and is exactly opposite the door with the little portico. (Architectural tenants matter and sightlines are my favorite!) There will be screens wrapping the area contained by the porch roof. I have like 40,000 photos of this porch…
Moving in a little closer - this is the area that will be the screened porch. The first set of doors on the left enters to the dining room, and the large array of windows and French door beyond that enters to the living room. The door at the very end leads to the Owner’s Suite. With all of those doors open, the screen porch adds a huge amount of floor space to the home!
The ceiling of the screened porch is painted a faint blue
And now the best part of the exterior - the outdoor shower! It sits in a little alcove created by the garage and mudroom walls. We inlayed the treated wood deck with Azek decking under the shower, and Mark came up with an ingenious concealed drainage system to shuttle the water away from the house! Such a cool feature!
I was tempted to jump in - but I didn’t…
In my next post I’ll cover the interior which is even better than the exterior!