Finding a building site in the city surrounded by trees is rare. This is the second opportunity we have had to design a home for just such a site. How cool is it to be minutes from parks, shopping, and work, but feel like you are in the country. The goals of this home in the woods is to create a small footprint that feels open and light inside. We worked hard to maintain proportions and balance of the elements. The house is set up so that it can be accessible with a simple addition of a covered connector between the future garage and the house.
Working with the builder, Herr and Company, through the design process we were able to hit the budget goals for the home as well as the aesthetic goals.
Creating a lot of connections to the exterior on this lot were very important. When you are building a home surrounded by trees there is a lot of shade, so to have a “light” house you have to position windows carefully. This home is also set up to maximize solar production so a “solar alley” is cut into the site along with the driveway. Adding solar pv to the roof of the garage will provide for clean energy for years to come.
Of course we also wanted to incorporate incredible outdoor spaces into the design. This back deck should lead to hours of family fun.