On the Wild Side

Back in my youth, the term wildlife held quite a different meaning but as an eco-friendly architecture firm, it seems really important to protect the environment around the cottage as we move forward on the addition. We've got a nest of Eastern Phoebes in the rafters, a bat in the front light fixture, chipmunks in the crawl space, and more golden finches at the feeders than we ever anticipated. Adding a butterfly bush should also help encourage more wildlife to the property. We also plan to check out the website of the National Wildlife Federation, which provides information on how to turn one's backyard into a wildlife sanctuary. Who wouldn't want more frogs, toads, and salamanders wandering around?
Unfortunately along with those lovely creatures, we are also sharing space with mosquitoes, mice, and ants. Our solution is to add a bat house for our resident bat, who has been already named "fuzzy lumpkins", and an owl house to encourage barn owls to the property. Both should offer some form of pest control.
The plans are nearly ready-- just need elevations at this point-- while Keith and his crew have been preparing the cottage by sanding the decks and screening the porch. And looks like I struck a deal on the claw foot tub. I anticipate moving up there for a solid week to try to further the project, which we hope to complete by this autumn.

Salvation?

We looked at the roof rafters with Keith and saw that there was enough wood to salvage-- perhaps using some of the roof decking for flooring. We also shifted our plans from a one story addition off the back, which would require costly excavation and foundation work, to a second story addition. I tried to convince James to work these salvaged cathedral window frames I found in Hudson into the design, but alas, it does seem out of place in both a modern design and a rustic weekend cottage.

A Kid-Friendly Place

I have planted hydrangeas at every home I've owned because they remind me of my grandparents' backyard, a safe and loving place. But what does this have to do with architecture? Many architecture theorists and child development psychologists would agree that one's environment as a child has a profound impact on who he becomes as an adult. In fact, some have argued that as adults, we purchase homes and redecorate them to recapture or readdress our childhood experiences. In today's New York Times, Penelope Green addresses the topic, suggesting that architects need to take the psychological pulse of the client to best serve them. This seems a bit far-fetched in light of all of the other parameters an architect has to consider, but I think it's good advice for the client: Know thyself. Personally, I despise wide-open spaces, so it makes sense for me to have a 665 square foot cottage and not a loft. The book Some Place Like Home by Toby Israel does a great job analyzing design psychology as a means of creating so-called ideal places. When we bought a weekend house, James and I definitely considered the children and their interaction with it. We thought about our own childhoods, especially James in his family beach house on the coast of Alabama, and what we decided was that by limiting the outside stimulus, children explore the world differently. In planning the addition, we are giving our children "sleeping pods" which are very basic (and small) spaces primarily for sleeping. I'd rather they walk down to the creek and search for frogs or read a book on the porch swing. By limiting their interior space, there's more incentive to get outside.
Another great book about house psychology and history is House Thinking by Winifred Gallagher. Each chapter takes readers through the historical development of different rooms in a house. Of course, I'm hoping that as Potic Cottage evolves, it helps inform our children's sense of space in a modern and ecologically aware manner.

Now starring.... Tom Judson

While I am waiting on new floor plans, I felt it was a good opportunity to talk about the illustrious Tom Judson, or TJ as our children have started calling him. We purchased Potic Cottage from Tom in April of 2007, and in doing so, gained a friend in the process. Having gone from Broadway to house renovation, Tom did a great job making Potic Cottage charming and cozy, so much so that we bought all of its contents as well. The pictures above feature some of Tom's decorating style, including his homage to architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the form of a guest room with built-ins.
Better yet, Tom makes even the smallest moment fun. Just ask him about ordering pie at Koch's restaurant or the Town of Athens parade. His enthusiasm for life is contageous. When we first met Tom, he was housing a grand piano in his small kitchen, in lieu of a table and chairs. He can build a deck in record time, play the accordion, and quote Auntie Mame. What more could you want in a friend?
And wouldn't you know, he's even got a claw foot tub in storage---

Why Potic?

What a gift to have a weekend space. We feel particularly fortunate to have found this one which is situated between Hudson, Windham, Albany, and NYC. We're able to get there, door-to-door in three hours (traffic notwithstanding)and have access to hiking, kyacking, mountains, farmstands, shopping, skiing, and antiquing. And yet, most of the time, we do nothing in particular. That mental space has been essential for our sanity and our imaginations. Even the kids find themselves taking it down a pace. Is it the physical space which does it-- surrounded by nature without TV, phone, or internet? Or is it that we've consciously changed gears from workday to weekend mode. Either way, we've used the weekend cottage more and more often. As James plugs away at the many projects in the office, we're hoping sneak in our new floorplans by the end of the week. As for me, I've been busy scanning Craigslist for recycled materials, either salvaged or surplus, for both econmical and environmental reasons. So far I've found all sorts of stuff, but I'm still in the market for a clawfoot tub and a couple of 1970's enamel wood stoves. It's the mix of these eclectic elements that intrigues me the most. Meanwhile, we've set Keith up to screen in the porch. James and I had differing feelings about this move-- he prefers the open air; however I like using a screened porch as an additional living/dining space. We've opted for removable screen panels and a ceiling fan and we're hoping to add a wood stove for autumn days.

Potic Cottage: Before (and After, to follow)

After years of studying the importance of space and place in art, literature, philosophy, religion, and architecture, James and I decided a weekend place was just the type of space our young family needed. An intense search ensued, so when we saw this very private and affordable home in an ad on Craigslist, we knew we had to see it immediately. Despite a snowstorm and leaving for Florida the next day, our family packed into the station wagon for an adventure. Situated in the Hudson Valley, the windy country roads and the breathtaking mountain views captivated our imaginations. The house itself was small and cozy. We liked what we saw, but it was our daughter's response to the place: "It reminds me of Granddad's camphouse in Alabama" that compelled us to made an offer within a half-hour of seeing the one bedroom, 665 square foot cottage.

Of course, the impetuousness of our decision came home to roost when confronted with sleeping on the floor of the living room one night too many nights. I started a paper journal in the spirit of Thoreau's Walden, watched bread bake and birds eat at the feeders, but the 665 square feet were becoming smaller and less useable. From sleeping on air mattresses, to being unable to invite friends to stay (except for the hardiest of folks), we knew it was time to make a change. After many hours of contemplation and a couple of bottles of wine (ok more than a couple), James picked up his pencil and scale and got to it. Bouler Design Group has a client in Hudson Valley who wants a modern, eco-friendly, innovative, and spacious building addition for less than $30,000. Ever one for the challenge, James was imagining suspended decks, glass walls, barrel roofs, green roofs, and a bathroom that opened to woods. Crunching the numbers, well, that brought back some reality, but we feel it will be a great task for Bouler Design Group (www.boulerdesigngroup.com) to pull together a machine, a living machine, that uses a pre-existing cottage, reclaimed materials, that suited both the site and our aesthetic.

With the help of a "green" contractor, Keith Abrams of Green in Greene, we found a kindred spirit who will work with us in creating a home that is both eco-friendly and a piece of cost-effective modern architecture. James produced several design solutions to develop an addition that maintains the integrity of the original structure while doubling the square footage and incoporating fantastic views, all within our budget of $30,000. Back to Craigslist we go for supplies.