Design Work On The Boards and Under Construction

Our studio continues to be blessed with diverse and fascinating projects, each with a unique story and opportunity to build collaborative relationships. It is our pleasure and privilege to share selected projects with you, and to offer additional insight into what we find so compelling about design work.

You are invited to learn more about three current projects in the design process in our office including a multi-generational Adirondack camp built during the 1950s in the international style, the net-zero ready pond side home we first shared this past fall, and a new highly energy-efficient hillside home.

The contemporary pondside home which we previously shared in the fall of 2017 is now ready for the coordination and installation of interior finishes. Below, from left to right, Ryan Beaulieu, CDG Designer; Travis Cutler, Vice-President, Donald P. Blake, Jr, Inc.; and Milford Cushman, CDG President. During this phase of work our team works closely with the general contractor to execute finish details and to locate light and plumbing fixtures. Careful coordination with the contractor allows our team to implement any changes and to resolve issues that have come up during construction.

Exterior finishes have come together beautifully with general contractor Donald P. Blake, Jr, Inc.'s team of craftsmen completing the installation of siding, windows, and doors. A handsome timber framed screened-in porch is slated for completion this winter. The rural wooded site, with delightful meadows and a man-made pond will be a tranquil and idyllic setting for the owners to call home during their retirement.

 

This international style camp was built in the 1950s as a place for family to gather for the summer. Its relaxed setting in the central Adirondacks was a refuge from the hustle and bustle of daily life in New York City. The house occupies a point on the lake shore, and is surrounded by water to the north, east, and south. For more than 60 years the camp has hosted family and friends, and has been a place where cherished lifelong memories are created. For us, the magic of multi-generational camps can be found in the commonality of visitors' experiences. The simple excitement to go to camp, and contentment of one's spirit once there, is shared across generations.

Our team is working with the family to establish a master plan to stabilize, preserve, and eventually renew the property's main house, boat house, and outbuildings. It has been our pleasure to foster thoughtful conversation around their intentions for the property and its buildings in the immediate future and for the next 60 years. The rendering above by CDG design intern Jon Severinghaus depicts the camp's existing main volume as seen from the lake. In this rendering, the camp is shown lifted with new skirting below the vertical redwood siding. Our strategy is to increase airflow beneath the concrete pier supported structure by creating a new, enclosed, high volume, and well ventilated space that is both architecturally subdued and aesthetically pleasing within the style of the existing home. The photo below depicts the opposite view, looking from within the home's living room to the lake.

Chad Forcier, CDG Project Manager (below left) speaks with general contractor John Steel of Steel Construction during a recent site visit to a highly energy efficient new home being built in northern Vermont. The "rough-in" phase, when electrical and plumbing fixtures are located, is nearing completion in preparation for insulation and finish work. This house uses a double wall system with dense pack cellulose insulation to create a super-insulated building that will prioritize thermal comfort and energy efficiency for its owners. The project's design team, led by Chad, has worked closely with our clients and John Steel to achieve a high level of coordination between the house's layout, energy efficiency goals, systems, and finishes.

The home is sited on a steep north facing lot with panoramic views of the Green Mountains enjoyed by the primary living spaces. The home is designed to achieve a balance between a segmented plan and a more contemporary open plan by establishing traditional visual thresholds between living spaces. The extensive use of windows on the south, uphill, side of the building allows light to fill the volume deeply on the main level and through the stair block to the lower level.

We look forward to sharing more as the project progresses and the interior finishes begin to take shape.

All photos by Lindsay Raymondjack, excluding the Adirondack camp