House Tour

Trying to wake up and get a dark, dreary, "I really want to call in sick"- Monday launched. It took me hours all weekend to get these photos loaded but here, finally, is the house tour of almost two weeks ago.
A day or so before one of our clients takes ownership of their new or renovated/restored home, the entire staff is invited to tour the house with the design principal and support staff to discuss all the finer details. It is such a fun process and this particular house was really interesting as it is our first completed "green" project. A tremendous amount of planning went in to making this house as energy efficient and sustainable as possible. It is in a very private setting very close to the village on beautiful Oyster Pond ( salt water coming in from Nantucket Sound).
Arriving for the tour at the front of the house. Lovely that the front profile is low and unassuming. The curving roof is very representative of many of our projects. Landscapers were working very hard to complete their work as we arrived. The gardens are lovely....

I cut this photo off but we all gathered at the front with the one of the lead architects and discussed the outside siting.

Landscapers putting down turf between huge rocks. There is an amazing water reclamation system to provide irrigation for the grounds.
To the right of the driveway
The house is fitted with solid wood windows and doors (Tischler und sohn) and is all wheelchair accessible without sills.
Interesting lighting above the elegant curved stairway in the front hall.
The windows open from the top, and also swing in from the side, allowing for perfect ventilation. Our design principal is demonstrating the window function.
Friend, Jeff (he's getting married soon and is getting that special gift I've been working on), admiring some of the work he did on the second floor curved porch.
The ceiling of the curved porch.
The view from the 2nd floor porch....more landscapers hustling to the finish line (they made it).

Views out to the pond and the enclosed vegetable garden made by the owners. She is a master gardener.
Back inside, the guys thought my outfit matched the shower tile so made me get inside for a photo. I'm lucky they did not turn on the water!
I LOVE these ceiling fans which are in all the second floor rooms. The center is a bicycle sprocket, the blades are made from fishing rods and parachute material. Very quiet and graceful.
Faux beach stone fireplace in a guest bedroom.
Love the gable window which allows lovely light.
More interesting lighting. Simple.

The kitchen is on the back of the house with lovely views and doors leading out to the terrace. These custom glass windows will be installed in an opening between the kitchen and living room. They were custom made by Taqua Glass in N Truro, MA.

This beautiful custom table was designed in-house and made by West Barnstable Tables. A work of art!
Another shot of the kitchen windows tilting in for ventilation.
The construction supervisor, Perry, shows the function of some of the built-in cabinetry in the living room.
Outside, we made our way to the waterfront side.


The house faces southwest, thus the placement of solar panels. There are very sophisticated weather instruments in the house and in the foreground you can see the outdoor component just by the garden.
This is a "Smart House" and can be remotely controlled from any computer. I did not get photos of the bottom floor which houses several large control rooms for, sound, environment (HVAC) and for the solar components. Truly amazing! The project came in on time and the new owners are now launching their first summer in residence.
Although, it is above and beyond anyplace I will ever live, I do love being a small part of the process in creating beautiful homes. The lovely young family will enjoy this home so much and make beautiful memories here for many years to come.

In other news.....the quilt top is DONE! It goes to the quilter next weekend. Sara and I had an interesting time learning some self-healing techniques and doing Qi gong and reflexology at a local spa on Saturday, LM's Learn to Fish Day was a huge success except for the rain which came near the end - guess who caught the only fish!! Yesterday, I met a fellow blogger and her Mom in Sandwich and that was a delightful time. Several pictures to come later....Erin and Susan, it was such a pleasure to meet you and show you a corner of beautiful Cape Cod.
Ms G went to the chipmunk races yesterday and is completely exhausted from turning her head back and forth repeatedly....REALLY...LM and I watched the races, too, just before we FINALLY had some time to ourselves, went out for a fish dinner and ride to the beach. Perfect end to the weekend.
Hope you are all well!