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Pick up a copy of The Vine from The Vineyard Gazette for a story I wrote about three cottage kitchens found in my latest book The New Cottage from The Taunton Press. Better yet, pick up a copy of the book ;-) Available at Bunch of Grapes on Martha’s Vineyard, a local bookstore near you, and online.
by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast
Find a recent interview with me on Bontena. Fun to be featured.
by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast
Screenshot from Treehugger of a house design from a c. 1965 copy of a CMHC publication
I thoroughly enjoyed Lloyd Alter's recent post at Treehugger, featuring favorite one-story houses he scanned from a 1965 copy of a publication about small houses produced by the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation in Canada (which Alter equates with Freddie Mac in the U.S.). The houses he selected range from 889 to 1590 square feet, with most around 1200 square feet. Though stock plans, the CMHC descriptions recommend how best to position the designs relative to solar orientation or even a sloping site. Many of the houses feature three bedrooms, but rarely with an en suite bathroom off the master. In several, dining areas are crazy small, and kitchens are almost universally separated from living spaces. Nonetheless, most of these plans could be fairly easily updated to successfully accommodate small-house living today.
The house in the screenshot above designed by architect J. de Keresztes is my favorite of Alter's favorites. Alter describes it as "the wackiest", in part because the carport at the front door seems more like a hotel drop-off and the front windows are unconventionally screened. And, yes, the sunken sitting area off the living area is so very Mad Men. But click through to see the plan associated with this design. The patio/courtyard straight across from the entry, with the living area on one side and the bedroom wing on the other, is inspired. Talk about creating a sense of spaciousness by borrowing daylight and view (a small-house strategy described in my book The New Small House from The Taunton Press)! The patio/courtyard also brings the indoors out and outdoors in, makes a big statement, and pays attention to the third dimension (three more strategies from my book).
To adapt this plan for how folks live now, I would eliminate the built screening at the (south) end of the patio/courtyard, if siting allows, replacing it perhaps with landscaping and/or a contemporary arbor with an opening to the yard/garden beyond. I would also change the front carport to a front porch and create a detached garage, perhaps accessed by a covered walkway or pergola. I'd convert the full bathroom in the plan to an en-suite bathroom for the master bedroom and add a second full bathroom in between the master bedroom and the second bedroom, which would mean elongating that eastern wing to the south. I'd reconfigure the entry hall to include a half bath adjacent to the en-suite master bathroom, and convert the space labeled "dining" into a pantry area so the overhead cabinets, bordering the opening to the living area, could be removed. Further, a dining area to the south of the kitchen could be readily accommodated in the large living area, and the floor of the sunken sitting area could be raised to align with the rest of the living area floor.
With some tweaks, this could be a wonderful small-house for today. Take a look at the other houses in Alter's post to imagine how you might update those. It's a fun exercise and might prove informative (especially when paired with The New Small House) if you're contemplating a small-house of your own. (To download a PDF of the complete CMHC publication, click here.)
by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast
Drought-tolerant sedums are a popular choice for planted roofs.
My new book for The Taunton Press, tentatively titled The New Small House, is well underway. We've been busy selecting houses to feature, scheduling photo shoots, and beginning to create the content that someday (hopefully) you will find on a shelf in a store near you. As the book takes shape, I aim to share here some tidbits of what I'm learning along the way.
A few of the houses in the book feature planted roofs, which provide insulation and an effective away to mitigate storm-water run-off, all while beautifully complementing the landscape and the air we breathe. A New-England homeowner I interviewed mentioned that Motherplants was her source for planted-roof inspiration. One visit to the website, and you'll see why. I have to admit I pondered if someone like myself, who doesn't have a planted roof, might order a planted pre-grown mat to place in her garden/yard as a starter-garden of sorts. (Keep in mind, I'm a bit of an idjit gardener.) The planted mats are simply that lovely. Give it a look, and consider where you might incorporate a planted roof. I've already proposed one to a client for her backyard retreat...
by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast
Lately, I've been stumbling upon some of my best finds while looking for something else. Such was the case when I came upon this tiny cottage in Oak Bluffs while en route to the annual Cottagers Cottage Tour. The gothic-revival steep roof, peaked-arch window, carved barge boards, mini porch, and delicate foundation plantings are all a delight. Which got me thinking, 'tis the season for back-to-basics living. Time to enjoy playhouses, cabins in the woods, and camping trailers (and, of course, garage/garden rooms like this KHS design in Manchester, Mass.).
Get started with the July/August 2013 issue of Design New England which features an intriguing grouping of four new getaway cabins on Sebago Lake in Maine. With vaulted standing-seam copper roofs, fieldstone foundations, and cedar siding, the warm-tone cabins appear to grow naturally from the site, peacefully nestled between rock outcroppings and trees along the lake's edge.
Head over to Sunset online to find a young, landscape architect's Airstream trailer converted to home and his accessory trailer rendered portable office. His unique and creative housing/office choices are sure to inspire.
Pick up the HOUSES 2013 issue of Fine Homebuilding to read Sean Groom's article about accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in the Pacific Northwest. These buildings and spaces, which are smaller than 800 square feet, accommodate a whole host of uses often better than conventional alternatives. It's high time that financing and zoning regulations friendly to ADUs are more readily adopted in New England, too. (Also check out Michael Litchfield's In-laws, Outlaws, and Granny Flats: Your Guide to Turning One House into Two Homes.)
Let these back-to-basics accommodations inform your getaway, office, guest quarters, granny-flat and home. It's summertime and living should be easy.
by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast
