The Farm at Eastwood
I had spent months thinking of the two-sided coin of age - for both old and young homeowners. The young are looking for a home that is the "starter size," while the older couple are seeking the" down sizer." The house we design and build should work for both (keeping in mind that at 63 I was a looking to down size!). The house should be easy to heat, simple to maintain, and incorporating green technology as much as possible.
With great pride I researched and labored to design this dwelling, only to find out that another man had built largely what I was imagining--in 1936. Frank Lloyd Wright had, with the "Jacobs House," tried to demonstrate what I am now in the process of building--a 2000 square foot "Usonian" style house within the center of Syracuse N.Y.
Built on 2.3 acres of land, I am using thermally modified wood [poplar] supplied by the Harden Furniture Company from their forests that have had sustainable management since the 19th century. The house is framed (double 2x4 wall), on a slab on grade. The exterior sheathing is 1/2" exterior plywood as is the roof decking. Radiant heat and plumbing are in the first pour of concrete, the interior walls are up, and water, power and sewer are connected to the house.
Looking at our Mission furniture on this website, you can get a feeling for the eighteen (yes 18!) white oak French doors that will open off the back 63' of the house to a terraced series of gardens.
The wall details and kitchen design will feature inlays (as you already see in our furniture.) Yes, this is a work in progress and sometimes feels like two steps forward, three back. But along the way the elements of design are coming together and evolving. I'd be interested in showing you some of these designs for your potential kitchen or bathroom design projects.
