Cozy Cottages - Builder Magazine

10/13/2010
Cozy Cottages - Builder Magazine
From : BUILDER 2010
Posted on: September 12, 2010 11:26:00 PM
Cozy Cottages
Ten little projects practice the art of thinking small.
By: Jenny Sullivan
If it seems as though all of your prospects have become move-down buyers in this constrained market, try turning on the cottage charm. Trade in those stately manses in your portfolio for something more compact and cocoon-like, which are housing options that make today's buyers feel safe and secure, not overleveraged. And be creative about where you look for inspiration. Theres no shortage of fine little structures out there with lessons to be gleaned on how to build a tight ship, be they primary residences, weekend retreats, granny casitas, or outbuildings. Some are traditional, some are contemporary, and some are vernacular blends. Here are ten worth studying.
Sea Breeze
Credit: Paul Dyer Located in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains with a view of the ocean, this 600 square-foot cottage (which complements a 2,800-square-foot main house) is not only therapeutic in its simplicity, its also eco-friendly. The shell incorporates recycled denim insulation in the walls, blown-in foam insulation in the roof, and low-E windows. Its interior is heated primarily by a central, high-efficiency, two-sided gas fireplace. Add to that a tankless hot water heater and energy-saving lighting, and youve got yourself a super-performing little cabin.
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But passivity is the most important ingredient of all. When the weather is nice--the default setting in the Carmel Valley--windows and doors are positioned to grab prevailing breezes and keep the interiors cool. This, along with shading from existing oaks, prevents the need for air conditioning in hot summer months, says architect Jonathan Feldman. He adds that raising the foundation helped to minimize excavation and potential root damage to the trees.
Credit: Paul Dyer Designed with versatility in mind, the structure is alternately used as a guest house, yoga/meditation studio, and social gathering spot for parties. The interiors are simple and clean, with Douglas fir trim (including the ceiling) and a rusted Cor-Ten steel fireplace surround as the centerpiece. The exterior is clad in stained cedar siding. Project: Carmel Cottage Location: Carmel, Calif. Architect: Feldman ARCHITECTURE Builder: Groza Construction
Petite Street
Credit: Courtesy Greenstone Homes Resale homes in this stretch of country between Coeur dAlene, Idaho, and Spokane, Wash., have been hard-pressed to compete with Greenstone Homes cottage series, which offers plans ranging from 1,300 to 2,000 square feet. Buyer response to these sweet little houses has proven that character counts--from their playful roof monitors and porch brackets to their crisp picket fences.
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Constructed to Energy Star and Built Green specifications in several area communities, the houses are framed with 2x6 lumber at 24 inches on center to reduce waste, and are clad with various combinations of shiplap, board and batten, and shingle fiber cement siding. Other goodies include low-E windows, structured floor panels (which create acoustical buffers), alley-loaded garages with keyless entries, and low-VOC finishes.
Credit: Courtesy Greenstone Homes Empty nesters have especially loved the master-down cottage plans in the Rocky Hill community (one even features two master suites on the ground floor), and the fact that yard work, mowing, and snow removal are handled by the HOA. We have been seeing a combination of young professionals and move-down buyers as the demographic, says Jayson Hunnel, sales and marketing director for Greenstone. We just did eight of these in a block at our Ponderosa Ridge community and they were all purchased by empty nesters and sold before the first building was framed. Project: Rocky Hill Location: Liberty Lake, Wash. Builder: Greenstone Homes
Trees Please
Credit: Courtesy Catskill Farms There are few things in the world that one cant find in Manhattan. Pristine forest is one of them. Which partly explains why Chuck Petersheim, a former urbanite himself, left Gotham and built a business for nature-deprived New Yorkers. Located in the mountains about 100 miles from the big city, his company, The Catskill Farms, specializes in cozy little houses on big, wooded lots. The offerings include 1,300-square-foot cottages, 960-square-foot mini-cottages, 750-square-foot micro-cottages, and
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in the latest addition to the portfolio, a 450-square-foot Shack Series. Marketed as an alternative to older weekend homes requiring extensive remodeling, the new residences blend modern, open plans with nostalgic touches such as clapboard siding, broad porches, wide-plank floors, Shaker-style cabinets, cast-iron radiators, and other reclaimed materials with vintage appeal. All homes are built on contract, and Petersheim has a waiting list.
Credit: Courtesy Catskill Farms We are selling to a very young, fast New York City set, he says, noting that many are first-time buyers who rent in the city and therefore arent saddled by second mortgages. Weve found there is no better time to be busy than a recession. The entire pipeline of vendors, subcontractors, and suppliers are eager to help, unlike during the boom where just getting a phone call back was challenging. Project: Catskill Cottages Location: Sullivan County, N.Y. Builder/Designer: The Catskill Farms
Midwestern Modest
Credit: Ken Gutmaker This whimsical cottage fits so seamlessly into its old-growth neighborhood that you might not realize its new construction. Thats exactly what architect Jean Rehkamp intended when she sketched out its affable faade. The other surprise is that its not as small as it looks. Four bedrooms and a laundry room are tucked up under the roof, stretching the plan to 4,100 square feet to accommodate a family of five. There is a lot more space inside than you would expect, says Rehkamp. The scale of the house
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blends with the neighborhood because we essentially brought that gable down to the first floor in front, while allowing the house to stand taller in the back. The scalloping on the front gable end was inspired by a historic house here in the city that I have admired.
Credit: Ken Gutmaker Inside, the plan is hybrid by design, blending open, fluid spaces with homespun details such as wainscoting, paneled transitions, beams, wood ceilings, and inset cabinets. Its a pretty big house as far as cottages go, but then again, its for a pretty big family. The overall square footage is never the driver in our designs, Rehkamp explains. Its more about the client and what they need. We generally dont make things bigger than they need to be. Project: Linden Hills Cottage Location: Minneapolis Architect: Rehkamp Larson Architects Builder: JS Johnson & Associates Interior designer: Alecia Stevens
Desert Blooms
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Balf Walker (C) 2008 Credit: Balfour Walker Doucette Communities had to be resourceful when it took on the 57 finished lots that would become Silverbell. One out of every three lots measured a scant 34-feet-by-100-feet, and the new homes had to mesh with 28 existing duplex-style rental units built by the city of Tucson for seniors and the disabled. The city-owned units were sprinkled through the site, so our design had to be compatible, says builder/owner Tom Doucette. We also had to develop a product that would accommodate both frontand rear-loaded conditions with affordable pricing. Plus, we chose to inflict the LEED process on ourselves, as we felt this would be a positive since the project is adjacent to downtown and a major transportation corridor with bus service and shopping close by. Other Cottage Articles:
10 Cottage Projects You'll Love

In a time of building smaller, offering cottages could be big business for your firm.
Small Affordable Single Family Homes Gain Popularity

Small houses sell when they offer three things: well-designed space, the right price, and a distinct sense of place.
Little Gems
How much house is just enough? We looked at three custom homes whose owners probably could have asked for more, but decided that smaller... Simple by design and crisp against the Arizona sky, the homes of Silverbell feature 2x6-inch framing (24 inches on center) with stacked roof elements and windows placed between stud bays. Other key features include sealed concrete floors, water-saving fixtures, Energy Star appliances, high-efficiency
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HVAC systems with duct testing, and rainwater harvesting. The exteriors are neatly articulated with metal trim and fencing, with overhangs that create private porch areas. Priced under $160,000, the units also offer two-car garages with ventilation systems and are prepped for solar panels. Some plans offer a detached casita option. The project received LEED Gold certification, hitting a base HERS rating of 60--and thats before the addition of photovoltaics. Project: Silverbell Location: Tucson, Ariz. Builder: Doucette Communities Architect: CDG Architects Developer: Pima County Building Department
All in the Family
Credit: Four Square Builders If the phrase mother-in-law casita conjures up an unfavorable mental picture, this sleek accessory unit certainly defies the stereotype. Designed as a companion residence for extended family, it is the antithesis of dowdy. It started when [my wifes mother] came back from Lowes with a little brochure on the Katrina Cottages, says builder Wes Wigginton, who partnered with designer Eric Brown on the concept. She had been living in the guest room of our home and was in need of her own space. Located 200 feet uphill from the main house, the 1,070-square-foot MILHouse (gotta love the acronym) contains two bedrooms, two baths, and an open living/dining/kitchen zone. The structure was built on site, although Brown designed its primary form as two modules, using standardized measurements for cost and material efficiencies. But the most unique thing of all is its exposed skeleton, which was a deliberate move with both aesthetic and performance benefits. Steel has great structural capacity, but we removed it from the thermal envelope because it has the negative of becoming a thermal conduit, explains Brown, who has since joined Wiggintons company, Foursquare Builders, as its in-house designer. Relegating those steel beams to the outside not only allowed an airtight shell with no thermal breaks, it maximized views to the outdoors. The vertical steel members are stronger and skinnier than the wood columns that would have been required to support such a large porch. We painted them a neutral gray so they blend with the sites native oaks and cedar trees, he says.
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Credit: Four Square Builders It wasnt long after the nifty little residence was featured as part of Austins summer 2009 Cool House tour that Wigginton began receiving client requests for similar accessory units on Hill Country properties outside of Austin. The builder is now close to finishing its second such structure, MILHouse 2.0, which is expected to be completed by October 2010. We are starting to see more clients who are thinking about the future needs of their in-laws and parents and planning ahead, Wigginton says. As a result, these casita-type solutions are more a part of the conversation now. Project: MILHouse 1.0 Location: Austin Builder: Foursquare Builders Designer: Thoughtcrib
Different Angle
Credit: Fabian Birgfeld If you cover one eye and view the triangular roof form as half a gable, this 1,600 square foot infill home has some cottage DNA, but it's not in a traditional, symmetrical sense. Call it a wacky cousin if you want, but its 30% more efficient than the average single-family home. Conceived as a prefab prototype for vacant urban infill sites, the quirky domicile fits comfortably on a compact, 22-foot-by-54-foot lot, and actually plays quite nicely into the funky housing mix in this emerging Jersey City neighborhood. The main building components are precast concrete insulated panels (PIPs), which were craned and welded into place in three days. To avoid a bunker effect, architects Richard Garber and Nicole Robertson added cedar screens and
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bands of windows to soften the aesthetic. The south-facing, 30-degree pitched roof--which the architects conceived as a contemporary riff on the rooflines of nearby homes--is equipped with photovoltaic panels on one half and low-impact green vegetation on the other half. With tax incentives and utility bill savings, the solar panels are expected to pay for themselves in five to seven years. The prototype was also designed as a model for economic sustainability. Total design and construction costs were about $250,000, which is a fairly modest outlay for a single-family house so close to New York City. Project: PREttyFAB Location: Jersey City, N.J. Architect: GRO Architects Manufacturer: Northeast Precast
Pretty Perch
Credit: Courtesy KodamaDiseno The hills of San Francisco are a big part of what makes the city cool, but for builders and architects, they are a force to be reckoned with. This clever outbuilding is anchored into the side of an urban cliff rising 30 feet from the street. A bookend for a 30-foot-by-110-foot city lot measuring 30 feet by 110 feet, the compact little outpost stacks a 326-square-foot entertainment pavilion on top of a 400-square-foot garage. The two-story massing creates a sound buffer from the street below, as well as visual privacy for an heirloom rose garden that connects the pavilion to the main house (a remodeled fishermans cottage). Anchored by deep footers, the outbuilding also conceals an underground drainage system that invisibly routes water through the hillside.
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Credit: Courtesy KodamaDiseno But the site engineering isnt the only master stroke here. Inspired by medieval dovecotes or pigeonniers-- aviary structures used to house semi-wild birds--the pavilion incorporates a trove of reclaimed and recycled artifacts, including old wood timbers, repurposed lumber, plank flooring, stained glass windows, brick, ironwork, hardware, and lighting fixtures. It also has some good new stuff, such as hydronic radiant floor heating, hot water on demand, laminated glass windows, HCFC-free insulation, and lighting controls for all fixtures. Project: Garden Pavilion Location: San Francisco Architect: Kodama Diseno Architects Builders: LH Construction; Add-a-Garage
View Finder
Credit: Eric Roth Often the most powerful ideas are the simplest. Thats certainly true of this 1,800-square-foot Massachusetts lakeside cottage (a 2008 Builders Choice Award winner) which takes its cues from a shack that once stood on the land. Architect Paul MacNeely thought of the new house as an aperture through which to view the water. Theres a nice water view but its not spectacular, MacNeely says.
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to view the water. Theres Cozy Cottages -view but its not spectacular, MacNeely says. a nice water Builder Magazine We created these transparent points as a way to celebrate the best views.
Credit: Eric Roth At the center of the straightforward plan is a see-through entry hall. Like a break between two worlds, it separates the private bedroom volume on the quiet north side from the sunny living hall on the south. Those plan moves are also reflected in the exterior skin: board and batten on one side, clapboard on the other, and a red stain tying the two together. I had an image of a red house in winter, sitting in this white field, which is the lake, MacNeely says, and the notion that the red house standing out would be beautiful. Project: Wik Cottage Location:Auburn, Mass. Architect: Eck/ MacNeely Architects Builder: Kinsley Homes
Rustic Roots
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Credit: Rich Frutchey Built on land that had been in the same family for generations, this 2,402-square-foot timber frame home came with three caveats. First, it had to complement the other existing family home on the lakefront property. Second, it had to play nice with nature. And third, the plan had to be designed with grandkids in mind. The owner specifically asked for a house that looked as though it belonged to the land, and Timberpeg delivered. The first floor spills out in multiple directions onto three different porches, drawing long sightlines to nature. Conversely, elements from the landscape are brought indoors in the way of abundant natural-sealed millwork and a massive stone fireplace. A second-floor loft for kids is accessed via a ships ladder.
Credit: Timberpeg All that and the house generates a good portion of the energy it uses on site. Built with SIPs, the home is outfitted with geothermal heat, solar domestic hot water, and solar electricity. For healthier indoor air quality, a covered breezeway connects the house to a detached garage. The garage sits perpendicular to the house, giving the site the feeling of a small family compound.
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Project: The Lakewood House Location: Newbury, N.H. Designer: Jim Driesch, Timberpeg Design Builder: Timberpeg Independent Representative Old Hampshire Designs
Jenny Sullivan is a senior editor covering architecture and design for BUILDER.
Learn more about markets featured in this article: Tucson, AZ, San Francisco, CA, Austin, TX, New York, NY, Coeur d'Alene, ID, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN.
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