Springtime Progress in Old Lyme, CT

This house is one of our many projects under construction right now that puts a gambrel roof line into the sky.  It is one of the larger houses, contributing seven gables to the gambrel tally.  At the end of a long and winding driveway, just about a quarter mile deep into an acreage of Connecticut woods,  it feels very private…very secluded.  Knowing that the destination is a house, a speculation develops as one drives in that the house will nestle into these woods, like a den.  About three quarters into the drive, a glimpse of the house is visible through the trees.  The glimpse is seasonal – it will not be so available at this point on the drive, once the foliage is thick.

Eventually, the clearing of the dwelling site opens up.  So it’s not like a den after all.  The surprise that still awaits is given up a bit in this photo, but it is not so noticeable in person.  Upon arrival, the house is more the object of attention, with a strong presence in the clearing.

There is a motor court side of the house, accessed by vehicles through a port cochere and giving entrance to three over-sized garage bays.

A screened porch will ultimately occupy the space on the side of the house that is just beyond the four posts, and beyond that an open, covered porch will survey the view.

Here is the crescendo of this site, and by far the best attribute of this house (so says the architect):  the view.  This site is roughly 15 miles from Long Island’s north shore, which is very visible on the horizon.  Clouds cast enormous shadows on the tree tops, giving scale to the reaching depth of the view.  The house is not nestled at all, it is perched.

A view of the Great Room looking towards the Kitchen.

A word about the fireplace:  the stones were gathered from the site, which has long runs of very old stone walls.  Many of the stones used to construct the fireplace are still covered with lichen.

A view from the Kitchen looking into the Great Room.