Pleasant Heights
Pleasant Bay is the largest estuary on Cape Cod. It spans four towns and includes numerous coves, tidal rivers, ponds, harbors, marshes, islands, and beaches. It has been a special, environmentally rich, place since recorded history of the region began. All types of houses have been built around it, from modest beach houses right on the sand to large shingle style manses. Pleasant Heights is a large bluff-top site with a new, up-to-date, shingle style home inspired by these classic shoreline homes.
| Project Category | Seaside |
|---|---|
| Scope of Work | Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Construction |
| Finished Space Above Grade | 5,099 |
| Guest House Finished Space Above Grade | 844 |
| Photography | Brian Vanden Brink |
Several client requirements and site characteristics drove the design of the house. A portion of the property includes a neighbor’s view easement, and preservation of some magnificent large trees was important.
A driveway defines one edge of the front yard/playing field, the garage forms another, and the main house a third. The driveway passes the front door, goes through a porte-cochere that connects the garage to the house, and then behind the garage to the parking bays. Garage doors are hidden from the street and from the rest of the house and front yard. Two classic shingle style gambrel roofs run perpendicular to the main body of the house and flank an entry porch with two stout columns. A hip-roofed dormer—with an arch-top center window and two tiny side windows—highlights the center and caps off the orderly but not too formal entry. A third gambrel defines the garage that is set off to one side. A continuous flared roof overhang accentuates the horizontal, brings down the scale, and helps shade first-floor windows. Sinuous lines created by arches and brackets balance the linear geometry of the main mass and are playful and fun.
Inside, a grand entry hall with a curved stair and balcony above begins circulation through a sequence of spaces parallel to the beach.
Nearly every room takes in the spectacular bay view. A rustic brick and stone fireplace warms, literally and figuratively, the living room and recalls the detailed handmade brick chimney that anchors the west end of the house.
Curves from the exterior are reflected in the interior. Columns, newel posts, and balustrades gracefully bulge and taper. Patterns and textures abound in both the architecture and the decorating.
An ancient oak tree delightfully grows next to the guest house.
The top level of the guest house includes living and dining spaces, while two bedrooms occupy the lower level.
As Seen In...
Generation Next, by Elizabeth F. McNamara, September-October 2019.