buildingOUT
Long Island, NY
A growing family makes room for modern living in a historic home by identifying key needs… and then kicking them out.
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Over the centuries, two structurally distinct additions to the original 1688 house resulted in segmentation and squirreliness, leaving three quarters of the home rarely used.
Fortunately, the home sits on ten acres, with ten outbuildings that once served traditional functions. So, to make space for interconnected living inside the house, we evicted several program elements that now live, scattered, in these white-washed brick structures:
Where the milkman once kept his delivery cool in a flooded-floor pondhouse, we created a home office.
A small, earth-sheltered icehouse now holds exercise equipment.
Near the kitchen door, the tiny white-washed summer cottage serves as a lofty, self-contained suite for visitors.
Finally, the stables became a “knockbox,” an all-weather space where their five kids can let loose. Sliding barn doors conceal its purpose when not in use.
The landscape knits these dispersed functions together. Lushly-planted dry creekbeds become the organizing design armature, capturing stormwater that once caused flooding. De-paving, paths, footbridges, patios and gardens link destinations, facilitating indoor-outdoor living.
The out-ing of so many elements allowed us elbow room to integrate the three parts of the home. From the 17th-century wing, the kitchen flows outward in all directions:
south to sunshine and vegetable gardens;
north to an elevated dining patio affording harbor views;
east to arrival;
west into a wide-open dining and family room; and
up, via a removed ceiling, to grab light and air from existing dormers, while stairs climb to a mezzanine linking the sleeping spaces.
Throughout, precise modern craft, material and detailing showcase 300-year old timbers, penning the next chapter on this storied property, written in sun, stone, steel, water and wood.
Building Contractor: Lettieri Construction
Landscape Contractor: Summerhill
Photographer: Tim Wilkes Photography