New Single Family Residence
Near Gatesville, Brown County, Indiana

Sited on a 10 acre, heavily wooded site with extremely steep slopes and virtually no level ground, this single family residence is modest in size, efficient and deeply integrated with the surrounding landscape. At the end of a long, steep, winding lane , the house stands in a clearing at the end of a ridge more than 200 feet above the valley floor, framed by mature oaks and hickories

The two wings are clad with thermally-modified wood, a relatively new material to the U.S. Transformed by heat, the yellow poplar wood is a rich brown, rot and insect resistant, and requiring no finish. The standing seam metal roofs turn down the end walls, eliminating the need for gutters and downspouts by draining into stone-filled basins that drain well away from the house mitigating erosion concerns on the hillsides.

The entrance side of the house is relatively opaque, except where the large windows of the entrance pierce the house, opening to the view beyond. By contrast, large expanses of glass characterize the valley side of the house. An 11 foot-high fully glazed bay in the living room extends the room into the landscape, then wraps the corner and kicks out a few degrees forming a breakfast nook with an even more intimate relationship to the view. The living, dining, kitchen and den are a single open plan space.

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Images: Hadley Fruits
Contractor: Tovey-Perry Co.

Weekend House Renovation
Grandview Lake, near Columbus, Indiana

The lakeside cottage is an extensive renovation of an older cottage that dates from the late early 1950's that had been heavily altered with the addition of a “Pizza Hut” roof. This project looked to the house’s original character, bringing its mid-century style forward to the 21st century.

The main living spaces are all on the water and open out onto the extensive outdoor living areas, giving a direct connection to the water. From inside the house, the lake feels so close that a visitor has likened the experience to being in a houseboat. The second floor Master suite has sweeping views through windows on three sides and from the deck. The three bedrooms downstairs are modest in scale, but have lovely views to the hillside behind the house through new dormers that puncture the roof.

New Single Family Residence
Columbus, Indiana

Designed for a family of four, this house is located on a site of about 7 acres next to a lake on the edge of a residential subdivision. The house has uninterrupted views of the lake to the south and, sweeping down a meadow, to a range of hills a few miles to the west.

The L-shaped plan surrounds an entry court which allows the house to be oriented away from its public side toward the views. Living spaces are carefully arranged to relate to the exterior, opening expansively to adjacent patios, porches and trellised areas.

At the owner’s request, the house is an homage to the work of C.F.A. Voysey, the English architect noted for his residential work and closely associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. This shows up in the materials, massing and details of the interior and exterior.

Renovated Historic House, with Poolhouse and Landscape
Columbus, Indiana

This fine house, completed in 1937 to a design by the noted Indianapolis firm of Burns and James also has a 1990’s addition by the even more noted New York architect, Robert A.M. Stern. It is an imaginative and lovely interpretation of the Federal style “I house” a house type common in Indiana during the early 19th Century. Stern’s addition added a layer of elegant Arts and Crafts design to it. These factors, and a long, zig-zagging rambling plan added to the challenge of the project.

The owner’s principal requests were to renovate the kitchen and master suite, and to add an elevator. Wedging the elevator into the house necessitated other changes, which included the addition of a conservatory on the south.

Designed in the spirit of Burns and James’ interpretation of a Hoosier Federal style house, the poolhouse contains a workshop, artist’s studio, cabana and support spaces. It forms the third side of the motor court enclosure and links the house to the lawn on the north.

The noteworthy original landscape design, neglected and in need of rejuvenation, is being reworked to accommodate new additions to the site.

Single Family House-Multiple Projects
Columbus, Indiana

This house, built in 1955, was, remarkably, completely renovated a short 10 years later, obscuring almost all traces of the original house. The contractor/designer is highly-regarded locally for his well-built modern houses-modest and grand. A large, rambling house with great spaces like the back porch, the neighborhood rings a pair of small lakes.

The badly-neglected house was unaltered at the outset of the work. Minor changes adapted it to a large household with an active modern lifestyle. The kitchen cabinets were painted vivid colors as an interim step before a more extensive kitchen remodel. The result was so pleasing and the kitchen so functional that no changes have been needed. Severe flood damage in the lower level necessitated a total gut of that level, allowing it to be re-thought, fixing the compromises made in the 1960’s renovation. Other work, all intended to maintain and enhance the original character, has included new finishes throughout and bathroom renovations.

Photo Credits: Andrew Laker of The Republic newspaper

Single Family Residence Renovation
Near Columbus, Indiana

Designed for clients who love to cook and entertain, this renovation first included the addition of a large screened porch and patio, followed by renovation of the wholly inadequate kitchen. The result shifts the house’s “center” allowing it to revolve around a group of spaces designed to flow together.

Custom kitchen cabinets of maple and fumed larch form two work areas-cooking and cleaning, with easy access to the pantry and lesser-used appliances.

Brown County stone, used in parts of the original house, is used for the columns and base of the screened porch. The porch is set at an angle to the house, forming a sheltered area for the south-facing patio with low walls and steps for seating.

Residence for a Parish Priest
Columbus, Indiana

This house is designed to serve multiple functions as the rectory, serving a large congregation. It has very private functions, serving as the home of the priest and his assistant, it will host guests, often female, necessitating certain distancing from the full-time residents. It also must function for large gatherings related to the congregation. As a result, the modestly-scaled one story house was designed with zones for each of these functions that can act independently, while also working well as a home. The exterior spaces are zoned as well, with the south yard dedicated to the house’s residents and the north yard dedicated as public spaces. Both spaces are well shielded from the street.

The exterior of the house picks up design cues from the nearby church, as well as from its neighborhood of single family houses mostly dating from the 1970’s.

New Single Family Residence-Project
Near Centerville, Indiana

This house, for a site on a farm overlooking the broad valley formed by a meandering creek, was never built. Interior spaces relate nicely to the adjacent landscape; the pantry was intended to function as a “summer kitchen” section for canning and preserving. The recessed kitchen porch was based in form and function on 19th century precedents from the area.

New Single Family Residence-Project
Near Columbus, Indiana

This house, for a heavily wooded hillside site was designed for a family of four with simple needs well-tuned to the budget. The house hugs the hill, leaving the small level and sunny area free for a pool and lawn. An open living space is on the main floor with a large screened porch; bedrooms are on the lower level.

Single Family Residence Renovation
Near Columbus, Indiana

Located overlooking a lake, with a nice relationship to the water, this small lakefront cottage from the 1950’s had gone through many renovations in its transformation from weekend house to full-time residence. The result was a fairly awkward plan and less than ideal spaces. Seeking to take better advantage of the waterfront and views, the project added a large sunroom that functions as an extension of the Master Bedroom, renovated the master suite, and completely rebuilt the deck in a way that improves the view and the connection to the lake.

Photos courtesy of Tovey-Perry Co.