Description

Waterhouse

This house is in a class of its own, nothing to compare it with. Echoes of Norman architecture of the 17th century are reflected in construction and materials.

The 45 and 55 degree hip roof has 11 dormers. Two of these are bedroom balconies looking south southwest.

The framing structure is based on the French post and beam system that was employed at the time of early settlement in New France.

All floor/ceiling beams are dovetailed and shoulder jointed. All upright beams and braces are mortised and tendon joints. All of these structural beams are of solid local spruce, this being a very strong coniferous tree. The sills, as they come into contact with the masonry wall, are cut from local hemlock, wood that has a good resistance to moisture.

All window and door framing on the water level are of a local larch called by its indigenous name hackamatack, this is the most water resistant wood and it is completely embedded in the masonry walls that are 28 inches thick.
Local pine is liberally used as flooring and trim as well as wall cladding throughout much of the inside of the house. The beam structure is intentionally exposed and gives the house a character and charm of its own.
The ironstone walls on the water level are composed of really two walls, with an insulating water barrier between them. The 200-ton outer wall is 18 inches thick and laid up with recessed joints so as to appear to be a dry stonewall. Tied to this wall is an inside stonewall of the same ironstone shale, 10 inches thick, making up some of the 65 tons of thermal mass of the house. The 16 tons of concrete floor containing 3 zones of in-floor heating plus the 3-flue chimney make up the additional thermal mass. This heat sink moderates temperatures year round.

Water House boasts four floors of living space that are connected through a central open staircase. All interior doors are French glass doors so that the light reflected from the ocean can flood through the entire house, turning it a light amber color at dusk.

All windows are casement windows with original French hardware, which is also on most of the doors.

The floors are ceramic tile or wood, except for the water level of the house that has a cement floor with in-floor heating. There is one open fireplace, one woodstove and the possibility to add another stove, gas or wood in the first level of the house.

The water level of the house is an open room for kitchen, dining and living with large windows towards the ocean and entrance doors on either end. The stonewalls and the wooden ceiling give it a real old world charm, a world of warmth on the edge of a rocky cliff, at the water’s edge. This is secluded ocean frontage, not pounding waves. You become part of the world’s forces, almost feeling the swell of the ocean, a dream of a view at all times of the day.
On this level are as well the mechanical room and a small office space, separated from the main room.

From the kitchen area you walk into a grassy area with a few fruit trees and some herbs. From the living area on the opposite side of the room, you exit to the lower terrace with a small Pergola for relaxed outdoor eating. You can step down on the deck from here.

The ground floor has a bathroom with shower, a storage room, a large gallery space and a library. Both, the gallery and the library have Panorama windows towards the ocean. These are perfect places for relaxation, study and contemplation. You witness the change of the tides that rise and fall visibly about 6 or more feet twice a day.

The first floor has a large Master bedroom, a smaller bedroom, a laundry room and a bathroom. From both bedrooms you can step out on a balcony and throw olive seeds in the water below you.

The attic is an open space, flooded with light. It is a comfortable study or bedroom for children.

Studio

The main studio is the largest of the additional buildings on this property. It is of cast concrete with tapering walls, 8 feet tall, with a thickness of 10 inches on the base and 8 inches at the top of the wall, the inside wall is 90 degrees. The hip roof is framed with full 6x6 inch timbers, collar tie is 12 feet from the floor. There is a 1/4-size loft at the 8-foot level at one end, under this there are two windows bared with antique steel grilles. On the front beside the roofed open wing is a double door. At the back of the studio opening onto a concrete patio is a single antique door facing the house. There are two skylights on this south side. This building, although a wonderful studio or workshop, could be easily converted into a guesthouse.

Small Studio

On the other side of the drive is a smaller studio. It is a wood-framed building, sheathed with steel. The roof has a high cathedral ceiling with steel on the north slope which extends out over an open porch with a double door and translucent fiberglass on the south slope. This building was used as a bronze-welding studio, a pottery studio and storage and could serve any number of purposes.

Wood Shed

Another wood framed building with double doors faces the front of the main house. The steel cladded roof is hipped at one end with an overhang at the other end that is used for outside second level access. Presently this building is used as a firewood and garden shed with storage on the second level.

Guesthouse

This small wood-framed story and half guesthouse is of exposed post and beam construction. Two sets of antique palladium windows are set into the end and sidewall. Upstairs access to the second floor is by a ladder reproduced from 17th century design. This building has front double door access.

Outhouse

The smallest building is a three-hole outhouse with a hip roof and sea facing window. Useable, but seldom used, this building can also be used as a garden shed.

The Grounds

As you leave the costal highway you turn of onto a wooded gravel driveway, meandering 1/2 mile until reaching the end of the point of land where the seawater can be seen from the three sides of the property. You proceed through the gate, then pass between two studios and the woodshed into the circular driveway in front of the house. The yard has mature spruce trees as well as many other plants, such as roses, lilies, and many other flowering trees and shrubs. The blue-stone gravel path flows through the garden like a dry brook bed leading from the front door steep over to a small causeway and out to the tip of land onto a bridge over to a small island where you can swim or moor your boat in deep water. This rock point with a fantastic panoramic view is a great place to take a lunch with your favorite bottle of wine and listen to the sounds of the seals barking.

Back at the house on the water level you can go outside from either end of the main living area, from the north end you will find a small kitchen herb garden. The south door end leads onto a blue stone patio with a roofed pergola, a great place for breakfast. This level of the grounds has roses, blueberries, grapes etc. From this patio you can descend a few steps down onto a small dock. The patio level is sheltered from the north by an 8-foot high stone cliff and has full sun during the winter months. You can dig clams off the dock at low tide and fish for mackerel at high tide.

In the yard between the house and the sea you will find many wild berries growing, such as cranberries, blueberries, huckleberries, juniper-berries and blackberries.

February 2010