Checkerboard House

The existing sheds act as a gate lodge for the house. A covered arcade, in a similar vernacular to the sheds, leads through a courtyard to the new house.

This compound of new buildings adopts a vernacular rural style, reinforcing the culture of the place by using simple barn forms. The composition is unified by painting all the buildings the traditional ferrous oxide red.

The flared hipped roof line, the house’s defining image, echoes and continues the slope of the hill. The first floor is filled with two large social rooms: a living room and kitchen/dining room, each with a bay window and a fireplace, sharing a central chimney.

The main cabin and its outbuildings embody the simple life, with exposed studs and rafters. The outbuildings have no electricity or running water. Living in Snout House is a pure summer experience, close to nature. Simple but whimsical decorative elements add to the delight.