Location
North Shore, along the coast
An addition and renovation breathes new life into an 18th c. house we call Eight Gables. The project is sited on an extraordinary salt-water marsh on the north coast of Massachusetts. It consists of a colonial era house, a barn of a slightly later period, and our addition, all set among fields and woods. The original two story gabled house, with a large central chimney, sits just below the knoll to protect it from the winter winds.
We rebuilt the old house foundation, but preserved its frame and the layout of the interior walls to maintain its colonial charm.
We laid out the addition to the north, climbing the original knoll. A long axial corridor connects the original farmhouse with the new Living Room, set a few feet above the original first floor level. The grade change becomes a dramatic feature in the corridor, enticing one up for the views of the marsh to the north.
