Springs Woods House - Estes Twombly + Titrington Architects

INFO

The average new house on the “East End” has grown to nearly 6,000 square feet, a scale that is out of reach for most people and hard on the landscape. At just under 2,000 square feet, this three bedroom house in the Springs neighborhood of East Hampton lives larger than its size through careful siting and organization.

The house sits along the northern edge of a wooded lot, preserving the existing woods and opening a sunlit clearing to the south. The gabled form is carved back at the entry and pushed out at the stair. Maintenance free standing seam metal wraps the roof and side walls, with wood siding highlighting the entry and stair.

The living, dining, and kitchen are a single room that extends outdoors through a sliding glass wall to the south facing deck. The mudroom, powder room, and laundry are tucked behind the entry so the main space stays open. Upstairs, the primary suite sits under a skylight, and vaulted ceilings in the primary and east bedrooms add volume within a compact envelope.

Rather than extend a costly gas line, the house is all electric. A geothermal system provides heating and cooling, a wood stove provides backup heat, and the roof is prewired for solar. Triple glazed windows and a high performance envelope, along with southern orientation and a seasonal fabric arbor, keep the house comfortable year round.

Maple flooring and cabinetry reflect light deep into the rooms on overcast winter days. Concrete is used for the kitchen island countertop and bathroom sinks, with lacquered island cabinetry matched to the concrete. The compact footprint leaves more of the woodland intact and offers an alternative to the escalating scale of building in East Hampton.

Builder: The Montauk Craftsman, Montauk, NY
Photographer: Warren Jagger, Providence, RI