Nonquitt House - Estes Twombly + Titrington Architects

INFO

The clients planned to retire to coastal New England and found in Nonquitt a short walk from a sandy beach. The location and site was important to the owners’ vision to stay active and connected in retirement and to host family in a house open to nature. They wanted to preserve as many of the mature oak and juniper trees on the lot as possible. Single-floor living was a requirement for aging in place. The owners met in art school and also wanted to plan the house around their art collection.

The house is divided into three wings and a detached garage. The buildings form a courtyard at the entry and create privacy for fenced backyard. Boardwalks connect the structures and minimize grading changes that would have required more tree removal.

The house can expand or contract based on occupancy. When the owners are there alone, they can live in the primary bedroom and main living areas that span the site from east to west, where all rooms get southern light and access to the backyard. Along the entry (north) side, art walls run the full length of the home with high windows above for natural light and cross ventilation. Deep overhangs shed water and allow the windows to be left open during a light rain.

The living room extends into a shady screen porch at the east with a sliding glass wall that can be left open to create one large indoor-outdoor living space. Solar panels provide most of the electrical needs for the house. Durable, natural materials like unfinished eastern white cedar wood shingles and standing seam aluminum roofing are low maintenance, and the fieldstone chimney and wall at the back of the house anchor the home to the site.

Builder: Howland Company, Inc, South Darthmouth MA |Landscape: LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects, Boston MA | Photographer: Warren Jagger, Providence RI