New Bayfront House

project description

Situated at the elevated narrow end of a peninsula in a tributary of a river that feeds directly into the Chesapeake Bay, this new home now stands where a pre-war farmhouse previously existed. The property owners had used the original farmhouse for years as a summer house, but without heat, insulation and a structural frame that was beyond repair, a decision was made to construct a new home rather than renovate the original structure. During the design process we chose to remember the original structure by salvaging materials from the original house and working them into the new construction, while also incorporating the historical time frame of the house as one phase of the new houses conceived chronology.

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The stately home is neatly tucked back from the water’s edge, and the existing shoreline’s vegetation and trees were carefully preserved to accommodate the environmental sensitivity of the site and avoid the misguided modern demand for uninterrupted water views. Given the property’s environmental impact, we constructed the home using a geothermal heating and cooling system, and a specialized septic system that further reduces the nitrogen discharge well in excess of the required criteria of the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area. Inside, you’ll find vestiges of the past in the ornate antique hardware, reclaimed flooring, timbers and characteristic mantels. A detached carriage barn garage has been planned and is in the early stages of construction which will further add to the comprehensive site design of this unique property.