THE DRAWING BOARD-November/December 2010

A mountain home with a treehouse twist

Nestled among the trees of a small, in-town Camden lot, this home will make the most of its location. It was designed with the notion of finding an old barn and making some necessary additions for its newly repurposed future as a home. One addition is a “treehouse” living room, cranked at an angle to align with the view to the local mountain’s summit. Another addition will be a screened porch offering extended living space and peripheral views of the mountain. Sheathed in foam panels and utilizing efficient framing practices, the home promises to deliver powerful energy conservation. A highly efficient radiant heating system, strategic location of southern glazing, and a stair framed out of exposed tube steel filled with sand to absorb and store solar thermal energy round out this home’s plans for efficiency. Designed for the architect/owner and his family, the living-level plan is very open, while individual spaces are strongly defined, to retain a traditional sense of “room.” The original barn structure will be shingled with woven corners and have a simple, clean gable roof, tying it to the agrarian vernacular. The additions will then have a shiplap, rain-screen siding to accentuate the treehouse feel. Sitting on large, on-site boulders, the living room will have timber posts and brackets that allude to the adjacent tree trunks and bows.

SKAALA, LLC:
SKAALA.US, 774-392-0700

Architect: David G. Johnson, s k a a l a, llc, Camden, ME
Location: Camden
Square Footage: 2,100
Builder: Johnson family
Construction: Fall 2010