Essex River House

This 3,600 sqft house set along the North Shore of Boston is a wood-frame construction with cedar clapboard siding. Permitting was a particular challenge, as the site had no water, sewer, power or gas-line. In addition, the lot was on land regulated by the Conservation Commission of Essex, as it was subdivided from marshland. I served as Project Manager from permitting through to construction administration while with Maryann Thompson Architects.

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Deck becomes an outdoor living room with trellis above
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Bedroom with free-standing bathtub overlooking salt marsh
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Interior of Great Room
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The double-height space of the Great Room encloses the Kitchen, Living and Dining areas.
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First Floor Plan
Essex River House Site Work Preparation
Site Work: 1/Site work-clearing and install of erosion protection. 2/Excavation, setting of formwork and pour for the footings. 3/Foundation walls with rigid foam insulation and soil compaction. Installation of conduits for electricity and plumbing. 4/Polishing of floor slab: initial passes. Radiant tubing is exposed. 5/Framing begins on sill plates and shear walls. 6/Framing continues on this slab-on-grade foundation. 
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The western red cedar trellis overhang
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Steel columns support the cedar overhang.

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Cedar trellis overhang-under construction
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The south-facing deck overlooks the tidal salt marsh, with large overhang to screen from the sun.
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Openings in the trellis allow light to come through, and also give the look of the material being woven.

 

Sun analysis Essex River House (1)
Summer Equinox sun studies were important for positioning of the natural pool, in order to maximize proximity to house without casting the pool in shadow.