Little Green on Lake Winnipesaukee

Project Details

Project Description

The client purchased property on Lake Winnipesaukee with 250 feet of shore frontage. It included a small building seven feet from the water. The building was an original fishing camp which was built in circa 1920 and was 28 feet by 32 feet with a loft, a small fireplace and a porch facing the lake. The building had three small additions added over time. The first was a bedroom added to the east; the second a kitchen to the west; and finally an addition to the south with a small bedroom and bathroom. The client loved the rusticity of the original fishing camp and its proximity to the lake, but wanted a much larger building. The Architect explored options for expanding livable space while preserving the feeling of the historic lake camp. The client’s family owns other historic camps nearby. The design solution allowed a modest expansion of the nonconforming footprint which is totally inside the lake setback zone. The town required that the building had to be renovated and could not be torn down. The building was lifted and the renovations kept the original floor system as well as two exterior walls. A second level was added including an upper level lakeside porch above the main level porch. In order to minimize impact to the trees at the water’s edge, cantilevered cast-in-place concrete beams were built into the foundation to support the two lakeside porches. The client wanted the new “cottage” to look and feel like an historic camp. The resulting 1,976 square foot home includes exposed framing at exterior walls and historic styles of paneling in all rooms. The project includes historic sinks which were refinished as well as many historic light fixtures, purchased by the client, which were rewired to meet current requirements. The client selected the furniture for the project and worked closely with the architect and contractor on interior finish selections. Some of the original loft flooring was incorporated into the kitchen island. Despite the interior exposed framing, the exterior walls are insulated outside the sheathing with several inches of rigid foam providing a very efficient insulation with continuous insulation bridging the structure. The roof is insulated with closed cell foam and the crawlspace is also insulated. The landscape is mostly planted with native shrubs and locally sourced stone for patios and water channels to direct water toward a rain garden for eventual dispersion.