This home was designed on a wooded site for an active family of four, including two school-aged children engaged in year-round sports at a competitive level. Prior to design, the nearly 18-acre wooded site was already home to an existing pole barn that was fully equipped as a youth indoor baseball practice facility. The house was to be in close proximity to the barn and, with further added basketball court and swimming pool, was to serve together as a fun gathering place that the entire family could enjoy.

Access to the house radiates from the barn’s entrance to the garage, house deck, basketball court, and pool building. The house itself, however, was pulled forward to occupy the most prominent vantage point upon approach. A long winding drive through the woods eventually reveals the home as one emerges from the trees. A sweeping arched dormer serves as the home’s primary feature, drawing attention to the front door, and as an organizing feature of the home’s various exterior forms.

The house comprises approximately 6400 SF of two-story space above a basement. The entry hall provides immediate access to the living room and a sweeping view of the swimming pool area and wooded property beyond. The kitchen, breakfast room, dining room, and sunroom comprise one side of the house – all oriented to be easily accessible to recreational activities on-site – while the study, guest bedroom, and master bedroom suite occupy the other, quieter, side of the home. The stairway form, part of the overall composition of the arched dormer, ascends to a gallery looking down upon the living room and foyer and connecting each of the children’s rooms on opposite sides of the second floor. The son’s room features easy access to a video gaming room, while the daughter’s room features her own “office”. Both of these “feature” spaces are part of the arched dormer, each flooded with natural light and wonderful wooded views.