Awarded LEED Silver from the US Green Building Council.

The client for the Lewis House engaged us while still searching for property. Their goal was to build a retirement home on a beautifully wooded lot where they could go for long walks. The careful environmental planning and trail system of Bundoran Farm in the southern part of Albemarle County was a perfect match. Together we walked different sites on the 2300 acre property and immediately noticed that this particular site had a pleasant breeze moving uphill from south to north. With the driveway approach from the north east and a distant view of Long Arm Mountain to the southwest, we quickly sketched out a rough floor plan while sitting on a pile of wood chips on-site.

This house follows a familiar pattern: ground floor living with the foyer, kitchen, pantry, dining / living, master bedroom suite, and a small ancillary library all on the first floor. The second floor has two modest sized bedrooms, a full bath, and attic storage over the master bedroom. The built in bookcases, exposed beams in the kitchen, and character grade white oak flooring from Appalachian Sustainable Development give this home a warm interior. By using nine foot ceilings and diagonal views through the main living area, the house feels much larger than its footprint. The home has a total of 1804 square feet of conditioned living space using the LEED for Homes / ANSI computational method.

To compliment the interior, porches and decks were designed to provide outdoor living space. The front door on the north east corner is immediately recognizable with a gracious entry porch suitable for a small porch swing. The south side of the house has a continuous deck interrupted by a screened porch adjacent to the dining area. This will be the perfect spot to watch the wild turkeys while enjoying views of Long Arm Mountain in the fall with the last of summer’s glow.

Congratulations to the Owner, the general contractor: Shelter Associates, and the team at Bundoran Farm!