Leslie and Bob Lawrence had lived in their “sweet 1954 Cape” for about a decade when the arrival of two children and the demands of modern life led them to decide, in 2007, to update and expand their Rowayton home. “There was no consideration for moving,” said Leslie, “as we love where we are. It’s only three-quarters of an acre, but half of it is wild; it’s wooded, with a pond that attracts wildlife, including herons, and a small stream runs through it.”

The couple wanted their renovated home to be as low maintenance as possible, as well as green, using geothermal technology for heating and cooling. “We wanted to do LEED building, to be the people who did it and say ‘It’s not that hard to do.’ Consequently, we did things a little backwards,” Leslie recalled, “seeking out a green builder before we had any idea of what the project would look like. That led us to the Trolle brothers and Chris Trolle.”

The Lawrences interviewed four “green” architects, finally selecting Elizabeth DiSalvo, principal of Ridgefield-based Trillium Architects. The homeowners wanted to enlarge the Cape’s basic footprint, have open spaces and niches, and requested that the public areas be bigger and multiuse, while making the bedrooms smaller than is common today.

House boat
In addition to higher ceilings and lots of natural light, Leslie wanted a dining room that had flow into the living room to accommodate a large dinner party. Another feature she always dreamed of was a sleeping porch. In addition to a home office area, Bob, a former high school and college wrestler, wanted a “wrestling room” that would accommodate a 10- by 12-foot mat. As far as shape was concerned, “We were thinking basic box,” Leslie recalled.

Elizabeth designed just such a house, but then one morning woke up with an idea that she quickly sketched, then refined. When she presented both concepts, everyone agreed on the new design, a classic modern that is bowed front and back, giving the house a boatlike feel inside and out. She describes the house as “solid, like grandma’s house with lots of nooks and crannies but also all of the modern amenities.”

After about two years of planning and design, which all call a collaborative effort, the 1,800-square-foot Cape (plus basement) was demolished in October 2009. A year later, the four-level 4,380-square-foot home was completed. Landscaping of the sloping property, including dredging the pond, was completed in July 2012. Stone from the excavation was used to create a front yard retaining wall that includes a welcoming curved seating area and table. Last month the home received an Award of Merit from the Connecticut Green Building Council (CTGBC), according to Elizabeth.

The new house was angled slightly to be south facing for future solar panels. “The house is wired for solar, but technology is changing so fast in that area, that we decided to wait a bit,” Leslie said. It has a “popout” on the living room end that holds a sealed, gas-burning fireplace (open fireplaces are a no-no in energy-efficient houses). When the house was being framed, the Lawrences’ two sons noticed the space above it and requested a “secret passage” between the closets in their bedrooms.

Leslie notes that “the air conditioning and heating is different from any I’ve ever experienced — it’s everywhere with no pockets of warmth and cold — a nice consistent temperature.”

The screened-in porch serves as a warm weather family room and is a favorite gathering spot.

Life in a fishbowl
From the backyard, all four levels are visible, with the large glass-walled family room, with wrestling mat in the corner and plenty of space for Bob’s musical instruments and the boys’ games, affectionately dubbed “the fish bowl.” It opens onto a stone patio with seating and eating areas. An en suite guest room is also on this level. Two stories above it, a large screen indicates the sleeping porch off the master bedroom. In between are a deck off the main living level and a screened porch with a woodburning fireplace, which is accessed through the den behind the kitchen.

There is a wet bar between the kitchen and dining room, which accommodated 29 for their first Thanksgiving dinner, and a large storage pantry behind the bar.

The spacious living room is front to back, with windows on three sides, and the bowed walls create great acoustics. The fourth wall between the entry and kitchen is all shelving above storage cupboards and holds a TV, books, pictures, family mementos, sculptures and artifacts. This reflects Elizabeth’s philosophy that every wall should be useful; built-in shelving is plentiful throughout.

There are plenty of places to sleep, including this cozy screened sleeping porch at the back of the house.

Upstairs, a wide center hallway separates the parents’ bedroom from the children’s and accommodates several activities. The home’s front end, which opens onto a balcony, also has a second door; two desks on the walls create Bob’s home office area, giving him privacy yet a feeling of spaciousness. The boys’ bedrooms are divided, with about a third of each room comprising a walk-in area that holds clothing, dressers and other storage, and the master bedroom has a separate dressing room and space that Leslie calls her own.

While the top level was planned as unfinished attic, it came out so nice that it is used as an additional guest room and storage.
Leslie and Bob recommend that anyone considering renovation or new construction investigate green building at some level.  

For more information visit: www.bpcgreenbuilders.com and trilliumarchitects.com.

Originally published in The Home Monthly, on Jul 10, 2013