1902 house, possibly a Sears Kit Home from that era. Concept: design a remodel to correct a renovation done by previous owners and to provide additional living space for Tom Walker while retaining original farmhouse integrity. Entire interior gutted and redesigned to fit the lifestyle of owner without seeming inappropriately ‘‘modernized’. Tom had always enjoyed seeing the water towers still found on some of the island’s early farms and dreamed of having his own some day!
We obliged with a 30-foot tall, narrow post and beam structure, clad with old growth, yellow cedar barn shakes, each hand hewn around the turn of the century and measuring 6″ x 30″ long. These forgotten treasures were discovered bundled and stacked in an old barn in Northern California by one of our colleagues, and their inclusion on the tower gives it instant ‘historical presence’. The tower is supported on 7″x7″ posts and provides a 12′ x 12′ covered area below it for a new rear deck; its first ‘floor’ is a small, multi-windowed room accessed through the ‘great room’ on the upper floor.
Seemingly perched high in the trees with a territorial view of the surrounding neighborhood, the tower’s small loft is accessible by ladder from the floor below. Project is a good example of strong collaboration by a local community team of contributors: owner, architects, contractor, and craftsmen.