The Bog House, as they've named it, fit the bill. Mr. Backus didn't have to get into any more bidding wars over New York City apartments and Mrs. Gaffney was able to build her pièce de résistance after a decade spent designing urban additions and renovations.
Ground-up constructions are very important to an architect's portfolio. They let potential clients get a feel for the depth and breadth of designer's skill, as well as a sense of his or her style. Since completing the Bog House in March 2005, Mrs. Gaffney has secured several other ground-up projects, including one in a tony Hamptons Zip code.
Her Manhattan firm, Lynn Gaffney Architect, PLLC, now has a satellite office in Sharon for those interested in her modern, earth-friendly design sense.
Aside from fulfilling Mrs. Gaffney's need for high-design, the couple's weekend home takes into consideration issues of economy, sustainability and privacy.
Mrs. Gaffney calls the home a modern interpretation of the "agricultural vernacular." When asked about this puzzling phrase, since the home looks thoroughly modern with its flat sides and corrugated metal facade, she said the shapes and materials of sheds inspired her. She gained a fascination for all manner of agricultural buildings while studying at Penn State in rural Pennsylvania. She chose to continue characteristics reminiscent of outbuilding roofs right down the side of her home.
The Bog House is a tightly planned, 2,000-square-foot house that feels much more spacious. It is situated on an 8.5-acre parcel in the West Woods section of town. This house is situated close to the road, but there are no neighbors for many miles.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom structure, which took about a year to build, makes many concessions toward energy efficiency and economy. Mrs. Gaffney and her trusted builder, David Jones, of Revival Homes in New Hartford, devised these features.
Mr. Jones is the region's most accomplished advocate of Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) in homebuilding. These prefabricated panels, which can be ordered in any shape or size, replace typical stud, sheetrock and insulation buildings. They fuse a very dense foam insulation to thin wood panels that are more sturdy than sheetrock. These SIPS make up all the Bog House's walls.
The forward-thinking builder believes SIPs are the construction wave of the future. He appreciates these materials because they insulate better than traditional structures (saving up to 30 percent on heating costs) and create less waste in the factory and at the site.
SIPs are also faster to put up, which means less manpower and hours are needed and vulnerable building layers are exposed to the elements for less time, if at all. "The SIPs are built quicker and better than they could be on-site because they are made in a controlled environment. People aren't trying to build these in the cold, the rain and the mud. It makes the building happen much faster. The pieces arrive dry and ready to put up," said Mr. Jones.
Other economy-driven elements of the home include overhanging eaves that keep the house cool in summer. Slim, "finlike" walls that add to the unique design of the home support these eaves. Also helping to keep down costs are ceiling fans in each room, a fireplace in the living room and individual air controls in each room, so only the rooms being used are temperature controlled.
The heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems employ hydraulic radiant heating and cooling below the exposed concrete and bamboo floors. Radiant systems are positive because they control the temperature only toward the lower areas of the room, where people dwell, according to Mrs. Gaffney.
Comfort in the Bog House is guaranteed by the air recovery ventilation system, which brings in filtered fresh air from outside to preclude staleness. This feature has become common in energy efficient homes because of their air-tight qualities.
In additional to their attractive appearance, the concrete floors are a nod toward conserving money and health too. Costs were minimized further by sparing the expense of traditional floor finishing. This also allowed the couple to avoiding fume- emitting new carpet or polyurethane, which can have harmful health effects.
The bamboo floors on the second floor are made of the material heralded by environmentalists for its rapidly renewable nature. The Bog House's bamboo floors are finished in a gorgeous, dark chocolate shade.
The walls, which the couple always imagined in white, have been left as raw plaster, saving the cost and fumes given off by typical paints. Other walls are made of oiled raw plywood for an unexpected yet rustic look. Mr. Backus noted that none of the raw woods in the home, such as the mantel and walls, are coated with chemical lacquers, but with environmentally friendly oils such as linseed.
One of the most beautiful materials in the home is the "Ice Stone" countertop in the kitchen. The white concrete and recycled glass material has a deep, translucent look to it and it's hard to believe something so luxurious is also the responsible and earth-friendly choice. Mrs. Gaffney noted that the material is milled in the Brooklyn Navy Yard industrial park.
Mr. Jones mentioned that materials for the project were chosen not only for being inexpensive and environmentally friendly, but also for their long life cycles. "If something is good for the environment, but you have to replace it every few years, that creates a lot of waste and negates the benefit," said Mr. Jones, who called the Bog House "progressive."
The home's privacy is maximized by the siting of the home and its aggregate garage/office. The two buildings form an "L" shape that faces away from the road creating a private enclave for the couple. More privacy is gained by placing the smaller windows facing the road while the larger windows face the impromptu courtyard formed by the two buildings. This also helps with heating concerns, as more warmth enters through those large, Southwest-facing windows. Beyond the courtyard, where they plan to plant buffalo grass and other hardy plants, is a view of protected woodlands for many miles.
The home has proved very enjoyable for the accomplished couple. They come up most weekends and entertain urban friends or mingle with their new neighbors. Sharon helps them to decompress from their hectic city schedules. Mrs. Gaffney joined a church in the nearby Lime Rock section of Salisbury. Mr. Backus enjoys long bike rides and procuring mid-century modern furniture for their home on eBay. They both like working in their yard.
For more information about Lynn Gaffney's work log onto www.lynngaffney.com or call 212-239-1490 or 860-364-5605. For more information about David Jones and Revival Homes log onto www.revivalhomes.net. For more information about SIP panels log onto www.panelpros.com.