The big reveal....

I've had some anxiety about meeting with Jane and Michael, the architects for my project. Will I fall in love with what they've done? Will I totally hate it? This is the moment of truth when I'll find out whether I picked the right partners to work with me.

My nephew and trusted advisor, Chris, and I met in Savannah and made our way to the Fredericks' studio in Beaufort, SC, to see the conceptual plans they've developed. They presented two plans: one they called the "safe" option, the other a bit more edgy. While the former is a lovely design, I'm totally captivated by the second.

The design is a southern vernacular I-house, very narrow across the front, but deep. The sketch above is the north side,, facing Stern St., and the entry is actually on the east side. The house is elevated about 5 feet. A covered walkway leads to the garage on the left, which has a guest suite above, connected to the main house by a bridge.

As you face the house, there is an area to the right designated as a pathway to a future park that will be at the right rear corner of my property. This means we have a zero setback on that side, giving us more positioning latitude on this small, wedge-shaped lot. When homes are built on the other side of that path, they will face Galley Lane, so worst case I will see the backside of one or two houses from the west, or backside, of mine, and I expect there will continue to be a screen of trees.

The east side takes my breath away. This will look onto the salt marsh beyond, and Jane believes that, with the height we'll achieve, the views will be wonderful. The tree and topo survey revealed that there is actually a finger of marsh that comes right up to the back of my lot -- a fact I didn't know because I'd never ventured all the way into the underbrush, certain it was full of snakes and other vicious wildlife.  It will be a lovely spot to sit on a bench and watch birds and the changing colors of the marsh grasses.

This rendering doesn't include the garage,  but the bridge will extend from the far right side.

Jane also provided drawings of the interiors, which I'll post later.  We discussed some revisions -- like putting the laundry room upstairs rather than down, and making the space over the garage the primary guest quarters, as opposed to the studio space she had envisioned.  We talked about building a fire pit into the patio and eliminating the fireplace opening, perhaps even moving the chimney to the backside of the house.  In the end, after reviewing additional drawings a few days later, I decided to keep the chimney as is and the outdoor fireplace as well.

En route home, I suddenly realized all the things I want/need to learn about: rat slabs, instantaneous hot water systems, geothermal heating and cooling, impact-resistant windows -- and that's just the beginning. There will be a mountain of details to discuss and decisions to be made during this process.  I can see how people could be overwhelmed, but it occurs to me that I have a distinct advantage from not having to share the decision-making with anyone else!

I also decided that, despite being a total beginner, I have absolutely picked the right architects.  They have created a concept that reflects my style and personality and that I'm confident will work with the way I live.