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The Hazel River Cabin
comments (0) January 20th, 2012 in Blogs
Rob Yagid , senior editor
25 users recommend
The western facade of the home. The original 218-year-old toll keeper's cabin sits to the left of its 1856, white clapboard-covered addition. The former chestnut slave quarters, with its western facing gable, is joined to the 1856 structure with a narrow, modern addition made mostly of glass.
Photo: Anice Hoachlander www.hdphoto.com
Nestled into the western slope of Jobber's Mountain in northern Virginia sits the Hazel River Cabin, a home designed by Washington D.C. architect David Haresign. When David submitted his project for consideration in our annual HOUSES issue, I knew right away that we had come across a home that was unlike any other. Staffers Brian Pontolilo and Maureen Friedman had similar reactions when they saw the project, which is a careful assembly of historic cabins that have been reinterpreted into a modern home.
In fact, the project was so unique that it didn't seem quite right to publish it in a regular article. Instead, we chose to feature it on the back cover of our March issue as Maureen Friedman's piece "Linking logs." I spoke with David last week to get some better insights into his design process. Here, in his own words, he takes us through the Hazel River Cabin.
Not everyone is in the position to combine a 218-year-old toll keeper's cabin with a 156-year-old addition and a 172-year-old chestnut cabin to make a new home. However, David's approach highlights design lessons that are valuable to anyone redesigning an older home to accommodate a contemporary way of living, while striving to acknowledge and respect its original character.
The Program
The client, Joe, initially thought that he had a teardown of two poorly framed buildings. After beginning demolition on the structure, Joe discovered the 1794 toll keeper's log cabin beneath a layer of wood clapboards. He did some research and learned about the history of the site, the cabin, and the 1856 framed addition. Instead of proceeding with the teardown, Joe hired a local log-cabin-restoration contractor. After Joe and the contractor were in the initial phases of work, and Joe had a better sense of what he had, Joe felt that the lone cabin was too small and cramped with its 7-ft.-6-in.-tall ceilings. The cabin-restoration contractor told Joe about an additional derelict chestnut cabin from 1840, the former slave quarters from Mount Lovejoy Plantation in Howard County, Md., that he could procure and bring to the site. Soon after, he called me.
Joe wanted to use the new home as a retreat. He wanted the design to create a memorable renovation that respects the existing character of the cabins; celebrates the beauty of the logs, wood framing, and stone fireplaces; and incorporates all of the conveniences of a modern home. The space program was simple. The home would need:
- A large modern kitchen that could open into the main living area and a dining room that could comfortably accommodate six to eight people.
- A library, which could double as an additional sleeping area.
- Two bedrooms, each with a private bath.
- A study/sitting area adjacent to the main sleeping area.
- An equipment room for HVAC, boiler, water heater, water treatment, electrical panels with automatic transfer switch [generator], lighting controls, and audio equipment.
The property is in an agricultural trust, and Joe requested that the home's total area be less than 2,500 sq. ft.
posted in: Blogs, remodeling, architecture, kitchen, restorations, additions, siding, contemporary, living room, log home
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