The neatly composed street elevation barely hints at what lies w…
The neatly composed street elevation barely hints at what lies within.
Bill Timmerman Photography
The house's side courtyard is shielded from view by the building…
The house's side courtyard is shielded from view by the building and a high garden wall.
Bill Timmerman Photography
Deep glass soffits cast watery reflections overhead.
Devin Duffy
Kiwi House, Baton Rouge, La. – Front and Side Elevations
Merit …
Kiwi House, Baton Rouge, La. – Front and Side Elevations
Merit Award – Custom Home / Less Than 3,000 Square Feet
Entrant/Architect/Builder: +one design and construction, Baton Rouge, La.
Living space: 1,300 square feet
Site: 0.22 acre
Construction cost: $96 per square foot
Photographer: Devin Duffy.
This neo-shotgun house replaces a damaged dwelling on a deep, narrow lot unsuitable for a conventional tract house–at an unsubsidized cost of less than $100 per square foot.
Devin Duffy
A privacy screen shades the long side porch.
Devin Duffy
The master bedroom opens onto a private rear porch. High windows…
The master bedroom opens onto a private rear porch. High windows provide natural ventilation while protecting privacy.
Devin Duffy
Metal and cement board cladding materials are durable and requir…
Metal and cement board cladding materials are durable and require little maintenance.
Matthew Millman
Peaks View Residence, Jackson, Wyo. – Front Entry
Merit Award -…
Peaks View Residence, Jackson, Wyo. – Front Entry
Merit Award – Custom Home / More Than 5,000 Square Feet
Entrant/Architect: Carney Logan Burke Architects, Jackson, Wyo.
Builder: Dembergh Construction, Wilson, Wyo.
Landscape architect: Hershberger Design, Jackson
Living space: 6,700 square feet
Site: 3 acres
Construction cost: Withheld
Photographer: Matthew Millman.
The Peaks View residence's two gabled roofs come together at a 90-degree angle.
Matthew Millman
By placing the gabled roofs at the front of the house, Carney Lo…
By placing the gabled roofs at the front of the house, Carney Logan Burke Architects helped the project fit into its traditionally-styled neighborhood.
Matthew Millman
The flat-roofed, glass-walled living pavilion extends into the b…
The flat-roofed, glass-walled living pavilion extends into the backyard.
Matthew Millman
The architects placed the more modern living pavilion on the rea…
The architects placed the more modern living pavilion on the rear of the house, where it won't disrupt the neighborhood context.
John J. Macaulay
OS House, Racine, Wis. – Rear and Side Views
Merit Award – Cust…
OS House, Racine, Wis. – Rear and Side Views
Merit Award – Custom Home / Less Than 3,000 Square Feet
Entrant/Architect: Johnsen Schmaling Architects, Milwaukee
Builder: Beggi General Contractors, Racine, Wis.
Landscape architect: Milaeger's Landscape Design, Racine
Interior designer: Johnsen Schmaling Architects, Milwaukee
Living space: 1,940 square feet
Site: 0.3 acre
Construction cost: $290 per square foot
Photographer: John J. Macaulay.
The home operates off the grid most of the year thanks to unseen photovoltaic laminates adhered to the roofing membrane.
John J. Macaulay
Seen from the rear, the colored frames of the home's apertures g…
Seen from the rear, the colored frames of the home's apertures glow in the light.
Tom Crane
Sweetwater Farm Winery, Glen Mills, Pa. – Rear and Side Views
G…
Sweetwater Farm Winery, Glen Mills, Pa. – Rear and Side Views
Grand Award – Accessory Building
Entrant/Architect: Peter Zimmerman Architects, Berwyn, Pa.
Builder: E.B. Mahoney Builders, Bryn Mawr, Pa.
Living space: 8,100 square feet
Site: 300-plus acres
Construction cost: Withheld
Photographer: Tom Crane.
The architects kept as much of the 1743 barn's original stone walls as they could. The new portions are red-painted board-and-batten siding.
Tom Crane
A newly added cupola acts as a beacon when the barn is occupied …
A newly added cupola acts as a beacon when the barn is occupied at night.
courtesy Peter Zimmerman Architects
The barn before renovation.
Maxwell MacKenzie
Peterson Residence, Chevy Chase, Md. – Front Elevation Grand Aw…
Peterson Residence, Chevy Chase, Md. – Front Elevation Grand Award: Renovation Entrant/Architect: Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Alexandria, Va. Builder: Peterson and Collins, Washington, D.C. Interior designer: Baron Gurney Interiors, Washington, D.C. Living space: 5,300 square feet Site: 0.17 acre Construction cost: Withheld Photographer: Maxwell MacKenzie An extensive remodel sharpens the focus of this once unassuming Colonial, yet retains visual ties to its neighbors.
Maxwell MacKenzie
Kevin J. Miyazaki
Camouflage House, Green Lake, Wis., – Front and Side Views Cust…
Camouflage House, Green Lake, Wis., – Front and Side Views Custom Home of the Year Entrant/Architect: Johnsen Schmaling Architects, Milwaukee Builder: Gale Burg Construction, Malone, Wis. Living space: 2,700 square feet Site: 2.5 acres Construction cost: $260 a square foot Photographer: Kevin J. Miyazaki In an effect inspired by the forest that surrounds it, views through this new lakeside home shift with one’s perspective. Its unfinished red cedar siding will gray to blend with the tree trunks.
Bethesda, Md., Residence – Front Elevation Grand Award – Custom…
Bethesda, Md., Residence – Front Elevation Grand Award – Custom Renovation Entrant/Architect: Cunningham l Quill Architects, Washington, D.C.; Builder: Potomac Valley Builders, Poolesville, Md.; Living space: 2,500 square feet; Site: .21 acre; Construction cost: $250 a square foot; Photographer: Hoachlander Davis Photography.
Parts House Pavilion, Milwaukee
2007 Grand Award – Custom Outd…
Parts House Pavilion, Milwaukee
2007 Grand Award – Custom Outdoor Spaces
Entrant/Architect: Johnsen Schmaling Architects, Milwaukee; Builder: Kotze Construction, Milwaukee; Project size: 1,500 square feet; Construction cost: $34 a square foot; Photographer: Johnsen Schmaling Architects.007 Outdoor Spaces' Winners
A curtain of colored plastic panels hung from a steel trellis creates a movable feast of color when the terrace lighting system is turned on.
Johnsen Schmaling Architects designed the grid of the steel trel…
Johnsen Schmaling Architects designed the grid of the steel trellis to extend the logic of the warehouse structural system to the outside. The trellis defines the rooftop terrace of the client's loft living space.
But the real drama is in the image the terrace sends out to the …
But the real drama is in the image the terrace sends out to the city. When the lights go on, the plastic panels create a colorful glowing beacon for the gritty industrial neighborhood and the freeway beyond.
The winning projects chosen each year for the Custom Home Design Awards (CHDA) survive round after round of scrutiny from the judges, so something about their design and execution keeps them in the running as others fall away. For several past CHDA winners, one such quality is a thoughtfully placed touch of bold color that enlivens elevations. Used judiciously, color is an eye-catching option to spice up traditional or contemporary exteriors. Eric Logan, principal at Jackson Hole, Wyo.-based Carney Logan Burke Architects, suggests that “it’s a small move that has a great impact.”
“In Jackson Hole it’s very difficult to get something built—especially in a subdivision—that doesn’t look like everything else,” Logan says. “And color is one way to give a strictly controlled exterior pizzazz.” For example, he selected a deep red finish to outline the glazing for the Peaks View Residence, which won a 2011 Merit Award in the Custom Home, More Than 5,000 Square Feet category. Peaks View sits in a neighborhood with rigid design restrictions, so the use of color gives it individuality. Designing a house that fit cookie-cutter regulations and satisfied the owners’ strong desire for something different was challenging, explains the architect. The red trim creates contrast in an otherwise earthy material palette and adds a graphic element to the clean, conservative facade. “It was an opportunity to do something daring given the neighborhood,” Logan says, “and it gives the owners a sense of rebellion.”
Fritz Embaugh, co-founder and CEO of +one design and construction in Baton Rouge, La., likes to include a punch of color to most of the firms’ projects. For him and partner David Baird, bold accents allow them to temper sleek contemporary forms and muted materials with warmth and personality. “The vibrant colors brighten projects and add a touch of whimsy,” Embaugh says. Sometimes it takes a little convincing with clients because the shades they select are so strong, he adds, but with the Kiwi House— winner of a 2011 Merit Award for Custom Home / Less Than 3,000 Square Feet—the clients were excited at the suggestion. Electric green paint on front and rear elevations as well as the interior trim for those same views makes the simple shotgun form pop. Inside, everything is a shade of gray, explains Embaugh, so “we made a statement using the exterior.” How they chose the statement-making color wasn’t a normal part of their process, however: “This house is a little more gritty then our typical work, so we compared it to a kiwi fruit with a rough, rustic exterior but smooth and elegant inside, so the vivid green accent was a given once we named the house.”
See how successful the addition of color is at energizing Kiwi House, Peaks View Residence, and other past CHDA winners in the accompanying slideshow. Then take a look through your portfolio and submit your most colorful projects (by June 3) into the combined and revamped 2013 Builder’s Choice and Custom Home Design Awards.
