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Approach from Above

The primary way down to the house is by way of a long wooden staircase that drops from the neat streets of suburbia down a jungle-like cliff face to a small bench of land just above the beach. When the house was rebuilt, all the materials had to be brought in at low tide, when you could drive along the beach for a few hours. (You can still come and go this way, but you'd better know your tide tables.)

Approaching on foot from above, you come out at the south end of the house. Here, the engineering that drove the design of the house is readily apparent, graphically depicted by the massive concrete base, the lines of the roof truss, and the round column and brace that appear to be propping up the house, preventing it from slipping into the sound.

This south-facing facade is carefully composed with three large foursquare windows and a door. While the hand of the architect is evident in the composition of these elements, the rest of the house presents a much more casual face, in keeping with the vernacular houses along the shore.

Casualness is a critical quality on this site because a house with too forceful an architectural presence would wreck the rumpled-shirt quality that has always been the essence of this community.

Beach Simple

Inside the house, the giant trusses define the space, creating a rhythmic progression that marches through the building. On a practical level, the trusses also provide the framework for the second floor, which is suspended from the bottom chords of the trusses.

The complexity of the trusses creates visual excitement that contrasts with the intentional simplicity of the interior finishes. This is a beach house without pretense, where no one has to worry about taking off their shoes before stepping inside.

The rebuilt house is used primarily by the families of the two children of the original owners, and their wish list called for a main building with kitchen, living/ dining room, one bedroom, and a loft above. The attached bunkroom annex functions almost independently, though it does have to share the kitchen in the main building.

The annex turned out to be such a comfortable spot that it became more than just a great place to sleep. In fact, sleeping is relegated to a front room and the loft, and the bigger bunkroom space is used as an alternate living room. It's a bit more intimate in scale than the main building and trades the southern corner for a deck and a nice corner view.

What Style Is It?

Lenchek uses the term "beach warehouse style" to describe this unassuming house. Part of the look derives from the heavy posts, or "peeler poles," which are the core that is left over after the outer layers of a large tree have been peeled away for plywood veneers.

These posts are very strong, but they're essentially waste in the plywood industry, and here they get recycled. The ironwork for the truss is as the engineer designed it, with no attempt to disguise with fancy finishes. The windows are no-frills industrial sash.

While the design of the house was heavily influenced by the engineering demands of the site, Lenchek also took his cues for shape, materials, and detailing from the surrounding buildings. And, fortuitously, the steel braces that reinforce the roof echo the canted porch posts on the beach house next door.

Breaking Down the Size

The two buildings that make up the house are connected by a breezeway, with what the architect calls a "notch" between them that functions as an entry court and a small, private deck on the water.

Stairs lead directly down to the water (and to the beach at low tide), and a single plank bridge spans the opening in the sea wall, providing a precarious perch for anyone who wants to stand out over the water at high tide.

Building the house in two parts with this connecting "notch" in between gave the architect a chance to break down the size and bring it into scale with the neighboring houses' more rambling demeanor.

The owners got to come back to a house that has a great deal of visual (and physical) strength, but they didn't have to give up the casual life they'd enjoyed in the cabin that stood here before. The new house fits right back into the neighborhood, and you can still leave from here for the salmon derby.

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Architect Robert Knight, AIA is the principal and founder of Knight Associates in Blue Hill, Maine.

This article is excerpted from A House on the Water: Inspiration for Living at the Water's Edge, copyright © 2003, available from Taunton Press and at Amazon.com.

A house on Puget Sound, designed by Tom Lenchek, sits at the bottom of a suburban cliff. Photo: Randy O'Rourke The south facade is a physics lesson in stone and wood, with concrete base, trusses, and braces ready to resist the forces that might try to push the house into the sound. Photo: Randy O'Rourke Simple materials and finishes, industrial windows, and straightforward details ensure that the inside of the house is "beach friendly." Photo: Randy O'Rourke The second floor loft is hung from the bottom chords of the roof trusses. Galvanized-steel railings and the exposed stainless-steel chimney add to the industrial aesthetic. Photo: Randy O'Rourke Steps lead down to the beach at low tide from the covered entry between the bunkhouse and the main house. Photo: Randy O'Rourke Industrial-strength materials express the house's resistance to natural forces. Photo: Randy O'Rourke A board laid over the opening to the beach allows uninterrupted passage along the sea wall. Photo: Randy O'Rourke "A House on the Water" by Robert Knight, published by The Taunton Press. Photo: Randy O'Rourke   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.