As I drove down the long driveway lined with trees, the vista to the front door of the house expanded more and more to reveal a traditional styled house with light yellow siding and a wood shake roof. The historic one-room deep house had a center full story and a half original wing marked by two original chimneys on each end next to lower side wings. Later additions were designed to enhance the original footprint. The addition at the front created a master suite and steps back to respect the original house’s massing. I absolutely loved how the rear elevation additions artfully transformed the original house with its array of wide shed dormers, window dormers, porch and screened porch, making this elevation almost totally transparent for views to the water.
The front door opens onto a foyer opposite the stairs and cross vistas on one side through the dining room, kitchen and mud room/laundry and on the other side, through the living room, library and master suite. Part of the living room, entrance hall, and dining room opened onto the new spacious family room with its dramatic interior architecture created by windows and French doors on three sides, two dormer windows opposite each other and a double unit window high above the shed roof of the covered waterside porch. Another small addition connects to the new family room and creates a spacious informal dining area to the rear of the kitchen with wrap-around windows for water views.
The ground floor master bedroom has chamfered ceilings and a sitting area in a box bay wrapped in windows for panoramic water views. The suite also contains two bathrooms, a mini-bar and a French door to a private terrace. On the second floor, two other bedroom suites are separated by the two-story stairwell. I loved the interior architecture of these spaces-one bedroom had two dormer windows opposite each other connected to another sleeping area with a row of low windows under shed dormers that became headboards for the beds.
Even though it was late afternoon on the day when I visited the house, the quality of light that filtered inside from so many windows and doors gave the interiors a light and airy feel. Every room had awareness of the water in some way. Peaceful setting on Harris Creek, great floor plan and flow, wonderful additions that update the house for today’s lifestyle, pool and guest house with living room, kitchen, two bedrooms and bath, close to St. Michaels’ attractions-quite a list and too hard to resist!
For more information about this property, contact Cornelia Heckenbach at Long and Foster Real Estate Inc., 410-745-0283 (v), 410-310-1229 (c) or [email protected], “Equal Housing Opportunity”.
Spy House of the Week is an ongoing series that selects a different home each week. The Spy’s Habitat editor Jennifer Martella makes these selections based exclusively on her experience as a architect.
Jennifer Martella has pursued her dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. Her award winning work has ranged from revitalization projects to a collaboration with the Maya Lin Studio for the Children’s Defense Fund’s corporate retreat in her home state of Tennessee.
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