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Paul Z. had developed a love for old French farmhouses and dreamt of building his own farmhouse in a beanfield in Trenton, NC.
He wanted a design that, when seen from the road, looked similar to other farm buildings that dot the landscape in this rural area of N.C.
The house and barn are oriented due south, with roofs pitched so that solar panels can be added in the future. Paul's ultimate goal is to turn the surrounding beanfields into vineyards and produce his own homegrown N.C. wine.
The barn is designed to hold large cisterns of fermenting grapes for future winemaking. Wooden shutters and doors close the building up tight during hurricane season.
The exterior walls are finished inside and out with a plaster colored to match the local "marl" of the road, or the wheat in the fields when it is growing there.
A wood trellis leads you from the harsh sun outside,
to the shelter of the cool, thick-walled interior.
The exterior walls are built of Hebel block, an aerated concrete block, two withes thick.
Sitting above are exposed trusses and a plywood ceiling.
Held within the thick exterior walls is an infill of wooden columns, beams, joists, floor planks, and walls.
Indoor living spills outside with a generous, shaded patio to the north, overlooking the farm fields.
We took a straightforward approach to the interior, using simple, off-the-shelf materials such as galvanized pipe rail, pre-fab roof trusses, and exposed fasteners. Wherever possible, the structure is also the finish.
We realized Paul's goal of using no drywall by constructing wooden boxes that house the bedrooms and bath. They are built as "houses within a house."
Paul loved the massive stone walls of European farmhouses and saw Hebel block as the modern day, energy efficient alternative.
Adjacent to the barn are Paul's office and personal library, where his own handmade mosaic adorns the floor.
The friendly softness of the block allowed us to sculpt openings as we wished, using simple wood saws.
Where wall thicknesses change, a sensuous curve negotiates the transition.
A balcony allows Paul to step out from his bedroom,
and into the two storey public zone of the house.
Sheets of translucent polycarbonate form the roof of the guest bedroom, creating a ceiling of complex roof shadows which glows lantern-like at night.
Punctuated by multiple openings,
the buildng serves as a frame through which to view the surrounding landscape,
a surface for the sun to wash,
and a way to capture the ever-changing "paintings" of the outside.
See Construction Diary and Model Photos
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