When a brother and sister and their respective spouses attained retirement age, they decided they needed to carry on a long tradition of large family gatherings on their land on Camano Island, Washington. They’d grown up sipping a little cabin on this beautiful property, which had been in their family for generations.
Together with the little cottage dilapidated beyond repair, they turned to Design Northwest Architects to divide the property and make two different fulltime homes which were connected through landscape and materials. The layout revolved around ensuring both houses had 180-degree viewpoints of the water and adapting the most important week of this year, when 40 relatives would appear to like one another and the beauty of the Saratoga Passage.
at a Glance
Who lives here: 2 retired couples
Location: Camano Island, Washington
Size: O’Conner home : 3,000 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 31/2 bathrooms, 2 sleeping lofts; Hannon home : 3,000 square feet, 2 to 4 bedrooms, 3 baths
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
This is the view from the beach. The designers separated the family’s original land into two lots, ensuring that both homes would like clear views out to the water. This is the view of this O’Conner home, with the Hannon home just beyond it.
The beach side firepit is a favourite gathering place. The exceptional fence was created by landscape architect Roger Hill.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
Following is a plan to reveal to you the site and the links between the two homes. The only portion of this Hannon home blocked from perspectives of the water by the O’Conner home is the garage with storage overhead.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
We’ll research the O’Conner house .
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
A porthole windows provides a hint of nautical style.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
This arbored gate leads to a courtyard, an significant part the family gathering. It’s made of glulam beams with galvanized steel caps to protect the wood from water and blocks. The articles are built of ground-face block concrete masonry units (CMUs).
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
This common cobblestone courtyard can be found between the O’Conner home and its own garage. The courtyard offers an outdoor space that’s sheltered from Camano’s heavy day winds. On the right is the O’Conner garage, that includes glass doors on either side. The building does double duty as a cabana where the owners can put up tables for meals during gatherings.
The Douglas fir, Hardie plank siding, metal roofs, steel and glulam beams take over to the company home.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
Across from the garage would be the main O’Conner home, match with a different glass garage door that offers views out to the water out of the courtyard even when it is closed.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
The kitchen inside functions the courtyard space.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
When the houses were created, the siblings’ father was still alive; his package, through the door in this area, was created with accessibility in mind.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
Here is the view from the outside kitchen throughout the courtyard to the garage.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
The main living room is on the bottom level; this monitor door in the grandfather living room offered him a means to connect with everyone without having to navigate the stairs.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
A captain’s ladder at the grandfather living room leads up to one of two large sleeping bunk rooms created for the annual family .
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
The couple lives on the lower level most of the year, since they like to walk out the doors to the water. The center is at courtyard level, along with the best floor houses the two bunk bedrooms, which share the best balcony.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
Sunshades block direct sun from baking the house.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
The spouse is Egyptian, and the husband (who’s not the man here) invested a lot of time in Egypt; the prints across the stairs are 19th-century Egyptian prints.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
The house is very energy efficient. It’s radiant-heat flooring, along with the open center allows the heat to grow through the home at a chimney-like effect. Along with the exterior sunshades, solar shades on the windows mitigate the solar gain.
The fireplace is propane, as natural gas isn’t available on the island. The surround is slate and connects the fireplace to the outside.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
The architects added extra storage beneath the stairs.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
A second captain’s ladder leads to bunk room number two out of the main level’s living space.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
Here is the plan of this O’Conner home, courtyard and garage.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
Next door, the Hannon home is connected using a route, offering easy access to the courtyard.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
“We tied the two houses together with materials but wanted them to be distinct,” says principal architect Dan Nelson. The group used similar colours and details such as the glulam beams (seen on the sunscreens here), ground-face block CMUs and rock quarried from the Cascade mountains.
The wall on the left serves as a privacy screen from the road. The O’Conner driveway and garage are on the rightside.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
An outdoor fireplace functions as another gathering place. While Nelson used the exact same ground-face block CMUs as about the arbor articles next door, he flipped the materials, using the darker coloration on the bigger blocks along with also the lighter on the smaller.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
West-facing glass doors enable big views outside to the water, while sunshades keep the sun from baking the family room.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
While both homes done in warm modern styles, the Hannon home is a bit less modern than the O’Conner home, leaning much more toward modern farmhouse style. The silo-like cylinder would be the stairwell. The garage and overhead storage are located on the left side of the home and are the only portion of the home where the O’Conner home blocks viewpoints.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
The circle at the silo window references that a porthole. The porch consists of glulam beams and includes a glass roof.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
The window on the silo allows a whole lot of natural light to the house.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
The Hannons wanted a more conventional interior; straightforward Shaker and Scandinavian designs supplied inspiration.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
Subtle details such as board and batten siding add farmhouse style.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
Wood railings with white spindles add yet another more conventional touch.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
The dining area and family room enjoy big water views. The fireplace is located on the other side of this outside fireplace.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
A captain’s ladder at the Hannons’ master bedroom leads to an exercise area.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
Here’s a plan of this Hannons’ house. Both couples and their extended families are enjoying this new way of appreciating their Camano Island tradition.
Design group:
Main architect: Dan Nelson
Project architect: Tom Rochon
Interior layout: H2K Interiors, Stanwood, Washington
Landscape architect: Roger Hill, Stanwood, Washington
Photographers: Ian Gleadle, Lucas Henning