This is why I couldn’t be a real architect. I can not seem at 100 acres of chest-high weeds and overgrown pine forest with a mosquito-infested ditch and see the potential for a well-designed home with an awesome view. But that is OK. That job should be left to architects such as Robert Cain.
Cain had the vision to turn the above mess to a sprawling, scenic property for a family in South Carolina: overall contractor Wally Hiers of Brunson Construction; his wife, Renee, a registered nurse; along with their three children. He cleared the overgrowth to reveal stunning symmetrical rows of pine and walnut, creating a greenway that extends”almost to infinity,” he says. He then excavated the ditch to make a calm lake teeming with fish.
Once his perfect view was created, Cain set to work designing a home that celebrated his creation. The result is a wood-filled farmhouse that comprises three parallel, shotgun-style constructions linked by dogtrot bridges. And even from inside, anywhere you look out you will see a lake or tree-lined landscape.
at a Glance
Who lives here: Wally and Renee Hiers and their 3 kids
Location: Outside of Barnville, South Carolina
Size: 3,500 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 31/2 bathrooms
Robert M. Cain, Architect
The arrangement on the left includes the kids’ rooms, utility and storage area, and the carport. The kitchen, dining and living rooms, plus a screened-in porch compose the center structure, while the third is your main bedroom, an office and also the entry to the house.
The layout is oriented for passive solar energy. Multiple eaves help block sun, while the long, thin layout helps ventilate the distance so the homeowners don’t need to run air conditioning throughout the spring and autumn.
Robert M. Cain, Architect
Glass-walled dogtrot bridges connect the 3 homes. Windows open to allow breezes pass .
Robert M. Cain, Architect
Cain had small pine trees and chest-high weeds and grass removed to clear this greenway between a row of hard pine on the left and live oak on the right.
While an all-wood inside has the capability to overwhelm, Cain knew he can bring in sufficient light to make the material function. “It is possible to stand in almost any area, along with the perspectives of outside take your attention away from the timber,” he says.
Robert M. Cain, Architect
Robert M. Cain, Architect
Cain desired the dwelling spaces as open as possible to underline the cathedral ceiling, which conforms to the slope of the roof, making one connected great room.
The counter is soapstone.
Robert M. Cain, Architect
A custom made hutch breaks up the distance, but glass provides glimpses through to either side.
Robert M. Cain, Architect
Cain is fascinated by cantilevered layouts. “I enjoy going beyond what the ostensible material is capable of,” he says. He used the method for its outside eaves, lake dock, toilet sinks and workplace desk, along with the dining area table shown here, which is a thick slab of walnut on a sheet of plywood that makes a floating effect. Three steel tubes move through the ground and connect to a footing in the crawlspace below. Stainless steel cables with turnbuckles typically used for railings keep the table from teetering.
Robert M. Cain, Architect
More cantilever tricks appear in the home workplace, where a hard pine worktable angles from two vertical steel poles that go throughout the timber floor into a concrete slab.
The timber boxes are record drawers that pull out from steel tubes, which are coated by a wood plank.
Robert M. Cain, Architect
A pier cantilevers over the lake that was a mosquito-infested ditch. The Galvalume roof and concrete block layout mimic your home.
Counters in the main bathroom also cantilever.
Gypsum board helps break up the timber inside, while wood trim adds symmetrical detail that helps prevent the distance from”looking like just gloomy gypsum,” Cain says.
Robert M. Cain, Architect
The main bedroom opens into a porch with lake views, even while a low-slung window provides a perfect sight line into the allée of pines and live oaks.
Robert M. Cain, Architect
Both boys discuss this bedroom, which includes built in beds plus a loft space.
Robert M. Cain, Architect
Eaves encouraged by steel tubing connected to the concrete block foundation shield the western sunshine, helping to keep the home cool.
Robert M. Cain, Architect
Cain believed every aspect of the design, including controlling how in which the property reveals itself . He designed a semicircular driveway that forces guests to see the lake and fishing pier (while penetrating from the main road on the left), with views of the homes appearing faintly through the trees. Guests then curve around through towering oaks that offer glimpses just of the homes, then pass the yard of walnut and oaks to eventually face the whole residence.