Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Lincoln Renovation


Our friend, Kathryn Corbin, was the designer on this project. I had visited the house in its "before" state and was astounded at my visit after the top-to-bottom renovation. It is a breathtaking home in Lincoln. Read more here, in New England Home Magazine

Gropius (and Breuer!) on the South Shore


This is a bit old now, but worth posting here. The rarity of modernism on the New England waterfront, except perhaps in the Wellfleet/Truro area, makes this Gropius/Breuer house in Cohasset of particular interest. Read the article here, in Dwell.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Lincoln Deck House Listing


We are very happy to be back listing another modern house in Lincoln, if for no other reason than to have all our friends from Friends of Modern Architecture/Lincoln (FoMA) come and visit us.

Just up the road from Valley Pond, 2 Old Conant Road is a 1973 Deck House beautifully sited on a wooded lot not far from the juncture of Conant and Old Conant Roads. With the soaring architectural lines and abundant natural light associated with Deck House, the open floor plan flows room living to dining room to kitchen. Cozy up to the fireplace with a hot toddy and enjoy views of pines from each window. Five bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a family/rec room on walk-out lower level. Custom cabinetry; hardwood floors; skylights; gas cooktop; huge garage/barn; and an expansive deck (naturally!) However, as photographer and Deck House resident, David Travers points out, "the name derives from the tongue-and-groove cedar or Douglas Fir decking used on the ceiling/roof/floor construction that basically ties the house together, not really from the almost ever-present outdoor decks."






(Browser allowing, click any image to enlarge)


(See below for more information on Deck House and the neighborhood)

Offered for $769,000. Open house 12:30-2 pm Sunday, November 14. Contact us at Billjanovitz@hammondre.com for more information.

5 bedrooms

2 full baths

2583 square feet of living area

Heated by oil-fired hot water baseboard heat.

Private water and septic (Title V in hand)

80,131 s.f. lot (1.83 acres)

Gas cooktop (propane fired)

Wall ovens

Laundry room

Family room in walk-out lower level

Full deck off of the main living area, accessed by sliders

Large garage/barn with additional storage.

Recent updates: newer roof and skylights; updates air conditioning and heating.








The Neighborhood

There are two main approaches to 2 Old Conant. One is to go pass the classic Dairy Joy stand with unparalleled ice cream and fried foods (be still -- if not healthy -- my heart!) on Rt. 117 and then to take a right up Conant, passing by the pastoral Valley Pond on the left. The other option is to come in from the north, via Trapelo Road, up Laurel Hill to Conant, passing through farms, meadows, and other architectural gems along the way. There, at the juncture of Conant and Old Conant Roads, set back along a long private driveway, is 2 Old Conant.

The house is surrounded by other Deck Houses and modernist homes, within sight of the stunning International-style modernist house that Earl Flansburgh built for himself and his family. Those alt-rocker friends of mine might recognize the surname shared with Earl's son, John, of They Might Be Giants.


About Deckhouse

Acton, MA-based Deck House was recently resuscitated by local businessman, Tom Trudeau, after the recent recession brought the 60+ year-old company to bankruptcy. The roots grew -- pardon the pun - out of Acorn Structures, a trailblazing company founded in 1947 by John Bremis and the legendary Techbuilt and Snake Hill architect Carl Koch (see info here). Acorn developed a very different sort of aesthetic over the intervening decades

Meanwhile, Deck was founded in the 1950s by William Berke, a Gropius disciple out of the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Those new to this site can click many of the links to the right to read about Gropius, TAC, his firm, and the various residential projects in Boston's western suburbs. Deck House remained more mid-century modernist in look and principle than Acorn.

To further quote the Boston Globe:

The two companies merged in 1995, and in 2003 Gilrane bought the merged entity through a holding company, renaming it Empyrean. The company estimates over the years it has built more than 20,000 homes, as far away as Israel and South Korea.

Empyrean began its partnership with Dwell magazine in 2005, and the homes they designed and built were more modernist than the other two lines - boxy, more angular, and visually more reminiscent of the kind of homes Gropius's contemporaries and his students turned out in the last century.


But since this article appeared. the company has risen from the ashes and has a third new line, the striking NextHouse.

For a more updated version of the classic Deck House, look no further than my most previous post at a custom-built Deck in Groton, MA.


A note on the price, we feel that this is an exceptional value, particularly given the location within Lincoln. Our last listing in Lincoln, the Stubbins-designed house on Old County Road (not to be confused with this one on Old Conant), had multiple offers immediately and is slated to close for a price considerably over the asking price of $799,000.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Exclusive Offering of a 2002 Deck House



We are happy to offer this spectacular Massachusetts Deck House to potential buyer clients. This is currently an exclusive offering on which we would act as buyer agents only. It is not currently listed with us or any other agent, but the sellers have asked us to help find a buyer for them. If interested, please contact us at JanoTse@gmail.com for more information.

Good things come in threes: Built in 2002, this is a tri-level, three-bedroom, three-bath, three-car garage Deck House on over three acres in a pastoral New England town. Soaring ceilings with wals of insulated glass and exposed beams in the classic Deck House style. It is an eco-friendly modern home made of wood, glass with abundant natural light, situated atop a hill offering 20 miles of panoramic views and majestic sunsets. Japanese-style landscaped garden, shoji screens between the living room and dining area great for the entertaining. The lower level has its own entrance and a mud room --perfect for a home office. Private, yet conveniently located near the center of town 4600 square feet of living area.










Asking Price (US$): $949,900
Annual Property Tax $11,918
Annual Utility Cost $2,000
Home Area: 4,600 s.f.
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 3
Total Lot Size: 3.02 acres
Year Built: 2002

Some notable and/or "green" features of the house:

*Passive solar with super insulation
*Healthy indoor air quality
*Oak flooring throughout the house
*Cedar ceilings with exposed Douglas fir beams
*Mahogany windows and trim work throughout
*Mahogany stairs and handcrafted rails
*Motorized sky light and solar tubes
*Walls of glass from floor to ceiling
*Thermal high efficiency windows and doors
*Mahogany deck rails
*Central Vacuum
*Cedar exterior walls

Indoor Air Quality

Heating System Forced Air - Gas
Cooling System Conventional Forced Air - A/C
Ventilation System Part of HVAC
Whole House Filtration Other
Whole House Vacuum yes

Energy & Water

Energy System Municipal Energy
Water System Well
Wastewater System Septic System

Construction Information

Construction Type Wood Framing: 2x4, 2x6, etc.
Exerior Finish Wood
Interior Finish Other
Interior Paint Low VOC
Floor Material Wood - Solid
Roof Material Other
Window Material Other
Insulation Material Other

Garage / Carport


Garage Type Attached
Number of Cars 3
Garage Area 1023 s.f.




All information pertaining to this property provided by seller of home. Hammond Real Estate, Bill Janovitz, and John Tse not responsible for any inaccuracies. We are acting only in a buyer agent capacity regarding this house. We have no agent relationship with the seller.