Vernacular Lowcountry Farmhouse

Overlooking the mouth of the North Edisto River, the land on which this house sits has been in the same family for more than five generations.  When the current generation hired SvMA to build a new house on the point to replace an older structure that had burned on the site, their program was driven by three main criteria: the house had to fit a large number of guests for long weekends, large outdoor communal areas were critical, and the design had to be vernacular and timeless.  A sketch that Sebastian drew at the initial client meeting laid the groundwork for the plan: a house inspired by other historic Lowcountry farmhouses, yet meeting contemporary living and entertaining needs.

Ground floor communal spaces are separated using large pocket doors to allow for spatial flexibility, while the water-facing porch was diligently researched and carefully scaled to serve multiple purposes, including as an outdoor dining room.  Each living space and bedroom enjoys a view of the deepwater creek and of the marsh and dunes beyond, while the service spaces are located on the land-facing sides of the house.  Due to its location in a coastal flood zone, special consideration was given to the placement of the mechanical equipment - all units were concealed on parapeted roofs - and reinforced the traditional aesthetic with no modern equipment visible around the house.  Roof penetrations were completely eliminated using a dummy chimney for all equipment venting while maintaining symmetry on the two primary facades.