by John Hilmer
This is an upgraded version of the Chapman Ridge that was shown on the Tiny House Blog previously. It is located in Little Deer Isle, Maine. As requested by the customer, this one has 14 windows and an added room in the back to be used as a bathroom. It also has a steel bracket that all the structural hip elements are bolted to and a windowed cupola. The steel bracket creates a round void in the peak of the roof/ceiling that allows light and ventilation to access the room through the cupola.
The building is beautifully trimmed with white and red cedar and left natural. It uses minimal glue and no plywood or engineered lumber as to not release off gases. All the wood is harvested sustainably in or around Athens Maine by a friend or myself, the builder. It is mostly wood and nails except for the windows which are Anderson’s and the roof which is three-tab asphalt. The floor is wide pine, fastened using old fashioned cut nails and finished with boiled linseed oil. The board siding and roof sheathing leaves a nice feel to the inside while being inexpensive. The customer plans to use it as a guest house during the spring, summer, and fall. Eventually they plan on insulating it and drywalling the inside. The hip-roof design allows there to be a big open room with no interior walls and a high ceiling.
The customer will divide it up into four sections. A sleeping area, kitchen area, sitting area, and dining area as well as the room in the back to serve as a bathroom.
The building is 24′ x 24′ with a 7’x11′ bump out. The total square footage is about 670 square feet. It is built using only sustainable methods and genuinely sustainable building materials. It cost the customer $27,000. Visit Hilmer Building and Design for more information.
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Nice size, nice price!
The siding seems to have a outward flare in the bottom third of the outside walls. What is the cause and purpose of the flare? It seems to me that changing the siding so that it slopes out from vertical would increase the wear from the elements, so I wonder what would be gained to offset the shorter lifespan of the siding.
I like the airy feel of the interior. The pyramidal front steps are a pleasing echo of the hip roof top structure. Thank-you for the pictures and post.
What a fun project! I like that the wood is sourced locally. I do worry, however, that the siding is too close to grade in places and the lack of a drip edge will lead to wet and rotting fascias.
Very nice workmanship. Thanks for sharing with us. Just wondering why you flared the exterior walls along the bottom? This seems like a lot of extra work, and it looks like they would drain better if left flat. Just my thoughts here.
So pretty though! I once saw a beautiful wood inlay image of a sauna (done by a 90 year old latvian man) that had the opposite sihouette – upper edge of exterior walls were wide than bottom (does that make sense) it was so beautiful. I have always wondered what the structural issues would be for such a house or shack.
The builder says that “The hip-roof design allows there to be a big open room with no interior walls and a high ceiling.” That seems to imply that another roof style would not allow that, but is that true?
It’s been awhile since I (re)built a house with a gable roof that had a mostly open ceiling, but it seems that it should be possible. I liked the gable because it left one (well, two) ends for an entry that did not have rain dripping off the eave.
I don’t mean to sound too hostile to hip roofs, as I agree they can be nice; I just had a question pop into mind when I read what the author wrote about hip roofs and openness.
The flare at the bottom is called a bell swoop. It is a traditional design on the northeast coast and beyond. It adds alot of aesthetic value to the building and keeps the water away from the foundation. We dont worry about a lot of extra work. The building is has a lot of integrity and not built with easiness in mind. There is cedar shingle drip edge keeping with tradition and local materials. Its the old time way.
I’m also curious about the flare and the elements, definitely not something I’d do here on the soggy west coast. Also wondering if there is some method of controlling the openings in the cupola. Our old school used to have a pole with a hook on it to pull down a latch allowing the tall windows to open inwards at the top, the same pole was then used to push them shut. This building reminds me a bit of an old one room schoolhouse, in a good way.
Who built this house? I love it! I love Deer Isle!
Moe
John Hilmer. hilmerbuildinganddesign.com
Like the house, it seems really sturdy but somehow that seems like it uses an awful lot of wood.
Wow! Amazing price for so much square footage and beauty. Thanks for the inspiration.
That looks really nice. Has it been stained so it has that nice wood brown look or is it going to have the grayed weathered look?
FYI: The steel element beneath the cupola is not a “bracket”. It is a compression ring, which is also used on dome roofs when there is an oculus. Otherwise, very interesting.
Like the detail around the soffet. Are there 2 layers of siding? I see gaps on the outside but no light showing through on the inside.
Yes that’s right.
Hip roofs hold up better against tornadoes than gable roofs, but I don’t suppose that’s a problem in Maine. Do you work out of state?
Get a hold of me through my website and we’ll talk.
I was curious about the bracket in the center of the hip roof- where the cupola will sit. Are you worried about that compromising the structural weight load of the roof? I like this house very much!
Is it possible to get an update on this home? I would love to see what they have done with it!