Before designing this crisp white pool house in Flint Hill, Va., architect Todd Walker and his client spent time observing the agricultural outbuildings in the area. The client discovered he preferred structures with taller proportions. So when it came time to design the pool house, Walker suggested cladding it with vertical fiber-cement boards to emphasize its height. He had builder Lee Levick apply two un-lapped layers of the boards, one on top of the other, and asked him to avoid lining the pieces up perfectly. The result of this purposeful casualness is a textured, almost woven-looking façade. “The basketweave effect is fabulous,” said a judge. “It creates a cool shadow line.”
The cladding wasn't the only design detail that appealed to the judges. They also loved the picture-framed windows, as well as the galvanized steel pipe that interlaces the porch roof brackets and rafter tails. Walker chose to use all stock windows, clustering them together on the pool side of the building in order to achieve a custom appearance. And he eliminated an overhang on the main roof, relying on the porch roof to provide shade. “Having no overhang was a minimal approach—it streamlines a traditional form,” he explains.
The open interiors are designed to serve a variety of purposes, from guesthouse to party space to plain old pool house. “It's much like a barn in that way—it's set up to be multifunctional,” says Walker. The judges approved. “It gets better the more you look at it,” said one.
Project Credits
Entrant/Architect: Archimania, Memphis, Tenn.
Builder: Levick Construction, Sperryville, Va.
Living space: 1,132 square feet
Site: 2 acres
Construction cost: Withheld
Photographer: Maxwell MacKenzie
Product Resources
Bathroom plumbing fittings/fixtures: Brasstech, Kohler; Countertops: Corian; Dishwasher: Asko; Entry doors/patio doors/windows: Pella; Exterior siding: Hardiplank; Garage doors: Wayne Dalton; Hardware: Baldwin, Rocky Mountain; HVAC equipment: Trane; Insulation: Owens Corning; Interior doors: Jeld-Wen; Kitchen cabinets: Brookhaven; Kitchen plumbing fittings/fixtures: Kohler, KWC; Lighting fixtures: Artemide, Lightolier; Oven: Amana; Refrigerator: Amana; Roofing: Galvalume; Sheathing: Georgia Pacific; Structural lumber: TJI; Tile flooring: Ann Sacks, Waterworks.
