Our Cottages are Traditional by design

We are committed to sustainable home building because it’s the right thing to do. But, we also feel it’s important to create designs that meet the emotional requirements of a home. We want our Cottages to be more recognizable, more warm and welcoming, and therefore, more like home. So, we have made our line of Cottages traditional in style, by design.

The new “Green” House

The increased and necessary attention to climate change recently has brought “Green” building techniques to the forefront. And many innovative ideas have been introduced to make new construction more environmentally friendly. With this change, however, we’ve noticed a trend for new Green houses to be more contemporary in style. Their clean lines and minimal detail, are seemingly meant to illustrate their commitment to the new technology. And, they are certainly appealing in their scale and simplicity. But, there seemed to be a niche that needed to be filled, for people like us who feel an emotional connection to the more traditional styles.

I spent my formative years in a 1700s Brick Colonial on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. So, I identify most strongly with traditional houses of the Northeast region. I love houses with details such as steeper pitched roofs, divided-light windows, tapered rake boards, and pent roofs. Had I grown up in a different region, I might identify more closely with a different style. For instance, the Craftsman style, Greek Revival style, or one of the many unique architectural styles that our country offers.

Our new Traditionally styled “Green” Cottage

With such a broad spectrum, rather than try to reproduce any particular style, we decided the best path would be to create a catalog of regionally inspired, timeless Cottages that are also Green. So, our Cottage designs emulate various traditional details that are appropriate to Northern, Southern, or Mid-Western regions. We create features – rake and eave details, window and door trim details, and siding and gable details – for styles that are regionally identifiable. But we use more modern materials to build those features. And, to go one step further, we’ve made some of our decorative details functional as well. For instance, our frieze boards and gable details are crafted to allow ventilation to the wall system to avoid trapping moisture behind the rainscreen. These features make our Cottages look traditional and appropriate to their region, while still being Green with their smart materials and details.

Likewise, when we look back to our traditional architectural roots, we can appreciate that attention was paid to every facade in those early structures. They were attractive from every view, not just the front. So, we’ve made sure to use our details and good patterning on all sides, with complimentary details inside as well, to celebrate our history of sensitive design and good craftsmanship.

So, our Cottages are not only balanced and well-scaled, but they also use traditional patterning to achieve head-turning curb appeal. They are not only well-thought-out compositions, but they use smart building techniques and materials to get there. They’re designed not just for your head, but also for your heart. Our Cottages are traditional by design, to hopefully strike a chord with you, and to be a place that you would be happy to live in, and proud to call your new Green Home.