Part 1: Buying Land (Designing my House Series)

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This blog installment is the first in a year-long series about the incredible and life-changing process of designing my “new old house.” I hope you enjoy sharing this journey with me.

I never really had a dream to build a house but that all changed when I purchased land in New Marlborough, MA in 2011. For years while running my business I would pass a series of “land for sale” signs near one of my client’s homes on a beautiful dirt road in a heavily wooded rural area in my home town. The realtor explained that a couple owned about 500 acres and decided to parcel off some of it into lots for sale. As we drove down the first of many freshly cut access roads, I started to get a nervous and excited feeling. And when we rounded the last corner and saw the vista laid out before us, I literally gasped! The view was incredible – trees and valleys and rolling hills looming in the distance — and I was struck by how far removed I felt from any kind of civilization even though the area’s main town was only about seven miles away. It was an oasis.

The land just spoke to me. It was a little impulsive of me to buy it without having a fully developed plan but I’ve never regretted my decision. It was gut-based and often those decisions turn out to be the most meaningful in life. My new land is only three miles up the road from my current home, a 200 year old Cape Cod farmhouse that I extensively restored over the past six years. With a western view of Mt. Everett, my 36 acres are accessed by a tree-lined ¼ mile driveway and are surrounded by hundreds of acres of protected wetland, a project championed by some wonderful locals who care about preservation. Frankly I still can’t believe I own this incredible property and what I build will be respectful of the land and community around it.

My land is zoned for a five-bedroom house. The two-acre build-able lot, already cleared by the people who sold me the land, lends itself to an obvious placement of a house and/or garage at the end of the long driveway on the tip of a “peninsula” facing Mt. Everett (west) and the lower lying hills. Here’s an aerial view that I snapped during one of my flying lessons. On the left side of the photo, you can just make out where the driveway has been cut into the forest. The land slopes down considerably at the right side of the clearing so the house will feel like it’s sitting on the edge of a cliff. You can also see my property in yellow on this land survey; it’s completely surrounded by protected wetland (shaded gray) so I will never see another house for miles and miles.

For the last three years I’ve been designing this new house and garage with help from my twin sister, Cybele, and my builder friend and colleague, Michael Erkkinen. It’s been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Since it will be a “new old house,” I did hundreds of hours of research on early American architecture and visited many of the historical house sites in New England compiling a photographic catalog of exterior architecture and interior cabinetry and woodwork. I think I own every book ever published on this subject. From a professional standpoint, this experience has expanded my design and renovation management skills to space planning and new construction for my company, Design First. On a personal level, designing houses has become my passion in life.

My biggest challenge has been to design a true artisan home that is energy efficient and environmentally friendly but that doesn’t break the budget. That means creating the smallest footprint possible while still meeting my needs. Unlike the more popular open floor plan concept in today’s housing market, I want a traditional colonial-style home with designated rooms, gracious proportions and an old world feel that still offers contemporary living. That is just my style. And re-sale has always been a consideration. The house has to be big enough to fit the scale of the property and appeal to the second home owner market in the Berkshires. While I want to build a house that works for me, it’s always smart to think about the future. What if I ever had to sell? Would this house move quickly and for a good price?

The other amazing thing that’s happened since I purchased this land is that I met the love of my life, Richard. In his twenties he was a stonemason and he also gutted and re-built his own 19th century house here in the Berkshires. His building experience has been invaluable in my design process. Best of all, he supports my dream to build a house and I’m lucky that he wants to share it with me. I’ve had so much fun incorporating his wants and needs into this house design and in knowing that it will be a home that works for both of us.

I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world. After almost 20 years building an advertising career in New York City in which time I spent only a few precious weeks a year in my country house, I can now afford to live in the Berkshires full-time. Not only is the Berkshires one of the most beautiful places on earth but I’m surrounded by art, music and culture and the most incredible group of people I’ve ever met. In a way, my real life began at the age of 40 when I decided to pursue my passions and focus on health and happiness rather than money and advancement. It’s not lost on me that designing and building a house is really a metaphor for creating a wonderful life. I am truly blessed.