Wittman Estes had two goals for retrofitting a 1940s beach house in Hood Canal, Wash.: The firm wanted to create a multi-generational home while preserving the delicate ecology of the waterfront. Wittman Estes achieved both by keeping the original structure and adding two offset wings. The wings hover over the hillside and beach on thin steel columns and pin piles, carefully touching the land below. The retrofit doubled the original livable area while minimally disturbing the site. The house size expanded from 1,139 square feet to 2,021 square feet.
ORIGINAL CABIN: A CONSTRAINED BOX
The before images of Aldo Beach House couldn’t be more different from the end result. The original house was a simple box with punched windows, outdated paint and trim, and had a disconnect to the land beyond. Despite the house’s potential for beautiful sightlines to the water, the small windows and older deck limited the water view potential toward Hood Canal.
Located on the eastern shore of Hood Canal near the Bangor submarine base, the Aldo Beach House includes the original two bedrooms and an expanded program of two new bedrooms, two bathrooms and flex space. The design consists of three distinct parts: the original footprint and the two projecting wings— the first a south ground-floor addition and the second an upper-level primary suite to the north.
A PLACE FOR RELATIVES, NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS
The clients, both retirees, wanted a place of retreat and welcome. Like many Northwest families, that meant designing various indoor and outdoor spaces for their children, future grandchildren, neighbors and friends. The new wings of the house create a layering of community and privacy through guest bedrooms for friends, a bunk room and play area for kids, and an outdoor kitchen and deck for communal meals with neighbors. Two additions extend out of the original structure to meet this need—shaping shared spaces alongside rooms for reflection and privacy. Two decks seamlessly elongate the use of the adjacent spaces for encouraging late-night conversations next to an outdoor kitchen.
a simple box with outdated paint and trim, as well as punched windows that disconnected occupants from the beautiful surroundings.
The original structure interplays throughout. Reclaimed pine flooring draws the forest to the interior. The existing brick chimneys blend into this palette, evoking timelessness and strength. The adaptive reuse of the Aldo Beach House sought a careful integration of the familiar with the modern, bringing the old and new together on the shoreline of Hood Canal.
PROTECTING THE SHORELINE
Wittman Estes specializes in indoor-outdoor living, and landscape design is a core part of the firm’s office philosophy. “We use native species in our landscape design, especially when working closely with the shoreline,” says Jody Estes, the lead landscape designer at Wittman Estes. “Landscape should enhance the natural conditions of the site and create special moments from entry to back patio.”
The house represents a regional Northwest problem of building on fragile shoreline. Because of the complex constraints of the shoreline exemption, the team kept to the existing footprint, expanding the house only from the existing structure. The new square footage is supported by compact pier foundations on pin piles.
Native plantings and drought-tolerant species were brought in to mitigate site disturbance and increase the ecological function of the site. The architects wanted the site preservation to extend beyond the footprint and into the materials of the building itself. Local cedar, quintessential to a Northwest house, wears naturally with the wet and dry seasons. Stainless steel and concrete provide a maritime accent to the wood materials. Using naturally weathering materials extends the life of the building while allowing easy maintenance for the family and ensuring the home will last for the next generations to enjoy.
PHOTOS: Andrew Pogue
Retrofit Team
ARCHITECT: Wittman Estes
- Matt Wittman, AIA, LEED AP
- Jody Estes
- Ashton Wesely
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: J Welch Engineering LLC, (206) 356-9553
BUILDER: Jack Colegrove Construction, (206) 842-4781
Materials
FIR WINDOWS: Lindal
WOOD-CLAD WINDOWS: Pinnacle from Windsor Windows & Doors
CUSTOM ENTRY DOOR: Frank Lumber the Door Store
ARMLESS CHAIR: Saarinen Executive Armless Chair from Knoll
DECKING: Thermory
STEEL RAILING: AGS Stainless