“Twenty years ago when Ben Spee was looking for a “special” place to live, the Foundation Forteresse was planning to turn an old Dutch fort into a B&B. Spee moved in and spent the next 15 years helping turn a 19th-Century fortress – complete with moat – into a “special” place to spend the night.”
remodel
Why Buy New When You Can Remodel the House You Are In?
“Kelly Hart has remodeled just about every structure known to man. Here he shows how he has made his new home more energy efficient, built on a greenhouse, and redirects rainwater to take care of his landscape plants.”
Crows’ Hermitage, A Converted Stone Barn in Ireland
“A compact stone barn in the Irish countryside is now a sumptuous holiday cottage perfect for romantic escapes. The current owner converted the barn, now named Crows’ Hermitage. It is located behind his house in the hamlet of Ardcath, less than an hour’s drive north of Dublin.”
P2P Brooklyn: from apartment to shared flat, restaurant/club
“Adam Finkelman and Evan Garfield were veteran roommates of the New York City rental scene so when they discovered a Brooklyn loft with a garage they snapped it up even though it didn’t have a single bedroom. What they saw was potential to carve out space for at-home music performances and a kitchen large enough for Garfield to host supper clubs.
Natural Buildings for Urban Living (part 2)
“The Craftsman-style bungalow looks normal on the outside, but the surprise is on the inside: straw bales inside the framing provide super insulation. Natural builder Lydia Doleman designed this 800-square-foot small-footprint house to last centuries, with its metal roof and strong foundation. She used reclaimed lumber and recycled materials extensively. Hot water pipes warm the earthen floors and replace energy-intensive concrete. Day-to-day usage is low impact: composting toilet, vegetative roof and rainwater catchment, LED lighting, and solar hot water.”
A Cleverly Converted Barn
“Interior designer Glenda Martin worked on the offices of some of Silicon Valley’s largest tech companies and, later, on the luxurious homes of the people who founded them. But what she considered her best work was her smallest -a 650-square-foot barn-turned-house that she designed for herself in Sonoma County.