This is a beautiful house and wonderful that the owners could afford to buy the land and build it. I didn't see any mention of all the glass. How will that fare in a big blow? Are there special shutters that will cover that glass? If not...well....
It may huff and puff and blow the house down!
It may huff and puff and blow the house down!
1
Fabulous house and design by Raad Studio and Mike House. Blends in with the landscape seemlessly and able to withstand the elements, whatever they might bring. Love the idea of not having to own a car a car to access this getaway. Great job!!!
1
I thought I was immune to envy and anger, but I'm not. And my Facebook feed has taught me that with every post by lovely friends who just happen to have wonderful families, fabulous vacations and yummy, expensive dining habits.
I'm afraid many of us are feeling that way these days, and we could possibly be envied by others who have even less than we do. We're living in stressful times and I'm not sure how healthy it is to display your good luck or to be the one gawking at it from afar.
I'm afraid many of us are feeling that way these days, and we could possibly be envied by others who have even less than we do. We're living in stressful times and I'm not sure how healthy it is to display your good luck or to be the one gawking at it from afar.
7
I live close to Sea Bright and like many others in our area, I too watched this home being built over the past several months and can honestly say the finished product is SPECTACULAR!! It is a wonderful addition to our community and well liked by all who drive by it either by car or boat. The elevation is perfect and will protect it from any flooding plus the views of both the river and ocean must be amazing . The home is unique, modern and beautifully built by Lead Dog Custom Homes from Red Bank, NJ.
4
Had the pleasure of fabricating and installing the staircase and railing system for this project. Legacy Stairs loves to worth with Lead Dog Custom Homes & RAAD Studio!
2
Many of the comments on this article are prompted by what the writer leaves out: how is all that glass hurricane proof? How do those walls and that sand handle wind? How are pressure differences between inside and outside accounted for in the design? THAT sort of thing is more interesting under this headline. The rest of the article is interior and landscape design for the rich and famous.
19
They don't have a car!?
1
More like they paid for 4 million for a house and they have no car. Maybe they can not afford one or they can not afford driving lessons. Seriously - If if you chose not OWN a car in NYC which does make sense, you should know how to drive one and they certainly can afford to rent one when they go to their 4 mill summer cottage.
I see several comments saying that "hurricane proof" houses cannot be built.
I have a Masters Degree in structural engineering from the USA's #1 (sometimes #2) university in the subject.
Yes, a hurricane proof house CAN be built. There's no question about it.
Whether this one is, I can't say. One person commented that the island itself is just a sand spit that could wash away. That's possible. I don't know the area.
But in most of the USA it's entirely possible to build hurricane proof homes.
Tornadoes are another story altogether. You're talking wind speeds of 2X or more of a hurricane.
I have a Masters Degree in structural engineering from the USA's #1 (sometimes #2) university in the subject.
Yes, a hurricane proof house CAN be built. There's no question about it.
Whether this one is, I can't say. One person commented that the island itself is just a sand spit that could wash away. That's possible. I don't know the area.
But in most of the USA it's entirely possible to build hurricane proof homes.
Tornadoes are another story altogether. You're talking wind speeds of 2X or more of a hurricane.
5
I do not begrudge this couple to do as they choose with their wealth. So long as it was earned legally, they can do with it what they want.
It's a beautiful looking house by the way.
I do however question their wisdom to allow themselves to be published in this article to bear the wrath of the angry and bitter 99%
My mother always taught me, never talk about your money and your politics, and don't be a show off.
To each his/her own, I suppose...
It's a beautiful looking house by the way.
I do however question their wisdom to allow themselves to be published in this article to bear the wrath of the angry and bitter 99%
My mother always taught me, never talk about your money and your politics, and don't be a show off.
To each his/her own, I suppose...
10
Blame the NYT for that. The NYT RE section always has articles on what 1.1M, 2.3m, etc. can buy you in various parts of the country. I am still waiting for that article "What house you can get for $240,000 in Aspen, LA and Soho".
12
This is my home territory. I am across the water from Sea Bright now.
The barrier spit upon which this is built is not hurricane proof, much less this building. Sea Bright is a spit of sand thrown up by northward ocean currents, the terminus of the spit is Sandy Hook. In my lifetime, the ocean has broken through and made Sandy Hook an island, and scraped all the beach away from Sea Bright several times. Sandy, in addition, swelled the river up and took out the downtown buildings. The land these folks built on used to be small houses that couldn't survive the weather.
And of course, the oceans are rising, and Sea Bright will be gone.
In the meantime, I hope the owners tip the local staff.
The barrier spit upon which this is built is not hurricane proof, much less this building. Sea Bright is a spit of sand thrown up by northward ocean currents, the terminus of the spit is Sandy Hook. In my lifetime, the ocean has broken through and made Sandy Hook an island, and scraped all the beach away from Sea Bright several times. Sandy, in addition, swelled the river up and took out the downtown buildings. The land these folks built on used to be small houses that couldn't survive the weather.
And of course, the oceans are rising, and Sea Bright will be gone.
In the meantime, I hope the owners tip the local staff.
20
Amazing home. A neomodern dream.
5
Having worked in the custom home building business here on the Gulf Coast for over 30 years and seen what a Cat 4 or 5 storm will do to anything man or Nature has put in it's path, I would be a little less confident about things. This house might be intact after a direct hit in a Katrina-like storm. Problem is it might be intact on the bottom of the Shrewsbury River.
14
I agree !!!!
2
Beautiful home and best of luck to them
3
What bunk. No house is hurricane proof, and especially one built 50 feet from the ocean.
9
Wasn't the Titanic unsinkable?
Curious about what they pay for insurance.
3
Keep in mind that if you don't have a mortgage, you can "self insure," which means you just cover your own losses if and when they happen.
2
Is any structure really hurricane proof?
7
What is wrong with local planning boards?
Failing to understand how a 'cedar clad' structure is hurricane proof.
4
Fantastic house and interesting back story. I hope they enjoy it for many years, it's projects like this that are vital to coastal communities.
1
First let me say it is a beautiful house, updated mid century modern, very nice, fascinating engineering.
Second, yes the leveler in me cringes a bit at 4 million somewhat, fairness, oh well. Am sure they have their charities. Move on.
Issue I would like information on is insurance cost and subsidies. Not clear if the Rhode Island state program makes them eligible or if do how taxpayers may subsidize. Would love to see some facts on this question. Flood zone obviously, Know after a Katrina we passed a phase out bill on subsidies, then Washington caved to the rich, as always, and reinstated much of the program.
Can anyone give us real information.
Second, yes the leveler in me cringes a bit at 4 million somewhat, fairness, oh well. Am sure they have their charities. Move on.
Issue I would like information on is insurance cost and subsidies. Not clear if the Rhode Island state program makes them eligible or if do how taxpayers may subsidize. Would love to see some facts on this question. Flood zone obviously, Know after a Katrina we passed a phase out bill on subsidies, then Washington caved to the rich, as always, and reinstated much of the program.
Can anyone give us real information.
10
The 'tiny house', beach community that I spent summers at in RI were originally one room cottages that were taken down, folded, then put on the back of a flat bed truck and transported back to the city for the winter. They knew better.
I do think that this is a beautiful, well conceived house here though, much better than most of the huge, hotel sized summer homes built where I live.
Why do people need more than 3 rooms and a broom?
I do think that this is a beautiful, well conceived house here though, much better than most of the huge, hotel sized summer homes built where I live.
Why do people need more than 3 rooms and a broom?
20
In the mid 1940s one could pay $350 for a lot mid LBI; $250 for beachfront. Everyone knew a house built "on there ocean" would eventually be washed away. I spent many years filling sandbags trying to save a house only to watch as it crashed & slipped into the sea.
At the same time, congratulations... the house is beautiful at $4 million. And , how much have taxpayers paid to buffer this beauty?
At the same time, congratulations... the house is beautiful at $4 million. And , how much have taxpayers paid to buffer this beauty?
18
This is a story about real estate in the Real Estate section. The sanctimony of most of these comments (How dare these rich people have money, what about the rising seas, etc.) is what makes these comments sections so ridiculous. Anonymous bitter have-nots pontificating to the haves about the greater virtues of have-notdom.
I appreciate the article for what it is — a story about a novel house. And a nice one! Beats the hideous faux-neo-Tuscan-Victorian McTract houses that are more the norm in house-building—up and down the income scale—
across this country.
I appreciate the article for what it is — a story about a novel house. And a nice one! Beats the hideous faux-neo-Tuscan-Victorian McTract houses that are more the norm in house-building—up and down the income scale—
across this country.
31
Beautiful house I wish them well but I hope they don't ask for taxpayers money when it gets taken by the sea.
19
I find it curious that many people with so-called expertise suggest that this beautiful home is unsafe. They imply that they are better informed than the architects and contractors who worked on this house. Unlike them, I accept the comments by those hired by the homeowners, not those who feel they need to beat their chests to show us they know more than anybody else.
The home is beautiful, the setting is spectacular, and the furnishings are tasteful.
I wish the Staabs much happiness and hope they will ignore the petty, ego-infused, and overblown comments of many writers.
The home is beautiful, the setting is spectacular, and the furnishings are tasteful.
I wish the Staabs much happiness and hope they will ignore the petty, ego-infused, and overblown comments of many writers.
7
It's not the expertise of the commenters that is remarkable; rather it is the hubris of the architects and engineers. In this kind of situation, nature always wins. That house WILL move, as will the 'ground' under it. The only question is when. I'm certain the owners know this, but no one lives forever, and they are betting to get some wonderful year here. I wish them good luck.
10
In any case there is cheap federally subsidized insurance.
It's a win win.
It's a win win.
1
I assume they used bullet resistant glass that will not shatter when hurricane force winds blow debris from their neighbors into their property. Unless they board up all of that glass!
If they solved the glass problem they should be able to enjoy the devastation around them from their picture perfect windows. I guess they have no need for the road that will wash away.
I assume they managed to get a discount on flood insurance, NOT?
If they solved the glass problem they should be able to enjoy the devastation around them from their picture perfect windows. I guess they have no need for the road that will wash away.
I assume they managed to get a discount on flood insurance, NOT?
8
There is such a thing as hurricane proof glass. I knew a fellow who built an impressive house on the Atlantic coast of Florida who spent 100 K on hurricane windows. But... after spending all that money he learned that the sand blown by very high winds could scour the glass. So he had to install hurricane shutters after all, making all that costly glass redundant.
I hope the storm surge can find the channel under the house.
3
Since water takes the path of least resistance, and the topography surrounding the man-made dunes leading up to the house is flat, storm surges have many, many other easier paths to take than to try to climb up to that house. That channel is an excellent "insurance policy" on that front.
1
What's with the cofferdam? That's not a beach. Or a dune.
2
Is the elevator waterproof?
3
It's a nice house. Hope they have hurricane shutters tucked up in the eaves. I bet that amount of plate glass is a significant expense to replace.
5
Sheer folly to put such a beautiful home in such an exposed and endangered location. Read John McPhee's 'The Control of Nature' before you bet against her. The house will probably stand for many years, because it will be that long before it takes a direct hit from an ultimate storm. But when it does, it will be washed away.
10
+1 for the John McPhee book!
4
A lot of complaining going on about this house although I do agree with "Don P" that taxpayers should not shoulder a financial burden in the event of mishap. I for one love it. I am totally out of their financial league but this is a beautiful home in my opinion.
15
I like it. But what sea level rise does to that location could be very ... cubist.
Life is fragile, and yet resilient ... no matter where you live, we all have something in common with the piping plovers, making our nests on the sand and scurrying with breathless audacity between the cliffs and the breakers, and somehow, impossibly it seems, still here. Every sunrise is a gift.
Life is fragile, and yet resilient ... no matter where you live, we all have something in common with the piping plovers, making our nests on the sand and scurrying with breathless audacity between the cliffs and the breakers, and somehow, impossibly it seems, still here. Every sunrise is a gift.
6
Lots of people taking out their frustrations on this couple.
It's a nice house. I hope they enjoy it.
It's a nice house. I hope they enjoy it.
17
The home is beautiful and I wish them years of happiness there. I guess if you consent to be in a public forum with a comments section you open yourself up to nastiness. But holy cow, when did we get so mean? Just be nice. It's not that hard.
17
Millions wasted on this standard beam-column linear architecture.
Hurricane/fire/earthquake resistant dome construction would have cost a fraction, and be more pleasing to the eye too. Google for plethora of examples.
Hurricane/fire/earthquake resistant dome construction would have cost a fraction, and be more pleasing to the eye too. Google for plethora of examples.
5
Unless this home was built to "South Florida Building Code" specs, it might not be considered hurricane-proof. (That's the SOUTH Florida Building Code, which is even more stringent than the Florida Building Code.) The S. Fla. code is regularly updated, most significantly following Andrew (1992) and the hurricanes of 2004-2005.
And, yes, that code reflects the importance of keeping WIND out of the structure. For example, the glass AND installation (down to the design of the tracks) of sliding glass doors has changed over the years.
Your home is beautiful, though.
And, yes, that code reflects the importance of keeping WIND out of the structure. For example, the glass AND installation (down to the design of the tracks) of sliding glass doors has changed over the years.
Your home is beautiful, though.
12
The notion that taxpayers should foot the bill for homeowners who insist on living in areas vulnerable to storm surges and other effects of hurricanes and cannot obtain or afford insurance to cover their investment is outrageous.
22
Then I suggest you write your federal legislators and insist that the federal flood insurance program be dismantled. It covers a lot of areas that are not anywhere near the ocean and where human habitation is never going away (think along any commercially navigable river in the nation).
There are still restrictions, and while the program is administered by the federal government at taxpayer expense, it's an insurance program like most where the premiums that policy owners, not the government, pay are expected to cover expenses as various disasters strike with reserves building up in between.
Private flood insurance would be much more expensive, as would disaster relief were there no federal flood insurance program.
There are still restrictions, and while the program is administered by the federal government at taxpayer expense, it's an insurance program like most where the premiums that policy owners, not the government, pay are expected to cover expenses as various disasters strike with reserves building up in between.
Private flood insurance would be much more expensive, as would disaster relief were there no federal flood insurance program.
3
Beautiful and well thought out design.
The canal system is a rather ingenious approach to the challenging, but not impossible, task of designing adjacent to water. It is the homes that are not elevated (as this one clearly is) that people should be worried about.
Wishing the owners all the best in their new home
The canal system is a rather ingenious approach to the challenging, but not impossible, task of designing adjacent to water. It is the homes that are not elevated (as this one clearly is) that people should be worried about.
Wishing the owners all the best in their new home
9
I suggest that all of those who want to argue the finer points of hurricane resistant (everyone knows that this is what X-proof actually means, regardless of the X) design and glass jump over to the article, "Richard Meier's High and Mighty Beach House," shown in related coverage.
It faced Sandy and stood, unscathed. Whether these things can resist major storms is due to engineering prowess and careful materials selection. It is entirely possible to make a glass house that can withstand the elements far better than a lot of other materials that "should" be able to do so actually do.
There will never be a time when people will not choose to build on the ocean, no matter where the coastline happens to be at the moment. The desire to live with ocean (or other large body of water) views is incredibly strong. I only wish I were in the position to indulge it and to hire architects that know how to protect my investment from the inevitable to the maximum extent possible.
It faced Sandy and stood, unscathed. Whether these things can resist major storms is due to engineering prowess and careful materials selection. It is entirely possible to make a glass house that can withstand the elements far better than a lot of other materials that "should" be able to do so actually do.
There will never be a time when people will not choose to build on the ocean, no matter where the coastline happens to be at the moment. The desire to live with ocean (or other large body of water) views is incredibly strong. I only wish I were in the position to indulge it and to hire architects that know how to protect my investment from the inevitable to the maximum extent possible.
15
Does this paper ever run articles about normal people with normal incomes and normal lives? As in articles about those of us who don't have over a million dollars lying around just to buy a beach house?
57
You're just jealous. I want to read about such people and their house and so does the rest of the world. No one wants to read about OUR dull,ordinary lives, especially me. Still, I hope the Times rushes a reporter to this house when the first dangerous storm approaches --- will the house stand and be flood-free, or will it, flat to the wind, have its windows blown in and be found floating days later off Fire Island?
4
I suggest you read the Times a bit more frequently and thoroughly.
As far as real estate goes no one really wants to read about the next tract house or McMansion. These articles tend to feature properties with excellent design, and that's because those are interesting and unusual.
There is an awful lot of coverage in the Times "about those of us who don't have over a million dollars lying around just to by a beach house" and just looking at the "electronic front page" lets you quickly find quite a few of them on a routine basis. If you dig just a bit deeper you'll find them virtually every day.
As far as real estate goes no one really wants to read about the next tract house or McMansion. These articles tend to feature properties with excellent design, and that's because those are interesting and unusual.
There is an awful lot of coverage in the Times "about those of us who don't have over a million dollars lying around just to by a beach house" and just looking at the "electronic front page" lets you quickly find quite a few of them on a routine basis. If you dig just a bit deeper you'll find them virtually every day.
7
This article is a disappointment (it should go back for re-write); the lead is hurricane proof but all one really finds out is the owners buy trendy furniture and love their dog. Waves break because the ocean floor rises up, so won't that dune cause the next hurricane waves to break right on the house? Shouldn't the dune(s) be at the ocean edge of the prop line?
6
I live in the area. There is a large sea wall and a 2 lane road between this home and the beach. The river flooding is really the issue in Sea Bright. That is what caused the devastation during Sandy. The sea wall held up well
15
A rounded or even six-sided design would be more "hurricane proof." A hurricane lamp is not shaped like a 10-gallon fish tank.
A hurricane lamp is this thing that...
Oh, never mind.
A hurricane lamp is this thing that...
Oh, never mind.
17
You built a lovely home. I wish you many years of continued joy, fun, and blessings in it. May it proudly withstand all Mother Nature has in store.
9
While the foundations may remain, all that glass makes it very vulnerable to wind borne objects.
10
recently driving around 9 of your South East states, I saw a lot of houses on 15' stilts - including one deck-only that seemed to be simply a place to park in the shade under !
dunno how they're held together, but in Australia since Cyclone (same as a Hurricane) Tracy in 1975 destroyed many Darwin houses, new building codes simply require the houses and roofs to be bolted together so they won't simply fly apart in a hurricane.
dunno how they're held together, but in Australia since Cyclone (same as a Hurricane) Tracy in 1975 destroyed many Darwin houses, new building codes simply require the houses and roofs to be bolted together so they won't simply fly apart in a hurricane.
4
Who here's rooting for the hurricane?
70
Snarky, mean, inappropriate comment. Seem to be a lot of people in this country (or region) who want to see others take a fall .. or worse. Unbelievable.
9
Wow. Why be so mean? These people have obviously worked really hard and have built something they love and will use for years and years. And you're cheering for it to get blown away? Let's try a little kindness.
4
Can someone who knows tell us how those large windows are supposed to withstand a Cat 4 storm? I have a beach home in
Hawaii with similar windows and used laminate glass throughout but still have 5/8 ply shutters in reserve.
The Florida Pensacola News have an excellent series of articles on hurricane proofing and they all conclude that ONLY 5/8 ply properly fixed to frames will be Cat 4 proof.
Hawaii with similar windows and used laminate glass throughout but still have 5/8 ply shutters in reserve.
The Florida Pensacola News have an excellent series of articles on hurricane proofing and they all conclude that ONLY 5/8 ply properly fixed to frames will be Cat 4 proof.
22
Isn't it destined to be covered by rising sea levels fairly soon? I've lived to be seventy. Two hundred years isn't that long a time, It'll hardly survive like "Falling Water" or Gamble House or Chartres cathedral.
15
"Falling Waters" has already been falling into the water. Pretty but not aging well. Let's go with Mont St Michel. That seems to survive anything water or storm related.
2
The house may survive but the sand bar called Sea Bright will not. With stronger storms and increase in sea level it is just a matter of time before Sea Bright becomes an island..
I have been to Sea Bright area every sumner for over 60 years and I hope that the Staabs get as much pleasure from the area as my family has. However their days are numbered.
I have been to Sea Bright area every sumner for over 60 years and I hope that the Staabs get as much pleasure from the area as my family has. However their days are numbered.
22
Beautiful home. I'm not sure how well those big windows will withstand hurricane-blown debris hitting them, though.
It is laughable how New Jersey panicked over one hurricane, a literal storm-of-the-century. This ain't North Carolina or Florida yet the state demanded --- via the insurance lobbyists --- that homes be jacked up on stilts, homes that had been there 50+ years without even a nor'easter concern, and forced people to accept massive dunes to be piled up in front of their windows, obscuring ocean views. What wasn't funny was how ONE storm-of-the century forced homeowners to pay extortionate flood insurance rates and construction refitting costs. If someone crashes into your car and totals it once in your lifetime, should you be punished by having your auto insurance skyrocket?
It is laughable how New Jersey panicked over one hurricane, a literal storm-of-the-century. This ain't North Carolina or Florida yet the state demanded --- via the insurance lobbyists --- that homes be jacked up on stilts, homes that had been there 50+ years without even a nor'easter concern, and forced people to accept massive dunes to be piled up in front of their windows, obscuring ocean views. What wasn't funny was how ONE storm-of-the century forced homeowners to pay extortionate flood insurance rates and construction refitting costs. If someone crashes into your car and totals it once in your lifetime, should you be punished by having your auto insurance skyrocket?
6
So pay off your mortgage and just don't buy insurance. You are required to purchase car insurance, but I don't believe there are any laws forcing you to buy home insurance if you own your home outright. If you have a mortgage, then the bank wants to protect its interest. And I thought New Jersey had a fund of something like 100 million dollars to help people elevate their houses. I didn't realize people were being "forced."
I self-insure as much as I can because insurance companies are a giant ripoff--until you need them, of course, and even then they'll fight to give you the least amount possible. So if you really believe the 100 year storm is not going to hit for another 96 years, take your chances. But, remember, the Mississippi River had a 500 year flood twice in 20 years. Oops. The term 100 year storm or 100 year flood only means that it has a one in 100 chance of happening in any year based on history and scientists' best estimates. But it's like tossing coins, the odds are 50-50 on each toss, but that doesn't mean you can't get four heads in a row. Insurance companies understand this very well.
I feel your outrage, but there are risks associated with living on the shoreline. Perhaps Chris Christie should have done more to protect you from the insurance lobby, but he didn't, and those are the breaks.
I self-insure as much as I can because insurance companies are a giant ripoff--until you need them, of course, and even then they'll fight to give you the least amount possible. So if you really believe the 100 year storm is not going to hit for another 96 years, take your chances. But, remember, the Mississippi River had a 500 year flood twice in 20 years. Oops. The term 100 year storm or 100 year flood only means that it has a one in 100 chance of happening in any year based on history and scientists' best estimates. But it's like tossing coins, the odds are 50-50 on each toss, but that doesn't mean you can't get four heads in a row. Insurance companies understand this very well.
I feel your outrage, but there are risks associated with living on the shoreline. Perhaps Chris Christie should have done more to protect you from the insurance lobby, but he didn't, and those are the breaks.
8
Good points, pardon my ignorance but what is the situation in the Carolina's, that seem to receive the brunt of these storms, with regard to housing. Are they raised as well?
I have been to this area in NJ and some of the recently raised homes look a bit strange in their new form.
I have been to this area in NJ and some of the recently raised homes look a bit strange in their new form.
3
"But most important, they wanted to feel confident that the house would withstand a hurricane."
- Tim McKeoug,
June 30, 2017
"And even as reports of the Titanic disaster began to reach America early in the morning of 15 April 1912, the Vice-President of the White Star Line in New York stated, without qualification, “We place absolute confidence in the Titanic. We believe that the boat is unsinkable.”
- David Mikkelson
Deccember 18, 2005
- Tim McKeoug,
June 30, 2017
"And even as reports of the Titanic disaster began to reach America early in the morning of 15 April 1912, the Vice-President of the White Star Line in New York stated, without qualification, “We place absolute confidence in the Titanic. We believe that the boat is unsinkable.”
- David Mikkelson
Deccember 18, 2005
49
I appreciate the thoughtful design of this home. Everything feels very considered. The Staabs are putting down roots, and investing in their community. And it's a gorgeous house! Congrats to everyone for a job well done, especially the architects at Raad Studio!
13
When the next "super storm" or rising ocean waters heavily damage or destroy this house, I hope the owners have enough insurance to cover the loss. I guarantee you it will happen. Maybe not for decades, but it will.
21
From the owner: “We wanted it very connected to the land and to feel like Sandy Hook..."
So to connected it to the land, they constructed the land. There is nothing about this project that is connected to the land. It is as connected to the land as the typical suburban house.
I think it is a nice house and deals with the issue of building in an area prone to flooding, but falls very short of the client's intention.
“We’re not just sticking it on stilts, but having it be one with the landscape, so that it’s meant to work with the water and wind,” said James Ramsey, a principal of Raad. “We wanted to restore the dune-scape that we imagined might have once been there, paying attention to the way that water might sluice back and forth through the site.”
There was just one problem: There were no dunes. “It was a tabletop, just a flat plane,” said David Kamp, the principal of Dirtworks Landscape Architecture, which designed the outdoor space."
So to connected it to the land, they constructed the land. There is nothing about this project that is connected to the land. It is as connected to the land as the typical suburban house.
I think it is a nice house and deals with the issue of building in an area prone to flooding, but falls very short of the client's intention.
“We’re not just sticking it on stilts, but having it be one with the landscape, so that it’s meant to work with the water and wind,” said James Ramsey, a principal of Raad. “We wanted to restore the dune-scape that we imagined might have once been there, paying attention to the way that water might sluice back and forth through the site.”
There was just one problem: There were no dunes. “It was a tabletop, just a flat plane,” said David Kamp, the principal of Dirtworks Landscape Architecture, which designed the outdoor space."
24
My God they were sold a bunch of malarkey. Can't even imagine the bizarre conversations they must have had with landscape architects.... you can be one with the landscape... and they bought. They bought two lots on a sand bar! A flat sand bar. Named Sandy Hook. Sandy, if ever there was a clue... Spoke to a guy recently who just sold his waterfront property, couldn't afford the flood insurance. Not a local. I asked him where he had lived and he said, Willoughby Spit. In Va Beach. Spit... A sand bar the ocean spit up one night in a 1660's hurricane. I choked and didn't say anything. It will disappear just as easily one night don't you think? Used to have nice little fishing shacks one it. Nothing wrong with that. But now it's covered with clusters of high priced condos and yacht piers. It's a fricken sand bar.. I can't imagine their conversations about the architecture, the landscape, the clever tunnel. So pleased with themselves they want to share it in a national newspaper. I picture that house perched on pilings with no sand in sight. Houses hanging over the water like that are not a pretty sight. No road, no water or power. Their personal made-to-order sand dune, so cute. Insurance will replace it and astronomic property tax will repair the roads and sewer pipe, if any sand bar still remains. Sorry to be snarky. But people like them sure make it difficult for the locals who just try to hang on to their disposable little fishing shacks..
4
The landscape and the architecture transforms the ordinary into the poetic. It reinforces the site's inherent power towards man and nature.
6
I don't know how this house is hurricane proof. The only hurricane proof house I've seen is on Sullivans Island, SC, outside Charleston. The whole house is totally rounded, no corners, which would make it pretty aerodynamic in a windstorm.
@ Beth Bethesda MD - Yes Beth, it is true that much reporting on hurricanes focuses on wind velocity almost to the exclusion of storm surge but that is why in my comment I emphasize that the designers might have told us what the estimates are for the nature of storm surge for this location. If coastal researchers were reading Real Estate they might be providing those estimates. Estimates probably can be found. If they were found a telling graphic would be to show the water level against the house for different levels of surge. I refer to the 1938 hurricane we experienced and in various places in RI you can see markers showing the level that the water surface reached.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
5
Hurricane resistant, maybe. Hurricane-proof, no.
72
Well, it is a stunning house, and I wish Jack and the owners much happiness in it.
I would like to know more about the storm canal, beautifully dual-purposed as a path to the sea. Is this innovation successful or unproven in residential architecture? Does channeling water in this way amplify erosion in contiguous areas, as breakwaters or retaining walls sometimes do?
I would like to know more about the storm canal, beautifully dual-purposed as a path to the sea. Is this innovation successful or unproven in residential architecture? Does channeling water in this way amplify erosion in contiguous areas, as breakwaters or retaining walls sometimes do?
21
I wonder how the people on the receiving end of that channel feel about it?
12
Like a frog relaxing in a slowly boiling pot of water, it is the slowly rising sea level that the owners ignore at their peril.
39
@ DRill Baby Drill Team Mohave - I admit I am having a bit of fun here since I do not ordinarily look at Real Estate. I like that frog metaphor but I read today that it is now certain that lobsters put in the same pot suffer every second.
See my main comment for more info.
See my main comment for more info.
2
And perhaps some words about sea level rise and the future of the town.
13
@ Steve Knowlton Fair Haven - Yes Steve, I think you might want to read the reply to my comment filed by dinguerie who states that since this article appears in Real Estate any information about sea level and such is irrelevant. That might be fine if the article simply had the headline - New House on the Coast but the headline is The Hurricane-Proof Beach House.
Will be interesting, at least slightly, to see what commenters have to say.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen US SE (this explained in my reply to dinguerie!
Will be interesting, at least slightly, to see what commenters have to say.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen US SE (this explained in my reply to dinguerie!
1
What exactly is the point of this display of wealth?
Whenever the next big storm comes, they have no concerns. Where is the estimate of the nature of that next "big storm"? Not a single word here about that subject. Designed to handle "it" but not a word about what hurricane-risk experts may have said about the possible range of the next "it".
Might have been worth a few words, don't you think? I do.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen US SE
One who remembers the 1938 hurricane when it hit Rhode Island and what it did.
Whenever the next big storm comes, they have no concerns. Where is the estimate of the nature of that next "big storm"? Not a single word here about that subject. Designed to handle "it" but not a word about what hurricane-risk experts may have said about the possible range of the next "it".
Might have been worth a few words, don't you think? I do.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen US SE
One who remembers the 1938 hurricane when it hit Rhode Island and what it did.
38
The article addressed the next big storm in enough detail, in my opinion. In the real estate column, I am more interested in the layout of the profiled homes, their furnishings, and the materials used to build them.
What exactly is the point of your informing us of your dual nationality or your memories of the 1938 Rhode Island hurricane?
What exactly is the point of your informing us of your dual nationality or your memories of the 1938 Rhode Island hurricane?
7
@ dinguerie Palm Springs CA - We will start with the 1938 RI hurricane. The Providence-Journal published a book showing the damage that hurricane caused and I saw myself as a child what damage it did. Let us assume that the 1938 hurricane was not the largest possible. Thus to assert that the house shown is hurricane-proof is not justified. If the house was simply presented as an example of design for the 1% fine, but it was presented as a hurricane-proof house.
Since my ikon includes both a Swedish flag and a Vermont License plate, many, many commenters have replied to comments stating that since I am Swedish I have no business writing about the USA. Many simply assumed that I am only a Swedish citizen Therefore I began to indicate that I was dual and will continue to do so. I will add this to satisfy your curiosity - I am professor emeritus of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Rochester and especially in the 2d edition of long-out-of print Environmental Geology I devote a chapter to flood-hazard evaluation. If you had seen a recent NYT article about the design of storm-surge flood gates in the Netherlands you would have learned that the designer, an expert, was astonished on visiting New York that a large fraction of Americans seem to have learned nothing at all from Hurricane Sandy. I agree with that expert.
Thanks for the reply.
Since my ikon includes both a Swedish flag and a Vermont License plate, many, many commenters have replied to comments stating that since I am Swedish I have no business writing about the USA. Many simply assumed that I am only a Swedish citizen Therefore I began to indicate that I was dual and will continue to do so. I will add this to satisfy your curiosity - I am professor emeritus of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Rochester and especially in the 2d edition of long-out-of print Environmental Geology I devote a chapter to flood-hazard evaluation. If you had seen a recent NYT article about the design of storm-surge flood gates in the Netherlands you would have learned that the designer, an expert, was astonished on visiting New York that a large fraction of Americans seem to have learned nothing at all from Hurricane Sandy. I agree with that expert.
Thanks for the reply.
56
Thank you for your experienced comment !!!!
3
So if they remove their outdoor furniture before a hurricane, have smaller windows on the other side, and don't have critical technical equipment on the ground floor, there shouldn't be any major problems.