Wee Barn House

Description

In a rural upstate New York setting, a retired woman collaborated with Alchemy to design a modest and versatile home that would cater to her artistic pursuits, guest hosting, and aging in place. The resulting house harmoniously blends modern and traditional elements, serving as an attainable model for similar dwellings with efficient design and construction practices.

The home comprises three structures: the weeHouse 'box,' barnHouse, and garage 'shed.' Each structure showcases distinct exterior sheathing materials, including standard corrugated weathering steel for the Box, black corrugated steel for the Shed, and a barn board rain-screen made of randomized rough-sawn pine painted black for the Barn.

The house incorporates in-floor hydronic heating with a dual-purpose condensing boiler and a wood-burning stove. The combination of exterior insulation and the rain-screen system eliminates the need for air conditioning. Customized IKEA furniture enhances the functionality of the kitchen and bedroom spaces.