Hillside House Plans & 3 Story House Plans From

This house was featured in the Winter 1997 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. The design was driven by two clear imperatives that dovetailed nicely. The first was the clients' desire for an open plan house with a great feeling of connectedness, which could be done in a no-holds-barred manner because kids were not part of the picture. Secondly, although the clients had a good deal of land, there was one place that grabbed a hold of the architect. It was a very tight spot in between ledge outcrops. If the house could keep a very compact footprint, it could fit into this spot while rising above the trees to look out to the ocean.

The exterior has very clear angular forms that are reminiscent of industrial buildings in New England from 100 years ago. The interior is very sparse and taut, and is essentially one three story space with a second and third floor hanging in the space almost as balconies.

Coming in the southeast corner, you pass through a small mudroom area and come out under the ceiling of the second floor. On your left is an entire three story open space with a very open stair winding up in it. This tall space allowed the architect to use a lot of south facing glass to get a great deal of solar gain (and good old sunlight) in the long Maine winters. The kitchen is under this ceiling, but the living room and dining areas are out in the tall spaces. So the inhabitants wouldn't feel overwhelmed by the height of the spaces, small bump-outs were created as well as alcoves that are under lower ceilings. There, one can feel protected by the house even though there is this great space all around you.

On the northwest corner is a small screened porch that is like an island on the deck that wraps around the north end. It serves as a subtle barrier to the more private deck on the west where the hot tub nestles in next to the rocks. Here on this deck one is sheltered from the west by the ledge outcrops. Rising above deck level, this enhances the sense that the house is planted into this rock.

The primary bedroom is on the second floor and is open to the west, where it has its own little second floor deck. This deck is just over the ledge outcrops. There is also a dressing area and bathroom (which are walled off) on this floor. The bath sits under the slopes of the roof, with a height of 12' at the peak, and slopes down to 4' at the toilet wall.

You can continue on to the top floor loft, which was originally thought of as a swing space– possibly an office or a guest room or an alternative living room. It's open on either side, so it looks down to the living and dining areas. The clients liked it so much, that guests and the office moved out to a studio above the garage, and they keep the tower room and its deck as a place to go and hang out with a view.

Foundation Info
This house was originally designed to have a crawlspace foundation. However, if you prefer a basement or slab foundation, these are fairly simple and inexpensive changes that your builder can often make for you.

Please Note
Due to licensing agreements, this home may not be built in Hancock County, Maine.