“Seven years ago, the place we’d eventually ended up buying was for sale—though we were not in the market at the time. It is two pieces of property and there was a house in the location where we would rebuild and also a little cabin and they were both available, says homeowner Barb Loughran. “I’ve been going up to the Adirondacks for 50 years now. My parents have a summer home nearby, that we now call ‘two docks down,’ so for a number of years we’ve been going up there and opening up their cottage.”
Located just outside of Indian Lake, NY, the Loughran’s home, lovingly referred to as Sunset Lodge, is nestled on the shoreline of one the Adirondack’s thousands of pristine jewels of water.
The Loughran's weren't in the market for a second home at the time. But once another buyer showed an interest in the cabin portion of the property, the Loughran’s had to make their move as both the house and cabin shared a driveway. So, the decision was made to buy both pieces of land and to build a brand-new structure in the place of the older house while using the “guest” cabin as a basecamp.
“Once we started, we got this fantastic architect out of Saratoga Springs, Brett Balzer. It was during Covid, and we worked with him over a year because everything was so delayed, says Barb. “Once we do something we’re the type to do it at highest quality. I love curves and that’s how we connected with New Energy Works. Brett knew that was their specialty, so we started to bring them into the whole design. It was an iterative process we enjoyed.”
“You can get the best of both worlds with a hybrid timber frame. The centerpiece of the home— the great room and the hall is a timber frame structure. That expresses it all. We like that it’s not layers of sheetrock and finish covering up the structure, and the self-supporting timbers really allow the views to happen,” says Brett Balzer AIA, LEED, AP.
“As we worked through design, the homeowners were describing what they loved about their spot on the lake, and which views they wished to see from the main living space. The first floor originally had this funky fireplace in the round where the Loughran’s spent a lot of time with the kids and family. Barb in particular really liked that element and wanted to see if we could incorporate that into their new great room. So that was the genesis for how the great room started both in its location; its views of the lake and the idea of the fireplace being a centerpiece.”
The Loughran’s had a vision: they wanted the house to express an amiability through the design, color choices, and the use of natural wood. The timber frame great room would be an integral hub of the greater concept.
“I was looking at photos, doing a bunch of research and seeing things I liked,” says Loughran. “We had lots of different design options, but they all looked too ‘church-like’. We ended up mixing a couple of different designs, and then worked with New Energy Works to add grace. They were fantastic.”
Balzer continues, “Once the client was on board with the concept, the clients really embraced the timber design experience. That part of the design work is about geometry, tectonics, and connections—pegged, strapped, or exposed. They just loved it, so it was fun to explore with them.”
Loughran added, “For us the home is all about warmth. We moved into the little cabin while the house was being built and it has the typical Adirondack orange-y pine. I loved that when it mixes with the sun it’s creates a warm, enveloping feeling. That’s the Adirondacks for me—warmth and wood. We spent so much time on colors — a lot of effort went into trying to get the warmth of wood to surround people in the house.”
“Barb and Kevin were really tuned into the design and very clear about what they wanted, specifically with materials and colors. They gave a lot of attention to the details, which was really nice,” says Balzer. “They knew that they were going to have one of the larger houses on this smaller lake, so their goal was to blend it into the lake environment, be a little bit quieter if you will. They recognized that earthier tones, intentional material choices, and certainly the timber could do that. Still, the scale of the house to the lake was something that they were very aware of. So, the design lets the great room be the standout piece and the wings of the house are lower in scale and a bit quieter.”
Once the design and color pallet were finalized, the fabrication, assembly and raising of the timber frame took place.
“The raising day was an amazing day; it was beautiful, and it was so fun. It was a fall bluebird day, sunny, and just amazing watching the timber framer’s work. It was the coolest day of the construction,” recalled Barb. “We had to fight the seasons and that was another thing that was really great with New Energy Works—they were a partner in helping us race the seasons to get this raised before winter.”
“There’s no doubt that New Energy Works has been that step above what we had been used to,” says Balzer. “Their communication and ability to share sketches for us to use in estimating—these things need to happen early for jobs to be successful—to know that the project can be built. It’s fun to sketch timber frames, but if the structure isn’t going to work, it isn’t going to work. So, to be able to nip that in the bud early on, and have New Energy Works say, ‘Yeah, it can work and here’s how,’ makes for a good partnership.”
Raising day was the culmination of a long journey toward a new home, but it wasn’t the end.
“We thought that we would be done in July of 2023. In March we got everything closed in, got the wiring done, all the windows in, and all of the cabinets delivered for the kitchen and the bathrooms,” says Barb. “Just as it was getting there, we had a major fire and the house was 100% smoke damaged, so there was black everywhere. Inside had 100% water damage and half the house was burnt. 15 more minutes and the whole thing would have gone up.”
Barb continued, “Interestingly, the beams did not have to be replaced. They needed to be stripped down and redone, but they were able to be saved. We ended up with only an 8-month delay.”
The Loughran’s endured and are doubly thankful for their new home, which they constructed not once, but twice.
“I think it’s really about creating a beautiful space to bring together family and friends and it’s about enjoying the peace and adventure of the Adirondacks,” says Barb. “For us this is going to be a legacy home where our kids can bring their kids and then their kids we hope. So, it’s more than just a house, or a table, or wood, or beams. It’s about more than a stunning space with the attention to detail and the quality—it’s ALL for the purpose of bringing family and friends together to enjoy it with us.”
Partners:
Architect: Balzer and Tuck Architecture
Builder: Doug McCall Construction – North Creek
Timber Frame: New Energy Works
Photography: Michael Martineau
