Jane Frederick, FAIA recently received a call from a potential client who had very defined requirements; the property had to be high for Beaufort, South Carolina, on deep water, large enough for his antique Jaguar collection, and room for a baby grand piano.
Jane and Michael Frederick guided this client as he explored properties in Beaufort. Since the client lives in Philadelphia, Jane and Michael reviewed potential houses and vacant sites to determine if they were suitable. The first house the Fredericks reviewed was essentially a tear down and the asking sales price was too expensive for a tear down. They recommended that the client not pursue that property.
“Each of our custom home projects has a unique set of criteria that we have to incorporate,” Jane says. “With this one, one of the challenges was having all those cars.”
Then they reviewed a vacant lot on a 25 foot bluff on deep water, and that was the winner. Just enough room (and proper zoning) for three buildings – a house, a carriage house for the clients’ daily-used cars with a guest suite above, and a garage for his many antique cars.
Jane commends this client for seeking out an architect early on in the process.
“A lot of the times clients don’t think about hiring an architect before getting started on a project when we can offer valuable advice on investing in the right property,” she said.
Because they established trust and the client came with few preconceived ideas, they enjoyed the brainstorming process. The client has lived most of his life in colonial homes in the northeast. Nudging out of his comfort zone, he yearned for a change of scenery in a more contemporary style home.
“We enjoy designing houses and we want our clients to have fun during the entire process,” Jane says, recalling this client’s lightheartedness.
The construction started in April, and will likely finish within a year.
Discover how architects Jane and Michael Frederick create an energy-efficient property using Tesla Powerwall, a 13.2 kWh battery pack. Read the rest of this article at buildinginbeaufortcounty.com/designing-an-oasis/.