Long Beach House

On a small corner lot, Long Beach House stands out from its neighbors: a mix of the few remaining 1-story weathered beach cottages and an influx of McMansions and generic large suburban homes. This house presents an alternate typology for the area – one that embraces the landscape, takes advantage of natural light and views, and promotes indoor-outdoor living.

The 5-bedroom energy-efficient home for a young family has a super-insulated exterior shell and triple-glazed windows. These features - along with roof overhangs and a trellis for shading south-facing glass in the summer, and highly-efficient air source heat pumps - result in a home that uses 55% less energy than a reference code-compliant home.

By minimizing the footprint and utilizing the allowable building height, the home preserves open space on the small lot. The main living area is raised to the second floor to capture breezes and views of the beach and ocean. The L-shaped volume wraps around a south-facing deck off the main living area, protecting it from prevailing winds. The lower level has beach-specific programming, including kayak and surf-board storage, and a wet room for hosing off after surfing. The main bedroom suite and the kids’ bedrooms occupy the 3rd floor, taking in expansive beach views.

Materials for the house were chosen for durability at the ocean-adjacent site, including shou sugi ban siding and ipe hardwood siding and decking.