By Linda Shafiroff & Sarah Stiner

Many houses in the Berkshires were built to be vacation homes and were not intented to be lived in during the tough Berkshire winters.  They are poorly insulated at best, many have crawl spaces while others are just on piers.  The plumbing is usually drained down for the winter to prevent freezing.  I could go on and on but remember, these were cottages used in the summer and for that they were and are the perfect summer getaway.

We are currently working on a project that fits this bill.  While there was a foundation under the house, the heat was all electric, the insulation was non existant , and rodents had made they way into the wall cavities (for them this was an ideal year round home).

We are in the process of not only giving this home a modern facelift but also upgrading the electric, heating, plumbing and insulation to have this home be a ultra insulated , energy efficient, water saving home. The walls, both the existing 2 x 4 and the new 2 x 6, will be filled with dense pack cellulose and also have a layer of 1.5 rigid on the outside to increase the r value of each wall and also provide a barrier against thermal bridging. The roofs will be a combination of open cell coupled by rigid and in some instances will have an R value of 50 (current code is R-38). 

The heating system will be a combination of radiant tubing, under salvaged and new wood floors, as well as under a finished slab.  There will also be baseboard heat in the existing second floor.The house, itself, however, will look much more traditional than its high efficient heating, cooling, lighting.  The siding will be a combination of clap board and verticle siding, the roofing will be metal and the house will have generous screened porch of the kitchen area.

One of the most interesting aspects of this home is the thought that was put into not only the current living scenario but wha the homeowners projected they would need for living space in the future.

A portion of the new home which currently will be used as storage is the home of the future master bathroom.   All the plumbing has been prepped under the finished concrete slab, the slab has radiant tubing throughout, the floor color will come from tinted concrete. 
 
The homeowners found the location they wanted, we all know location is everything, unfortunately the house which they purchased was not their dream vacation home.  With a little creative design work and a lot of thought this home has turned into a dream vacation home ready for year round fun and enjoyment.
 
Linda Shafiroff has a degree in design fand has over 20 years experience in the design field. She is co-owner of Creative Building Designs in Great Barrington and may be reached via email: inda@creativebuildingsolutionsllc.com. Sarah Stiner is a graduate of Endicott College with a degree in advertising and has 10 years experience in the construction field.