Stephen Gerard Dietemann

Webster Residence

A couple from Texas had been looking for a site to build a house in the Berkshires for a while.  Since 2012 they have owned a small apartment unit in a two-family residence on the banks of the Housatonic River Mill Pond in Great Barrington, but now, as retirement approached, were considering staying for longer periods of time here and needed more room for themselves, as well as room for their many guests from Dallas and their two grown sons whenever they visited.   They were fortunate to find a reasonably priced, gently-sloping, 1.77 acre  parcel in Stockbridge, MA, over-looking the Housatonic River and a short walk to the Village of Housatonic and a short drive from Tanglewood, Great Barrington, the Village of Stockbridge and Jacob’s Pillow.

Looking ahead, they decided to go with a single floor; the highest step would be the 6″ step from the carport to the  house.  In addition, they wanted views of the Housatonic River below and plenty of room for outdoor entertaining, both screened and open. They also wanted a contemporary, playful look and feel, with low-maintenance materials to limit the amount of work needed.  Finally, they wanted an energy-conscious house that would be cool in the summer and warm in the winter with the least use of fossil fuels possible given site conditions.  It was decided to go for an Energy Star Tier 2 rating.

The 2100 sf house was completed in August of 2015.  The initial images are photographs followed by computer generated images created during — and as part of — the design process.