Architect reinterprets “dogtrot” vernacular for Poplar Ridge
Partially covered exterior decks will connect this house’s occupants to beautiful mountain views.
Designing a new home is one of the most collaborative endeavors anyone can undertake, involving multiple parties with diverse opinions to be combined and coordinated with a steadfast faith that the final product will meet everyone’s expectations. But the process got a bit easier for Asheville’s BCA Architecture and Design when it took on the job of designing a spec house for the 250-acre Poplar Ridge community, about fifteen minutes from downtown. The client is also the developer, simplifying the path from design to completion.
“It’s an interesting project for us,” says BCA’s namesake architect Brent Campbell, who founded the boutique firm in 2008, working with a small team of seven on both commercial and residential projects. “It has a lot more flexibility than a lot of our custom-house clients.” Even so, the challenge was to balance design choices that would yield an attractive sales price for a spec home.
First up for BCA was the challenge of a steep 1.5-acre site on the development’s southeast edge, one of more than 150 Poplar Ridge lots. At an elevation of 2800 feet and heavily forested with oak, sourwood, and maples, the site has commanding views of Concord and Merrill mountains.
“Accessing the site proved difficult and required a private driveway easement and a long sweeping approach to reduce grade,” Campbell notes. “The approach gives three distinct views of the house, highlighting defining architectural features at each point. It’s one of the best sites in terms of view and location, but one of the most difficult in terms of access and topography.”
Campbell and BSA Project Manager Brandon Blissett worked with the landscape architects Vision Design to develop a plan for the lengthy driveway and site the house to the rear of the lot to make the most of the expansive views. “We were able to utilize an adjacent existing logging road for a significant length of the driveway,” explains Vision Design’s Ryan Blau. “This allowed us to access the preferred building site with very little site disturbance and removal of only a few mature trees.”
Another solution to the site’s challenges was inserting the home’s attached garage into the slope of the ridge, so that it does double duty as a retaining wall. “Building in the mountains always presents unique challenges, especially for creating the level space needed for structures, vehicular parking, and turn-around space,” Blau adds. “By working with the architect to modify the house design to respond to the site conditions, the home feels integral to the site rather than imposed upon it.”
The 3400-square-foot house itself, expected to be completed this fall by builder Carolina Cornerstone, is a modernist take on a traditional two-part “dogtrot,” its two double-height components connected by a flagstone entryway and atrium tucked into the space between. (Vintage Southern “dogtrot” cabins or cottages were linked by a central breezeway.) Family areas occupy the main level of one pod, while opposite are the primary suite and a study. The lower levels include three more en suite bedrooms, a den, and a kitchenette. The entire complex is wrapped with stone, glass, and steel decks on both levels. Particularly striking are the two pods’ rooflines that slope downward toward the central atrium, with cantilevered overhangs that provide partial shelter to the exterior decks.
Expansive windows and vaulted, natural-pine ceilings will connect the interior spaces to the wooded site and to the horizon’s line of mountains, with multiple access points to the exterior deck. “The expansive deck and the flagstone patio are designed to maximize views and can be accessed from both common areas and the private areas,” Campbell notes.
Vision Design’s plans preserve trees as close to the house as possible and use native plantings surrounding the structure, chosen with a color palette matching the site’s existing vegetation. “I’m particularly intrigued by a simple planting bed created in a recess of the house at the main stairway,” says Blau. “Floor-to-ceiling glass invites a single-specimen tree into the home, emerging from a drift of native ferns, while exterior decks step around and embrace the space.”
The home’s exterior is of stained hardwood siding accented with stone-clad supporting columns, the entire structure resting on a pad edged with a reflecting pool. When completed, the home will appear to emerge organically from its surrounding woods and stony ridge.
“Poplar Ridge’s owner has allowed us a lot of input and testing freedom on these spec houses and cares a lot about the overall quality of the neighborhood,” Campbell says. “We’re hoping to see several new designs on the boards start construction over the next few years.”
BCA Architecture and Design, 207 Coxe Ave. Suite 12, Asheville, 828-230-7732, bcavl.com.