The outbuilding is named the Grass Home, a nod to the Glass Home in New Canaan, Conn., which was designed by famend architect Philip Johnson to point out the connection between structure, artwork and nature. The Grass Home was in-built 2016 by proprietor Jack Becker as an workplace for his structure and improvement enterprise. He stated it helped his purchasers perceive his philosophy of “farm-to-shelter” development utilizing pure and domestically sourced supplies.
The property is available on the market for $979,000.
The Grass Home’s exterior partitions are produced from BamCore, which resembles plywood however is sort of one hundred pc bamboo. The constructing has sheep wool insulation, stairs of walnut wooden from a tree in Anacostia and lighting fixtures made from mycelium, or baked mushroom root.
In keeping with Becker, the very first thing guests discover is the odor.
Folks assume, he stated, “{that a} new home smells like a brand new automobile, which is essentially the aroma of artificial supplies and contemporary paint. However once they come into our homes, it smells extra like strolling right into a forest.” Whereas plaster, drywall and vinyl are thought of conventional constructing supplies, Becker stated, actually conventional supplies had been these “out there earlier than the arrival of House Depot.”
“We’re making an attempt to revive or recuperate a standard materials palette that includes renewable assets like wooden and bamboo,” he stated.
Becker purchased the property in 2014 with BLDUS enterprise accomplice Andrew Linn. “It wanted plenty of work,” he stated, “and I feel that discouraged plenty of potential consumers. However being architects and development professionals, we noticed that as a possibility.”
The home was “standing proud,” once they purchased it, however wanted vital renovation, Becker stated. They changed the mechanical, electrical and plumbing methods, additionally drywall and roof, and so they added beauty upgrades.
Becker moved into the home in 2015, working from residence and assembly with purchasers in the lounge till the Grass Home was constructed a 12 months later.
The doorway from a wraparound porch opens to a lobby on the principle degree, which additionally has a lounge, an open-concept household and eating room, the kitchen, a powder room and a again porch. All through this degree, the home has uncovered beams and framing, and the wicker blinds and lighting fixtures are made from pure supplies like these used within the bamboo construction.
On the second degree, the first bed room suite has an en suite toilet. Two different bedrooms share a corridor toilet, and one has entry to a balcony. The decrease degree is unfinished.
The Grass Home has three ranges, with a powder room on the second flooring. Every degree has one room of dwelling area with home windows and wooden flooring. The entry degree has built-in cabinets, and the uppermost degree has a built-in desk. The outside has cedar and cypress siding with a darkish hue acquired by means of a Japanese charring methodology, shou sugi ban, which Becker stated helps with preservation and waterproofing.
He moved out of the home in August. “It’s onerous to return when you’ve skilled a brand new natural area. The thought of returning to a extra typical workplace with drywall and ceiling tiles and vinyl flooring doesn’t sound very good,” he stated. “And it was a extremely nice commute.”
- Bedrooms/bogs: 3/3 in the principle home, 1 powder room within the outbuilding
- Approximate square-footage: 2,470 in the home, 700 within the outbuilding
- Lot dimension: 3,168 sq. toes
- Options: The 1892 Victorian was renovated in 2014 and 2015, and all the home’s main methods had been up to date. The property contains an outbuilding made largely of bamboo.
- Itemizing agent: Genie Hutinet, Coldwell Banker Realty
