They Camped Out for Two Years to Build a Home in a Catskills Quarry

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Project Details:

Location: Hudson Valley, New York

Architect: Ryall Sheridan Carroll Architects / @ryallsheridancarroll

Footprint: 3,042 square feet

Structural Engineer: A Degree of Freedom

Millwork Fabrication: JV Woodworking

Windows and Doors: Sash and Frame

Photographer: Arjan Bronkhorst / @arjanbronkhorst

From the Architect: "The owners of this Catskills home bought ten acres of land on the site of a former bluestone quarry in 2018. The abandoned quarry, which supplied slabs to Albany, Kingston, and New York City in the 1800s, had become a spring-fed pond and the quarry tailings had become mossy hillocks. After living here for a couple years in a basic shed they built themselves, our clients began to map out locations for a new house with our help. They wanted it to embed it in the trees with a view of the pond. Over time the design evolved to include a separate two-bedroom guest house.

"The hillocks provided a perfect way to perch the house in the trees and open capture a view of the pond from the kitchen and living areas. The screen porch was extended off the hillock, above the quarry rubble, to float in the low branch zone of the pine and maple trees. The circulation for the house is along an interior spine that defines the entry courtyard, with bedrooms and living spaces facing out to a variety of views through the surrounding trees.

"Passive House design strategies and detailing reduce energy loads for heating and cooling to the point where they are zeroed out by a modest solar array."