Context
In 2020, our clients purchased a lakeside home to serve as a gathering place for their large extended family. The property contained an aging Acorn Deck House — a prefabricated system known for mid-century modern design, post-and-beam construction, soaring ceilings, and expansive walls of glass. The clients initially planned to demolish the house and build new due to moisture issues, dark timber interiors, a cramped kitchen, and a layout defined by numerous structural columns that made the space feel long and narrow.
Response
During early design discussions, the owners reconsidered demolition if the home could be meaningfully opened up without lowering the ceiling anywhere. Achieving this required a highly surgical structural strategy. Original wood beams that ran continuously from interior to exterior created significant thermal bridges. Rather than replacing them outright with steel—which would worsen thermal performance—the design team spliced several existing beam tails to a new interior structure incorporating concealed steel members clad in wood. This approach removed most interior posts, dramatically opened the plan, and preserved both the building’s architectural expression and thermal integrity.
The renovation transformed the house into a high-performance, Net Zero home. A newly superinsulated envelope which approaches Passive House–level performance includes triple-glazed windows and doors, a crawlspace fully insulated from previously exposed dirt floors, and exterior walls wrapped in four inches of locally produced wood-fiber insulation boards. The home is clad in thermally modified wood siding for durability and low maintenance. Energy needs are met by a 15.1-kW rooftop solar array.
Respecting the original mid-century spirit, the design retained—and expanded—the home’s defining glass. Window units were added and mullions eliminated, while a 24-foot lift-and-slide door and new outdoor spaces strengthen indoor–outdoor connections. The result is a bright, open home where mid-century modern character meets a contemporary New England sensibility.
