Which came first, the house or garden? In the case of this Low Country retreat, the outdoor spaces were planned before the house and are the focus of the project. James G. Thomas, principal of Charleston, S.C.-based Thomas & Denzinger Architects, laid out a continuous garden promenade that takes maximum advantage of a long, narrow site culminating at river’s edge. In fact, the trio of buildings (living spaces, master suite, and guest cottage) was planned around the formal landscaping and outdoor amenities. Thomas describes the design as “buildings acting as an armature for the watery garden.”
Water was elemental to Thomas’ architectural vision as well as the owner’s exercise regimen. A lap pool is the heart of an elongated courtyard and it also solved a common dilemma for South Carolina houses: how to raise the building to meet flood plain codes and still have it connect to the landscape. This solution involved bringing a big mound of dirt onto the site to meet elevation requirements and holding it in place with stucco walls. The lap pool was dug out of that dirt pile. On the waterfront side, the dirt was gradually terraced down to the wetlands for a more integrated connection.
Surrounded by lush foliage and edged by a shaded walkway, the lap pool runs down the center of the site, separating living spaces from the master suite bungalow. As the swimming lane passes by double-height screened porches at the end of each building, it spreads out into a splash pool with a raised spa. The man-made water features also connect the house visually to the natural waterway below, while the reflective qualities bring the sky into the landscape. “I saw the pool as metaphorically bringing life to the garden—kind of like a little canal,” says Thomas.
Evaporation from the pool helps make outdoor living bearable even during South Carolina summers. The addition of the splash pool makes a wider wet surface area just before the stone terrace steps down into the wetlands. This widening of the outdoor space along the riverfront lets prevailing winds blow unimpeded into the garden where they are further cooled by the expanse of water. Moving the garage off to one side at the far end of the landscaped spaces encourages those breezes to waft through the entire site. Even interiors benefit from the breeze since Thomas made sure buildings were one-room deep and included multiple doorways into the gardens. The architect adds that the manicured outdoor spaces also generate an ordered respite from the wild beauty around it. “No matter how seductive the site is,” he says, “I think psychologically we need a controlled regulated space that’s a counterpoint to nature.”
Although water and wind keep heat at bay in the garden, bugs can still drive homeowners to a more protected screened sanctuary. Thomas normally avoids placing enclosed porches between house and primary vistas because they block those very views in addition to natural light. However, the narrow lot meant conceding to screened porches that cap key interior spaces. To compensate, twin porches (one off the living room and one off the master bedroom) feature screens that climb from the floor to peaked second-story ceilings. Glass walls connecting porches to interiors also span floor to ceiling to let light into the space. In this way, Thomas ensured that every space lets people see both water and sky from inside and out.
Project Credits: Builder: Koenig Construction, Johns Island, S.C.; Architect: Thomas & Denzinger Architects, Charleston, S.C.; Landscape designer: DesignWorks, Charleston; Pool builder: Aqua Blue Pools, Charleston; Photographer: William Struhs; Illustrator: Harry Whitver.
