Chipper Hatter
Nestled into the crook of an L-shaped home, this small urban cou…
Building lots get more precious—smaller and pricier—all the time. And when clients pay dearly for their dirt, they don’t want any of it to go to waste. The plan devised for a wedge of a lot overlooking Baton Rouge’s L.S.U. Lakes shows how a waste-not approach can lead to very livable results.
Measuring 55 feet wide at the rear lot line, the property splays out to 110 feet where it fronts a street that runs along the lakeshore. The side lot lines are 151 feet long. It’s the middle one of three lots custom builder Jeff Birnbaum subdivided from a teardown site overlooking the lake. The site’s mature live oaks were a positive feature he worked to preserve, but an existing pool had to be filled and compacted.
Architect Trula Remson wrung maximum functionality from the narrow lot with a Charleston-style side-entry house that cradles an outdoor living area in the crook of its L-shape floor plan. In typical Baton Rouge fashion, the home’s great room opens to a covered arcade. The arcade serves multiple functions: It’s a transitional space between indoor and outdoor rooms; it’s the main entry to the house; and, with its shade and ceiling fans, it’s a comfortable place for the family and their frequent guests to enjoy the pool and terrace.
Remson capitalized on the site’s grade to give her clients a fine lake view while providing privacy from the steady flow of cars, joggers, and cyclists using the shore road. Sitting at the top of the site, the arcade looks out over the perimeter wall to the lake beyond. The outdoor fireplace and outdoor kitchen also are at this grade to allow users to enjoy the view. But as the lot slopes to the lake, the terrace and pool deck step down with it to protect the pool and spa from passersby on the street.
The bluestone terrace is paired with planters and steps of the same salvaged New Orleans hard tan brick used on interior accent walls. The bluestone blends with the dark gray plaster that lines the gunite pool for a cool, serene effect. The serenity is enhanced by the gentle splash of water flowing from poolside spouts that drowns out street noise. From inside this elegant courtyard, sights and sounds conspire to create a place for private outdoor living where not an inch of dirt is wasted.
Project Credits
Builder: S.L. Shaw & Associates, Baton Rouge, La.
Architect: Remson-Haley Architects, Baton Rouge
Landscape architect: Ed Jenkins Landscape Architect, Baton Rouge
Pool builder: Bart Keller Company, Baton Rouge
Photographer: Chipper Hatter
Illustration: Rick Vitullo
