WINNER: HEMINGWAY FINE HOMES
Just because a particular style of a house has existed for generations doesn’t mean that every incarnation of it is simple to execute. Hemingway Fine Homes was commissioned to build this classic Regency-style home—the kind that has existed in tony Connecticut suburbs since the 1920s. As Peter Sciarretta, Hemingway’s president notes: “One of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of this project was the octagonal sunroom. The Hemingway team devoted extensive time and precision to ensure that every element of the room was perfectly symmetrical.” The goal was achieved as the decorative ceiling beams converged flawlessly at the center of the room, and the very shape of the room was perfect. Indeed, all of the home’s many symmetrical elements that characterize the Regency style were executed. The hand-painted brick facade, slate roof, the integrated outdoor living spaces, and highly detailed interiors “reflect an unwavering commitment to precision, artistry and teamwork,” Sciarretta adds.
FINALIST: TALLMAN BUILDING COMPANY
Stone is unforgiving. But when Tallman Building Company began its work on this century-old house known as Four Winds, the firm needed to figure out how to not only replicate expanses of the original stonework, but also dig a foundation beneath an existing stone expanse to fashion a finished basement. “We constructed a complete new skeleton of steel, engineered timber, and concrete within the 100-plus-year-old shell of this house,” says Bill Tallman, the firm’s principal. “And let me add, there’s not a single crack in the stone.” When asked how he also managed to completely replicate the original configuration of the stone walls, along with the colors, he says: “We did many mockups. We sourced local stone from Connecticut and New York, and we had the craftsmen able to put it together.” Like many successful collaborations, Tallman readily cites the most satisfying aspect of the build. “I’m most proud of how well we all worked together—the client and the Rolfs Elert office—to help the client really realize their vision. A lot of craftsmanship was involved and that required an affair of the heart, so to speak. We put our heart and soul into this. Everyone involved did.”
FINALIST: WASHINGTON BUILDERS
As much as everyone wanted to preserve the 18th-century barn that had stood on this site in Litchfield County, it just wasn’t possible. However, Washington Builders found the ideal solution: The firm, headed by Chris Washington, purchased a circa-1800 barn from Canada, and reassembled it on the site, making it into a recreation space for the family. “It was challenging to have to stay within the original footprint of the former barn,” says Washington, “but we did it.” While the buying of antique barns from elsewhere is common practice for Washington, he prefers hemlock barns from Canada and elsewhere in the Northeast. “We like Northern barns because those early pioneers used larger, stronger timbers because of snow loads.” He and his team were also entrusted with laying a new foundation for the main house, portions of which also date back to the 1700s. “When you’re dealing with structures that are this old and delicate, the whole process is a bit like walking on eggshells,” he emphasizes. Now that both structures are complete, Washington is proud of the fact that “it all really feels historic. It seems as if these exact buildings could have been there the whole time.”
To read more about the three projects, click here.