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Reclaiming a Weathered Wood Cube in the Woods

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This completely wooden cube house has stood for thirty five years in this clearing, in what amounts to a wood factory. In this photo, one tree – manufacturing yet more wood from sunshine and thin air – looks on.

Now, as if the house is regrowing from the inside, a golden glow off new wood inside lights the cube like a candle from within. There is in fact, new growth within.

Living areas and bathrooms inside have been opened up and simplified, and refinished in a golden wood that casts the youthful glow of fresh new wood to contrast with the delicate patina of the aged cypress clapboards on the exterior.

Its new owners turned to the original architects from thirty five years ago for some updating and refining of the original which was first featured in a 1970 edition of Vacation Homes.
Architects Bates and Masi were happy to update their classic.

In the renovation, parts of the weathered exterior is removed, and reused to build new decks and stairs from the reused weathered cypress cladding. Care was taken to preserve an identical patina of aged wood between the old and the new.