Prototype Rehoboth Beach Cottage

Awhile ago, I had the opportunity to design a house on a small lot in Rehoboth. The project did not get built, and has been sitting here on my desk, so I thought it might be interesting to show how to get 3,000 square feet of house, including a pool on a typical Rehoboth lot. The Hersh Residence that I also designed and is now built, has a similar concept, but is more modern, and was designed before the more restrictive new zoning code. I also designed a house located at 18 Park Avenue that has a somewhat similar concept, but does not have a swimming pool, and having been built in 2003, was also designed under the old building code.

This house is designed to fit onto a 50x85 lot in accordance with the current Rehoboth Zoning Code. The typical lot in Rehoboth is actually 50x100, so this house would obviously fit onto the larger typical lot, or the connecting center wing could be elongated to allow for a larger interior and a larger pool court.

The idea for this house, was to fit it into the existing context of the typical original cottages of the Pines, which are very small. In that vein, I kept the front of the structure smaller, then provided a rear wing which is both wider and taller, maximizing the allowable zoning envelope. In the center is a narrow connecting wing. The resulting “C” shape forms a courtyard in the center that allows room for a pool.

The front wing contains a large Living/Dining area on the first floor. The entrance to the house is on the side, and an entrance gallery lined with French doors connects to the center of the house. The center wing contains a large open kitchen and sunroom on the first floor, and would also have tall French doors opening to the center pool court. Part of this area would be a 2 story space.

By maximizing the allowable height and stepping it down to grade, the rear wing would be 2 ½ stories on a raised ground floor. The ground floor would contain laundry, bath and circulation area that would all open to an open-air covered porch containing an outdoor fireplace. The porch would also connect directly to the center pool court.

Just above the ground floor and located only a few steps up from the center wing would be a large master suite. The bedroom would have floor to ceiling windows opening to the center court. A dressing area, walk-in-closet and large bath would complete the suite. The bathroom has a large vessel soaking tub, and a very large walk-in shower with french doors to an outdoor balcony.



The second floor of the house would contain a 2 bedroom suite in the rear wing, with a shared bath. This area would also contain a stair up to the attic level. The front wing would contain another 2 bedroom suite with a shared bath. Loft space in the center surrounding the 2-story sunroom and also provide a bridge connecting the two wings of the house. Two of the bedrooms would have views into the pool court, and the connecting bridge would have floor to ceiling windows facing the court as well. The loft adjacent to the front wing could provide office space or addition lounging/sleeping area.

The top floor of the rear wing would in effect be an attic story. By adding a dormer on the rear, I provided a space for a large daybed which could provide an additional sleeping area or a space to read or nap. This area would open to a large open-air "sky porch" The code does not permit roof decks, so this would be a room nestled into the volume of the house to avoid the need for railings, yet provide a space atop the house to sit outside and enjoy the tree-top view of the Pines.

The front elevation would have very tall windows on the first floor, and dormer windows on the second, to keep the profile of the front lower and more in scale with the context. The entrance on the side helps the facade appear less formal. With appropriate landscaping, the rear wing of the house would be barely visible.

The side facade facing the center pool court with open up much more and have walls of glass. Sited ideally, this facade would face south and provide great daylight into the interior.

A section through the center wing shows the 2 story volume and the connecting bridge. This view also shows in elevation the "cut-out" in the roof that would provide the sky porch.

A section through the house front to back shows the relationship of the wings and stories. Nearly every room in the house would open into the center space.