Mazomanie Prairie Style Home

Summer is drawing to a close, and I've been busy getting out to photograph some of my recently constructed projects, including this prairie style home.  Its 20+ acre site is located in the Town of Mazomanie and includes a pond and a marshy area adjacent to Dunlap Creek.  Coincidentally, the site sits across the valley from another home that I designed in 2013.  The property has beautiful views of neighboring hills and farms.  My clients have owned and camped on the property for years and have been planting trees and making other improvements in anticipation of building their new home.  

Interior characteristics of the home include light decks, bands of windows and an open plan with spaces that are visually connected yet maintain a separate identity due to the design of the ceiling and the walls.  The partial view of one space from another creates a sense of mystery, calling one to explore.

A special feature and focal point of the home is the masonry heater around which the living area, dining area and kitchen radiate.  This highly efficient fireplace includes a heated bench, firewood storage nook and a small cooking oven on the kitchen side of the masonry mass.

My clients desired a home that would be unobtrusive, and so it was designed to nestle into the gentle slope as much as possible, connecting to the outside with a breezeway between the home and garage, a series of patios and rock retaining walls.  Future plans include a stone stair connecting the sunset terrace to the west side of the property.

As is characteristic of the prairie style, there are hip roofs with broad overhangs and horizontal banding of windows and materials to emphasize the expansive nature of the prairie.