“We didn’t want a log home, but we wanted something with some character to it. We saw a few examples of timber frame homes and we chose that,” says homeowner Ray Cardella.
“We not only saw them in person, because there’s a few around here that we were aware of, but we’d also look through magazines and online,” Janet Cardella adds. “We scoured the timber framing magazines and Log Home and all that other fun stuff to get a good sense of what we wanted.”
Perched on the point of a woody peninsula jutting out into the tannin-tinged waters of Sixth Lake in Inlet, New York, the Cardella’s hybrid timber home recalls the vernacular of the famed Adirondack Great Camps. Surrounded by forest preserve lands, the home, and accompanying boathouse nestle next to the shoreline in a symbiotic relationship.
“We started the process pretty early in 2018 initially with the builder because getting a builder up here is a difficult thing and I wanted to reserve his time knowing we wouldn’t start anything for a couple of years,” says Janet. “The builder had worked with New Energy Works before, or was in the process of working with you on a couple of other projects and suggested that we reach out to you guys relative to some of the timber framing that we wanted done.”
“We knew we wanted a look that was hybrid timber frame, not a full timber frame, not something that was all wood,” says Janet. “We wanted to make sure that it was light and bright and also took the most advantage of the views that we have along with the lake frontage. We spent some time with Owen and some others at New Energy Works and talked about what we were looking for and worked with DMC architecture to make sure that what we desired was structurally stable.”
In January 2020, the work began in earnest. Janet and Ray decided to start with the boathouse in order to help spread out some of the costs associated with the build, and also to “help solidify some of our exterior decisions,” says Janet. “There is timber framing that New Energy did on the boat house as well. The gabling and things, so it looks very cohesive with the house itself.”
“We just loved the look of heavy timber, actually. It’s hard to describe. We appreciate all of the detail and the craftsmanship that’s associated with it and the fact that you can get exactly what you want,” says Janet. “The options are really endless. We just tried to take advantage of it blending into the surroundings, but also having something that’s unique. With the colors that we picked for the outside, plus the timber framing it just melds into the landscape.”
Following the completion of the boathouse, construction on the main house began. Like all of the New Energy Works raisings it was a multifaceted operation and one the homeowners enjoyed. “When they did the raising of the main floor, it was just astounding to watch, how quickly and how well New Energy Works all worked together to get it done in a really short amount of time given the amount of timber framing that there is. We were really surprised at how quickly it went,” Janet says. “Everything fit together perfectly.”
“One of the challenges is that it is a hybrid timber frame, so the New Energy Works team had several raisings, and it had to be very well coordinated with the builder,” says Ray. “They put the timber frame in the basement first so that they could build off of that and then they went to the main floor and dining room, and the builder would do some work around that, and then they came back again and do the exterior.”
“So,” Janet added, “there were three actual raisings.”
Janet took on many of the interior and exterior design choices for the house, ranging from well-placed wood and bark elements to the specialized siding on the outside of the home. The interior of the house is oriented around the towering great room that provides a regal view of the lake and woods, while surrounded by the heavy timber trusses that extend out to the huge porch space that levitates above the calm Adirondack waters.
A substantial stone fireplace and custom crafted wrought iron railings are elegant collaborative elements with the heavy timber. “We incorporated the railing into the second floor overlooking the great room and we look up at that timber framing and the iron and the wood, and how it all comes together…it’s amazing,” says Ray.
“We’re extremely pleased with how it turned out, every aspect of it. It’s beautiful,” says Janet. “The timber frame makes the house much more unique than it would be otherwise. To sit here in the great room and to look out the windows and see the view and to appreciate the seamlessness of the timber framing. It’s like its one flowing piece going from the great room and out onto the deck; it’s hard to describe, it’s really spectacular.”
“I think the great room is the star of the show,” Ray agrees. “If you look from the second story landing down into the great room, you can see all of the details of the timber framing and the craftsmanship of the frame.”
“The design was great, New Energy Works was very open to suggestions if we had any during the planning process,” says Janet. “Everybody who came on site was wonderful; the whole crew at New Energy Works has been great. I would easily recommend them, and we have to other people who have timber frame dreams.”
