Second homes and seasonal houses
Second homes and seasonal houses
Built around your calendar, with decisions and photographs that reach you wherever you are.
You are not at the house on Tuesday, and neither is your decision-making. A second-home project works when the information comes to you: a weekly note, photographs of each stage before it is covered, and a written page for every choice. We plan the work around the seasons the house is used, and the winter it isn't.
What we set up with you
A standing weekly call at a time that suits you
Photographs of each stage, sent as they are taken
Decisions by email, each written on a signed page
A plan for who holds keys and who may enter
A schedule built around the seasons you use the house
What shapes the project
Four things set the shape of the project
Your calendar
The months you want the house back, and the months you can stay away. We build the schedule from that, not the other way.
Winter
A house closed for the cold needs its heating, water and openings planned. We draw the winter before the first board is cut.
Decisions at a distance
Every choice is shown with the sample, the drawing and the effect on the schedule, then confirmed in writing.
Access and security
Who has keys, who sets the alarm and who is in the house when you are not. This is agreed in the build agreement.
How it goes
The work, in order
- 01
Step 1: Survey and brief
We visit when it suits you, and write down how the house is used.
- 02
Step 2: Design
Drawings and selections, reviewed on calls and in person on your weekends.
- 03
Step 3: Permits and pricing
Filed with the town, then priced into a build agreement.
- 04
Step 4: Construction
A weekly note on Thursday, a call on Friday, and photographs between.
- 05
Step 5: Handover
A walk through, then a plan for opening and closing the house each year.
Examples
Sample photographs, scope beside each
Sample photos.
Questions
Questions about this work
Can I make decisions without being there?
Yes. Every decision comes with the sample, the drawing and what it does to the schedule. You confirm it in writing, and we proceed once it is signed.
What about the house when it's empty?
We agree in the build agreement who holds keys, who is allowed in and how the house is secured at night and on weekends.
Who handles permits?
We prepare the drawings and the application, and we deal with the building department. You sign where the town requires the owner's signature. Near the water, or in a historic district, other reviews can apply, and we tell you which during design.
Do you work outside Greenwich?
Yes, across Fairfield County and in the Litchfield County hill towns, for homeowners and for second-home owners. The full list is on the service area page. We work in Connecticut only.
Next step
A house you visit, not live in?
Tell us where it is and how you use it. We will say how a project would work around your calendar.