HOME PORTRAIT
Completing a Neighborhood
South Mountain Gets It Right Again
Profile by Anne McCarthy Strauss
”If we are more friendly with our clients when the job is done than we were at the beginning, we know we’ve done our job well” says John Abrams, co-founder, president, CEO and design supervisor at South Mountain, Martha’s Vineyard’s highly-regarded provider of architecture, building, interiors, and renewable energy services. “It’s the measure of whether we got it right, and fulfilled all expectations.”
One of those still friendly clients is Joe Parham of Oak Bluffs whose two-year-old Gambrel roof house sits gracefully overlooking Sunset Lake, as if it’s been in that line of houses forever.
The home that had sat on Parham’s lot had belonged to longtime Vineyarder Ida Legg. The 1920s house had burned to the ground, leaving what looked to Abrams “like a mouth with a missing tooth.” Behind the ashes sat a dilapidated guest house. Parham bought the property in 2001 and hired South Mountain. He planned to have the guest house that had survived the fire razed, and to have a new home built on the front of the property.
It’s safe to say that many architects and builders would have recommended leveling the existing guest house and starting from scratch. But part of South Mountain’s mission is to renovate wherever possible instead of demolishing and rebuilding. The company managed to convert the decaying building at the back of the lot into a 750 square-foot, eco-friendly in-town paradise.
South Mountain’s refurbishing so impressed Parham that he decided he would hire only them to construct the house he planned to build on the front of the lot. So he got on the schedule again, and off they went.
“It was worth every minute of the wait,” Parham said as he relaxed in the sitting area behind his kitchen with Derrill Bazzy of Aquinnah, South Mountain’s designer and project manager on his home.
“We were excited about this project from the start because we do a lot of building down dirt roads where few people but the owners and their guests see the results,” Bazzy said. “But this house is in full view of passersby on and around Green Leaf Avenue, and it became the final piece of the puzzle in this row of older homes. Plus the property is much smaller than most we work with, presenting both challenges and opportunities.”
South Mountain is known for its use of reclaimed items and green technologies. “These things weren’t a priority for Joe at the beginning,” Abrams said. “But he really got into it. The house we built for him is an air-sealed, low energy use house with heat recovery ventilation. Many of the materials are salvaged.” Those salvaged materials include those that were used to build the front porch turret and the solar porch roof in the rear. The cedar exterior comes from sustainably harvested cedar from Seven Islands in Maine. The roof shingles are made from old car bumpers but look like classic slate shingles.
When the time came to design the main house, Joe showed Derrill and John a house with a wraparound porch in East Chop. “Our approach is to spend many hours with our clients before any plans are produced,” Bazzy said. “We talk about their interests, what they want in a home, and how these things can best be reflected in their living space. We get to know our clients as people. Building a house with South Mountain is a truly collaborative effort.”
“I never thought we’d design a Gambrel-roofed house,” Bazzy continued. But that’s what Joe wanted, and the home he designed for Parham is classic and sophisticated while still incorporating the Gambrel roof, wrap-around porch and other features that allow it to blend perfectly into the neighborhood. “When we brought the first schematic plans to Joe,” says Abrams, “he studied them carefully and said, ‘You’re in the right church, Derrill. Right pew too. But you might have to move down a few seats.’ We did. Adjustments were made and construction began”.
Building a high-performance, energy efficient envelope is key for South Mountain. The company prides itself on making a house tight by careful airsealing and insulation techniques. Their primary insulation material is cellulose made from recycled newspaper. They plan their houses so that every inch of space will be utilized and enjoyed. Emphasis is put on making use of the basement area which, in so many homes, is unused space.
“A lot of people think they want more space than they really need,” Abrams said. “Working with us and reviewing their budgets, they realize that a smaller home will allow them to use higher quality materials. And who wants to clean, heat, and maintain a lot of un-used space, not to mention pay for it in the first place? This is hardly a small house, but it is compact and efficient.”
“We emphasize building up and making use of space on the lower level, optimizing the footprint, and leaving the area that surrounds the home open for trees and plantings and nature,” said Bazzy.
Meanwhile inside, Parham relaxed and stretched his long legs, his feet ensconced in soft healed leather slippers. The rest of us had been asked to remove our shoes when we stepped into the magnificent 3920 square foot home through a custom front door built from reclaimed redwood sourced and refurbished by South Mountain. A carousel-horse weather vane created by Anthony Holland pointed toward Martha’s Vineyard Sound atop the turret on the corner edge of Parham’s wrap around porch. What could be more Vineyard?
Beyond the seating area, the kitchen ceilings arch upwards to twelve feet, supported by exposed wooden beams. The kitchen is a chef’s dream with a large professional stove, endless plains of granite-topped space for preparation and a lighting system worthy of a Broadway stage.
The kitchen cabinets were one place where Parham, a retired vice-president at Polaroid, insisted on using new materials. He wanted sleek white cabinets with a contemporary look. Bazzy had to yield, and as he observed the kitchen in the house where Joe has now lived since 2008, he conceded they looked superb.
Travertine flooring extends from the sitting room through the kitchen and into the dining area. Between the dining area and the living room a massive double-sided granite fireplace extends from floor to ceiling. “The mason placed the stones in such a way that every one of them looks as if it was dry set,” the homeowner said. This awe-inspiring focal point – with custom made glass and iron doors to retain the heat – is positioned beside the guests who dine at the sleek glass-topped dining table surrounded by contemporary oval-backed chairs and seats covered with luxurious white fabric embellished with brown. A screened porch extends along the full length of the kitchen and dining room.
Stepping to the other side of the fireplace, we enter the living room, which, like the rest of the house, is decorated with contemporary furnishings in neutral tones. The mix of modern and old-fashioned works well, but it took special care to ensure there wasn’t a clash of styles.
One of those challenges was in the living room. “Joe has a 60-inch flat panel television that’s great for entertainment,” said Bazzy. “But there’s no way it should be the focal point of the living room.” The solution was to encase the television behind cypress cabinetry mounted flush to the wall. “No one would ever know there’s a TV behind the cabinets until it’s show time,” Bazzy continued. Joe shows us a photo that stands on the mantle. The aged picture portrays four giggling young girls on the beach at Oak Bluffs. He points out the girl on the right, who grew up to be his grandmother– the grandmother whose Oak Bluff’s home he visited each summer during his childhood.
We head up the stairs to the upper level. The first room we reach is the music room. One might picture the music room of a home in a Victorian neighborhood as a spacious old parlor with a large piano as its focal point. Joe Parham’s music room is anything but retro. Instead, the room is a 21st century space with a studio appearance where Joe relaxes by listening to jazz. In fact, music is such a key part of Joe’s life that he had the whole house wired for sound. The soft jazz playing at low levels throughout the rooms reflects the high quality of the subcontractors South Mountain works with.
We pass through a loft office space en route to the master bedroom. The office is tight and efficient with little more than a desk that compactly attends to all of Joe’s office needs. Like the rooms it extends between, the office is sleek and simple, the desk is made from recycled river-bottom cypress planks. As elsewhere, natural light is abundant.
In the master bedroom, the neutral color theme continues – mostly beiges and greens. Uncluttered and simple, the room is clearly intended for rest and privacy with a theme of understated elegance.
The floor material upstairs, as elsewhere, is recycled maple. The four and a half bathrooms have granite countertops, marble tub surrounds, and plenty of natural light. The lighting is eclectic, and Joe has enhanced his home with his own unique collection of paintings, photography and sculpture.
Except in rare cases, South Mountain does the interior work in all their projects: furniture, fabrics, rugs, the works. About 13 years ago, they developed their own interior design department, which furnishes houses in keeping with their combined design intention. Because the interior designers work with the architectural designers from the beginning, and also work hand in hand with the clients, everyone is on the same page leading to full architectural integration.
Joe used South Mountain’s interior design service but definitely had his own ideas and expressed them fully. A personal friend of Joe’s, a woman who is not a designer but has exquisite taste, selected all the bedding and linens. Most of her choices are fine silks. As for window treatments, there is only one, a shade for privacy in the master bedroom. The other windows are undraped, and take advantage of the home’s double exposure.
Finally, we head for the lower level, referred to fondly by Parham as “the man cave.” Because the house is built on a sloping site, it allows for a darkened five-seat theatre-style media room while the guest bedroom - on the same lower level - is flooded with natural light. The man cave includes Joe’s “no excuses” room – a gym where he can be found six mornings a week when he’s in town.
Another South Mountain priority is protection of existing trees, plants, and landscape features from construction damage. By orchestrating the extension of Oak Bluff’s sewage system into the neighborhood, they were able to save the graceful aspens that sit in the middle of the lot between the main house and the guest house. South Mountain selects only those subcontractors and partners who share their values and provide the most exceptional work.
South Mountain provides an owners manual at the end of every job that includes a “roughing book”, which consists of photographs of all walls and ceilings, keyed to a set of plans, before the walls are closed in. “This becomes more and more valuable as time goes on,” said Abrams. “It gives you x-ray vision into the bones and guts of the house and allows repairs and alterations to be easily made.”
Joe Parham splits his time between Oak Bluffs and Atlanta where he maintains another home. “If I could get these guys from South Mountain to work off the Island, I’d want them to build me a home in Atlanta,” he says.
Sitting with Joe and Derrill as they talked and joked and made plans to get together, South Mountain owner John Abrams’ words rang true. The homeowner and the designer/project manager were clearly still friends. Once again, South Mountain got it just right.
One of those still friendly clients is Joe Parham of Oak Bluffs whose two-year-old Gambrel roof house sits gracefully overlooking Sunset Lake, as if it’s been in that line of houses forever.
The home that had sat on Parham’s lot had belonged to longtime Vineyarder Ida Legg. The 1920s house had burned to the ground, leaving what looked to Abrams “like a mouth with a missing tooth.” Behind the ashes sat a dilapidated guest house. Parham bought the property in 2001 and hired South Mountain. He planned to have the guest house that had survived the fire razed, and to have a new home built on the front of the property.
It’s safe to say that many architects and builders would have recommended leveling the existing guest house and starting from scratch. But part of South Mountain’s mission is to renovate wherever possible instead of demolishing and rebuilding. The company managed to convert the decaying building at the back of the lot into a 750 square-foot, eco-friendly in-town paradise.
South Mountain’s refurbishing so impressed Parham that he decided he would hire only them to construct the house he planned to build on the front of the lot. So he got on the schedule again, and off they went.
“It was worth every minute of the wait,” Parham said as he relaxed in the sitting area behind his kitchen with Derrill Bazzy of Aquinnah, South Mountain’s designer and project manager on his home.
“We were excited about this project from the start because we do a lot of building down dirt roads where few people but the owners and their guests see the results,” Bazzy said. “But this house is in full view of passersby on and around Green Leaf Avenue, and it became the final piece of the puzzle in this row of older homes. Plus the property is much smaller than most we work with, presenting both challenges and opportunities.”
South Mountain is known for its use of reclaimed items and green technologies. “These things weren’t a priority for Joe at the beginning,” Abrams said. “But he really got into it. The house we built for him is an air-sealed, low energy use house with heat recovery ventilation. Many of the materials are salvaged.” Those salvaged materials include those that were used to build the front porch turret and the solar porch roof in the rear. The cedar exterior comes from sustainably harvested cedar from Seven Islands in Maine. The roof shingles are made from old car bumpers but look like classic slate shingles.
When the time came to design the main house, Joe showed Derrill and John a house with a wraparound porch in East Chop. “Our approach is to spend many hours with our clients before any plans are produced,” Bazzy said. “We talk about their interests, what they want in a home, and how these things can best be reflected in their living space. We get to know our clients as people. Building a house with South Mountain is a truly collaborative effort.”
“I never thought we’d design a Gambrel-roofed house,” Bazzy continued. But that’s what Joe wanted, and the home he designed for Parham is classic and sophisticated while still incorporating the Gambrel roof, wrap-around porch and other features that allow it to blend perfectly into the neighborhood. “When we brought the first schematic plans to Joe,” says Abrams, “he studied them carefully and said, ‘You’re in the right church, Derrill. Right pew too. But you might have to move down a few seats.’ We did. Adjustments were made and construction began”.
Building a high-performance, energy efficient envelope is key for South Mountain. The company prides itself on making a house tight by careful airsealing and insulation techniques. Their primary insulation material is cellulose made from recycled newspaper. They plan their houses so that every inch of space will be utilized and enjoyed. Emphasis is put on making use of the basement area which, in so many homes, is unused space.
“A lot of people think they want more space than they really need,” Abrams said. “Working with us and reviewing their budgets, they realize that a smaller home will allow them to use higher quality materials. And who wants to clean, heat, and maintain a lot of un-used space, not to mention pay for it in the first place? This is hardly a small house, but it is compact and efficient.”
“We emphasize building up and making use of space on the lower level, optimizing the footprint, and leaving the area that surrounds the home open for trees and plantings and nature,” said Bazzy.
Meanwhile inside, Parham relaxed and stretched his long legs, his feet ensconced in soft healed leather slippers. The rest of us had been asked to remove our shoes when we stepped into the magnificent 3920 square foot home through a custom front door built from reclaimed redwood sourced and refurbished by South Mountain. A carousel-horse weather vane created by Anthony Holland pointed toward Martha’s Vineyard Sound atop the turret on the corner edge of Parham’s wrap around porch. What could be more Vineyard?
Beyond the seating area, the kitchen ceilings arch upwards to twelve feet, supported by exposed wooden beams. The kitchen is a chef’s dream with a large professional stove, endless plains of granite-topped space for preparation and a lighting system worthy of a Broadway stage.
The kitchen cabinets were one place where Parham, a retired vice-president at Polaroid, insisted on using new materials. He wanted sleek white cabinets with a contemporary look. Bazzy had to yield, and as he observed the kitchen in the house where Joe has now lived since 2008, he conceded they looked superb.
Travertine flooring extends from the sitting room through the kitchen and into the dining area. Between the dining area and the living room a massive double-sided granite fireplace extends from floor to ceiling. “The mason placed the stones in such a way that every one of them looks as if it was dry set,” the homeowner said. This awe-inspiring focal point – with custom made glass and iron doors to retain the heat – is positioned beside the guests who dine at the sleek glass-topped dining table surrounded by contemporary oval-backed chairs and seats covered with luxurious white fabric embellished with brown. A screened porch extends along the full length of the kitchen and dining room.
Stepping to the other side of the fireplace, we enter the living room, which, like the rest of the house, is decorated with contemporary furnishings in neutral tones. The mix of modern and old-fashioned works well, but it took special care to ensure there wasn’t a clash of styles.
One of those challenges was in the living room. “Joe has a 60-inch flat panel television that’s great for entertainment,” said Bazzy. “But there’s no way it should be the focal point of the living room.” The solution was to encase the television behind cypress cabinetry mounted flush to the wall. “No one would ever know there’s a TV behind the cabinets until it’s show time,” Bazzy continued. Joe shows us a photo that stands on the mantle. The aged picture portrays four giggling young girls on the beach at Oak Bluffs. He points out the girl on the right, who grew up to be his grandmother– the grandmother whose Oak Bluff’s home he visited each summer during his childhood.
We head up the stairs to the upper level. The first room we reach is the music room. One might picture the music room of a home in a Victorian neighborhood as a spacious old parlor with a large piano as its focal point. Joe Parham’s music room is anything but retro. Instead, the room is a 21st century space with a studio appearance where Joe relaxes by listening to jazz. In fact, music is such a key part of Joe’s life that he had the whole house wired for sound. The soft jazz playing at low levels throughout the rooms reflects the high quality of the subcontractors South Mountain works with.
We pass through a loft office space en route to the master bedroom. The office is tight and efficient with little more than a desk that compactly attends to all of Joe’s office needs. Like the rooms it extends between, the office is sleek and simple, the desk is made from recycled river-bottom cypress planks. As elsewhere, natural light is abundant.
In the master bedroom, the neutral color theme continues – mostly beiges and greens. Uncluttered and simple, the room is clearly intended for rest and privacy with a theme of understated elegance.
The floor material upstairs, as elsewhere, is recycled maple. The four and a half bathrooms have granite countertops, marble tub surrounds, and plenty of natural light. The lighting is eclectic, and Joe has enhanced his home with his own unique collection of paintings, photography and sculpture.
Except in rare cases, South Mountain does the interior work in all their projects: furniture, fabrics, rugs, the works. About 13 years ago, they developed their own interior design department, which furnishes houses in keeping with their combined design intention. Because the interior designers work with the architectural designers from the beginning, and also work hand in hand with the clients, everyone is on the same page leading to full architectural integration.
Joe used South Mountain’s interior design service but definitely had his own ideas and expressed them fully. A personal friend of Joe’s, a woman who is not a designer but has exquisite taste, selected all the bedding and linens. Most of her choices are fine silks. As for window treatments, there is only one, a shade for privacy in the master bedroom. The other windows are undraped, and take advantage of the home’s double exposure.
Finally, we head for the lower level, referred to fondly by Parham as “the man cave.” Because the house is built on a sloping site, it allows for a darkened five-seat theatre-style media room while the guest bedroom - on the same lower level - is flooded with natural light. The man cave includes Joe’s “no excuses” room – a gym where he can be found six mornings a week when he’s in town.
Another South Mountain priority is protection of existing trees, plants, and landscape features from construction damage. By orchestrating the extension of Oak Bluff’s sewage system into the neighborhood, they were able to save the graceful aspens that sit in the middle of the lot between the main house and the guest house. South Mountain selects only those subcontractors and partners who share their values and provide the most exceptional work.
South Mountain provides an owners manual at the end of every job that includes a “roughing book”, which consists of photographs of all walls and ceilings, keyed to a set of plans, before the walls are closed in. “This becomes more and more valuable as time goes on,” said Abrams. “It gives you x-ray vision into the bones and guts of the house and allows repairs and alterations to be easily made.”
Joe Parham splits his time between Oak Bluffs and Atlanta where he maintains another home. “If I could get these guys from South Mountain to work off the Island, I’d want them to build me a home in Atlanta,” he says.
Sitting with Joe and Derrill as they talked and joked and made plans to get together, South Mountain owner John Abrams’ words rang true. The homeowner and the designer/project manager were clearly still friends. Once again, South Mountain got it just right.