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The Charlie Cotton Home

This home, which has been featured in numerous magazines including Down East, Good Housekeeping, Harrowsmith and Remodeling, was the architect's house. It was originally built in the 1790's by George Morse and was later renovated. Being mostly from the 18th century, it is a house about walls more than windows, and as such, does well with closer neighbors.

Just inside the entry door is a small kitchen which works great for one cook, but is rather crowded for two. It has a kitchen wood cook stove to supplement the gas range because the owners liked both, but you could add more counter space by eliminating the cook stove. As one moves off to the left, the house opens into a two story space that was created by removing one of the original four bedrooms upstairs. This eating space is filled with sun all day in the winter, but in the summer big maples to the southwest shade it in the afternoon. As the sun gets lower in the west, it streams under the limbs of the maple trees that line the town road, pouring through the small paned windows and drawing the owners into the living room for the end of the day. Off the living room is a small alternate living room, which may be used in various ways to suit your needs.

Upstairs are three bedrooms under the eaves, with large roof windows that open for cross ventilation and give wonderful views of the stars. The height of the flat ceiling is 7'6", and slopes down towards the edges to approximately 3'6".The master bedroom has an extra deep closet (to fit the stairwell width), in which shelves could be added in the back. The little hall upstairs looks into the two story space and shares its light and the warm air that floats up from the woodstove below. The owners put in a thermostatically controlled fan that comes on when it gets too warm, blowing the warm air down through the duct into the library. The Vermont Castings Vigilant woodstove easily heats up the entire house.

The Charlie Cotton Design

If you live in a cold climate, it would be best if the entry side of this house faces south, but it is not necessary. The arbor over the deck may be sloped for sun control if you don't have tall trees for shading.