Doctor Structure

A Vintage Manufactured House is Made Contemporary

– Best Green Houses – Greensource Magazine

Richard Renner |Architects

This article discussess energy efficiency upgrades to a Deck House

William Berkes and Robert Brownell founded the Deck House Company in Acton, Massachusetts, nearly six decades ago, and despite a brief hiatus in 2008, the manufacturer has been in operation ever since. Of more than 20,000 residences produced by the company in this period, a large number of Deck Houses are situated in greater Boston. Brownell himself lived in a Deck House for 25 years in the Lincoln subdivision Stonehedge where 80 such units were erected in 1962.

A Deck House has several identifying characteristics, including natural finish materials such as mahogany and slate, that differentiated them from other manufactured homes of mid-century America. Today, casual observers might notice their low-slung gable roofs with wide overhangs, or cantilevered second-story volumes that connect to outdoor patios. Contemporary occupants, meanwhile, enjoy the drama of vaulted interiors featuring tongue-and-groove ceilings and a fluid indoor-outdoor dialogue courtesy of sliding glass doors, numerous windows, and screen porches.

Architect Rick Renner, who has mentally cataloged myriad Deck Houses, says of this latter quality, “Properly done, Deck Houses provide homeowners with a really nice relationship to the landscape.”. Text above is linked to complete article.