Worth the Wait

John and Rosemary Spillane were in no particular hurry to build 30 years ago when they bought a small but spectacular waterfront lot on Cape Cod overlooking a small bay and Nantucket Sound. They bided their time until they felt they could build something worthy of this special place. Twenty-five years later, they finally decided to build a vacation home. It turned out to be a masterpiece, fitting naturally into the landscape and showcasing magnificent views. The home features majestic Douglas fir timbers, skillfully fashioned and joined, with distinctive finishing touches.

The idea to build a timber-frame home occurred to John and Rosemary about the same time they decided to build on their treasured one-acre site. They researched several companies before choosing Davis Frame Co. of Claremont, New Hampshire. "We liked that it was a small firm and felt we would get personal attention," John says. "We also appreciated that they could use computers to configure our ideas for the look and layout that we wanted."

The Spillanes decided against using an architect because they had their own, very definite ideas about the design. After meeting with Steve Petty, who represents Davis Frame throughout eastern Massachusetts, they felt confident that by working together he could turn their ideas into drawings.

"We began with a few exploratory sessions," Steve recalls. "There were a few features they wanted: a farmer's porch, the widow's walk, an open flow to take advantage of the water views and a central great room. I did some sketches and revisions to get the basic conceptual design, then worked up some floor plan ideas."

It was Steve who suggested using a central core for the great room with wings off the sides, and to add second- story decks for views and to prevent the home from appearing as a solid block. The Spillanes in turn came up with the idea to angle the home on its site to take full advantage of the 320-degree water panorama. "We had about eight to 10 meetings over a three-month period to fine-tune the plans before sending them to Davis's drafting department to put on the CAD (computer-aided drafting system)," Steve says.

The resulting floor plan comprises nearly 5,000 square feet, counting the attached garage. The home has two levels and a basement. The first floor opens through the front porch to an entryway, which is divided from the space beyond by the towering great room fireplace. The dining room and kitchen are to the left and the living area straight ahead whose ceiling soars 26 feet. The master bedroom is to the right, beyond the stairs. Upstairs is the library and a balcony overlooking the living room. It is flanked on one side by three bedrooms and two baths and on the other by a large bedroom with its own bath. Windows throughout the home expose the interior to spectacular views and allow the home to be bathed in natural light.

Building the home took about a year. A major part of the project was elevating the front of the site 10 feet above grade because it is on a coastal flood plain and to accommodate a septic system. This work required bringing in fill dirt and stone, then reinforcing the new grade with a stone retaining wall. The rear of the site was left at its original level, resulting in a gently sloping lawn.

While the site was being readied, Davis Frame was cutting the timbers for the frame, using a technique called chamfering to bevel the edges and give the wood a more finished look. The Spillanes appreciated being able to select their timbers, which were moved to the Cape to become acclimated to the environment.

John, who is a lawyer but has built some condominiums, acted as the general contractor on the project. Rosemary stayed at the site to observe the day-to-day progress and deal with questions that arose. To keep a record of the project, the couple filmed it from the cutting of the wood in New Hampshire through completion.

Conkey Construction of Holliston, Massachusetts, built the home after Davis Frame Co. assembled and raised the actual timber frame. Conkey originally had been hired only through enclosing of the frame with stress-skin panels, but John was so happy with its work that he kept the crew on and entrusted them with most of the finish carpentry.

Two features that distinguish the home are its stonework and woodwork. The stonework, notably the great room fireplace, was done by Michael Mountain of Mountain Masonry in Brewster, Massachusetts, using stone quarried in Connecticut. Woodsmith Millwork of Falmouth, Massachusetts, handled the woodwork, including the stair and balcony railings and the carved seashell designs in the 4-by-4-inch comer blocks of the door and window frames that are the home's hallmark. The seashell motif originated as a way to decorate the windows frames that were left exposed since Rosemary did not want to have curtains to obscure the views.

The interior features a dazzling array of wood. The floors are oak. Most of the woodwork is poplar. The bead-board wainscoting throughout the house adds an old-fashioned touch. The home has extensive built-in cabinets. A Brazilian hardwood called palupe, which is so dense it doesn't float, was used for the porch and decking.

A feature the Spillanes are especially proud of is the steep mahogany captain's stairs leading to the widow's walk with paneling on both sides and access to storage behind the paneling. "The landing is made of teakwood, like you'd find on the deck of a ship, and we have that all oiled down," John notes.

The exterior of the home is clad with clapboard. The roof is covered with fire-resistant red cedar shingles and designed with a one-inch ventilation space.

The Spillanes also brought in some 2,000 cobblestones to add a touch of sea towns to the landscaping. John points out that English whaling boats sailing to American waters used the cobblestones as ballast, then left them in New England seaports before returning. Here they were used extensively in construction.

The simple but elegant home truly befits a family whose passion is the water. Because the Spillanes and their five grown children all love sailing, motorboating and kayaking, the home has a 60-foot pier system with floating docks that can accommodate four boats.

The Spillanes received their occupancy permit in June 1998. Since then, they have enjoyed many moments at the home, which is a two-hour drive from their primary residence in Worcester, Massachusetts. Besides visiting during summer. the family gathers there for other occasions, such as last Thanksgiving. In fact, John and Rosemary like it so much that he is opening a second law office nearby.

Waiting until the right time definitely make the project worthwhile, the Spillanes agree. "It was a fun house to build," Rosemary recalls."We're glad we did it."