Vermont Friday House

1988-1998  Lake Carmi, Franklin, VT
Seasonal cottages
Principal: Bob Duncan

Our family purchased a building lot on the lake in 1987, and spurred on by fond memories spent at friends' summer camps, we began the process of creating an away place to spend our summer weekends and occasional weeks.  The original 12x16 6x11 porch VT Friday House began its life as a tool shed cum weekend respite, incorporating salvaged materials, garage sale items, and many hours of family labor.  Its name comes from a variation on the 19th century Texas Sunday House, which was a small in-town abode where farmer families could come on Saturdays to shop, spend the night and go to church on Sunday.  Ours was a reversal of that: leaving the city behind for respite and renewal on the shore of the lake.  

In 1993, consistent with the desire to explore ways of building small, super efficiently, and with the highest level of craftsmanship my building skills could achieve, we embarked on the construction of a 960 SF camp that could better accommodate our family, have space for guests, and best of all, have indoor plumbing and a real kitchen.  Virtually all of the labor was family supplied, including both generations of our family and my father.  The design was regularly massaged, minimizing waste and maximizing opportunities (why not expose the joists for more ceiling height?) as they manifested themselves.