The finishing exterior touches, Averill says, included an extruded mortar treatment and swatches of shaved brick, make the feature appear as though it has been there long enough to have been weathered and required some repairing. With its mix of strategically placed crushed oyster shells imported from Louisiana, local flat stones, and lush grassy patches with stepping-stones, the entire back-of-home environment is set up for outdoor dining, convivial conversation, and relaxation. The stepping-stones lead to a carriage house born of the couple’s desire to provide a restorative space and lodging for family, and even new friends, or a community member in need of a place just to be for a while. Inside this entirely new structure, there’s a complete studio apartment with a charming efficiency kitchen, main living area, dining area, spacious sleeping quarters and a contemporary, yet rustic full bath highlighted with a sliding barn door closure fabricated from a solid brass panel sourced from a very early 20th century bank vault. A single-bay garage/workshop is located on the opposite side of the structure, completing the owners’ vision of a home that has it all and has all the character of that original home built in Eastport in 1917.
WHAT’S IN A NAME For the Schneiders, though, that vision and feeling of gemütlichkeit has always started at the front door and more specifically, the front porch. With the added benefit of the wrap-around extension, the addition of period-accurate tapered square columns, and rich Brazilian hardwood flooring, for them the porch was like adding another room to the home—one where you could drink a cup of coffee in the morning, and a glass of wine at the end of the day, as they often do. This simple pleasure, they said, helped them connect to this community faster than any they have lived in before. Recently the couple did another of their famous bicycle tours, this time to Nantucket, and noticed how homes there are often given names. This led Susan to ask of Bill, “If we were to name our house, what do you think we would call it?” Without much hesitation, Bill responded, “Sit a spell,” referring to how their friends often check in with them and connect on that expanded front porch. “They’ll stop by and come round to the side door; friends that we know through community service…it’s like you just want to stop and sit and visit...like you did in a bygone era,” Susan says. “And you just have to sit a spell.”
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What’s Up? Annapolis | December 2021 | whatsupmag.com
