Fairhope Residence

Designed around the trees that were already there.

This couple had owned the wooded Fairhope lot for six years before they were ready to build. In that time they'd walked it in every season and knew exactly which trees they wanted to keep — three mature live oaks that had taken decades to grow and would take decades more to replace. The home's footprint was positioned deliberately around those trees, and every siting decision flowed from that constraint. The result is a white board-and-batten exterior with a standing-seam metal roof that looks like it grew out of the landscape rather than being placed on top of it.

The wrap-around porch was a requirement from the beginning — the couple wanted to sit outside in the morning without the sun beating on them and without looking at their neighbors. Inside, the kitchen was designed to open fully to the outdoor living area through a set of folding glass doors, so cooking for company never means missing the conversation happening outside. The metal roof and fiber cement cladding weren't just aesthetic choices; they were practical ones for a lot shaded by large oaks that drop limbs and debris year-round.