LAVALlETTE, New Jersey

Architect: RS MANNINO Architecture

Builder: MAC Builders

Project Location: Lavallette, New Jersey⠀

Project Description: Located in Ocean County, NJ, this modern beach retreat in Lavalette utilizes every square inch of space in a fresh creative way. Since the home did not have a big footprint, our goal was to maximize functionality, storage space and provide entertaining areas like a sunken lounge. Our clients live in a historical period home in Northern NJ, so they wanted a completely different aesthetic that was modern, refreshing and energetic for their beach house. 

The weathered white ash exterior cladding respects both the neighborhood landscape and the environment. Our modern approach to this home, situated one block from the ocean, was to use a protective rain screen system with durable horizontal siding boards that’s ideal for longevity. 

The durability of a standing seam metal roof in a light grey color was appealing for several reasons since it doesn’t absorb too much of the heat as the sunlight reflects and bounces off the metal roof, plus it doesn’t show dirt. We definitely consider the home’s energy consumption when determining the roof materials, as this beach house is near the ocean and there’s no natural shading of trees.

Inspired by yacht design which utilizes space more efficiently, we designed all custom built-in furniture (no drop in furniture) along with built-in storage above and below the daybeds.  To create the sunken outdoor living and entertaining room, we lifted the building up to adhere to flood zone regulations. Since there's no direct sunlight, it's a nice private area that takes advantage of the cool ocean breezes.  We followed through with the horizontal boards design which acts as a barrier and privacy fill. The TV and hidden bar in this sunken outdoor living area make it a perfect entertaining space. Plus, there’s plenty of beach storage on the ground floor, including room for surfboards and boogie boards. It’s a very compact, and efficient space to accommodate their guests.

In addition to three bedrooms on the upstairs main living area, we created a kids playroom on the upper floor that has a quaint, cute kid scale to the room.

There’s a very long open central cutaway in this floor plan to make the space feel bigger even though the footprint is very small. In fact, the main floor hallway doesn’t have a ceiling, and feels like two stories opening into the attic.  This level is wrapped around a balcony, so if you're up on the attic floor, you can look down into the second floor hallway. Instead of traditional stairs, we opted for a ladder to have more efficient use of space and continue the boat design theme.

The open roof deck of this beach oasis features metal and glass railings to take advantage of the beautiful ocean views and also contrasts with the white ash cladding. Other architectural details include modern dark bronze minimally framed windows on the home’s east facing side to take advantage of the ocean views and natural light deep into the floor plan. 

On the side of the house facing neighbors, we used less windows in addition to a privacy lattice wall that allows the breeze in and keeps the sun out. The design process for a new construction home is about 4 months and the construction is estimated at 8 months. 

Interested in hiring RS Mannino for your next home design-build project in New York or New Jersey? Contact us today.