While many of the best known shingle style houses were built on huge properties in seaside communities, countless more modest late 19th century examples were built on narrow suburban lots. Briar Patch Road is designed to fit perfectly on a small, narrow site. Shown here on just a quarter acre lot, Briar Patch Road nevertheless manages to connect to the outdoors to an extent more typical of a large house out in the country.

The street facade features a sunny bay window with views of the front garden. While many narrow houses shut themselves off to their side lot lines, this home is surprisingly bright and airy with its three main rooms opening to a side terrace which, through landscape screening, can be transformed into a spacious outdoor living room. This terrace wraps around to the more private backyard and connects to a covered porch with outdoor fireplace that can be outfitted with removable glass or screen panels or with motorized screens.

Briar Patch Road can be upgraded to include an attached or detached garage of any size, with or without a second floor studio/bedroom(s).

1st Floor Plan

Like a classic shingle style house, Briar Patch Road has a layout which is both modern in its open flow and traditional in its strongly-defined rooms. The primary rooms have 8 foot tall french doors and large 6′-6″ tall windows that fill the spaces with natural light and encourage easy flow to outdoor rooms. First floor ceilings are 9′-3″ high which, along with the oversized windows, give this relatively small home a surprisingly spacious feel.

Typical of the shingle style, a dynamic entry foyer greets visitors and opens to both a large great room and sun-filled dining room. The dining room connects, via a discreet wet bar, back to the open kitchen/family room which, as the heart of the home, is perfectly situated at the junction of the side terrace and rear garden.

2nd Floor Plan

Briar Patch Road has large windows and 8′-6″ ceilings throughout the second floor and any space can be made taller with a cathedral ceiling. The master suite occupies the relatively private back end of the house and has views of the rear garden and features an attached office, a master bath with double sink and large shower, and a dressing room with two windows.

The second floor has three more bright bedrooms, one with an en-suite bath and the other two sharing a large bath with double sink.

Basement Plan

Briar Patch Road is shown here with 1000 square feet of finished space including a large playroom, a bar, an exercise room, a bathroom, and an optional fireplace. All full basements are outfitted with numerous full height windows, filling the space with natural light and making it feel anything but underground.

Briar Patch Road is shown with five large basement windows and additional windows are possible. A walk-out basement with french doors is also possible for sloping sites.

Attic Plan

Briar Patch Road has 675 square feet of third floor space. It is shown here divided into a sun-filled landing area, a large storage room, and a bonus room that could be converted into a studio/office, a playroom, or a bedroom suite.