Japanese Style Home

A couple who attended one of our free green home seminars in Sunapee this winter asked us to design their new Japanese style timber home in Bradford, New Hampshire.

This design for the 2100 square floor timber home, inspired by traditional Japanese homes, will incorporate large overhangs supported by timber exterior brackets which will help contain sun from overheating in the late summer months.

The timber home features an open floor plan containing the kitchen, living, dining areas as well as a first floor master bedroom suite. The second floor which will feature incredible distant mountain views will contain a second potential master bedroom suite with a balcony, a loft/office area.


An exterior bridge connecting to a screen porch will allow for quiet nights enjoying the views and serenity of the property. The entire area around the house will become a wonder ‘rock’ garden of sorts, utilizing many of the existing rocks abundant on the property, with the house rising from the highest point. It will be very dramatic and presents a varied amount of flexibility in the landscape design as well.

We had a chance to also review our project with our local solar expert for his input on incorporating solar domestic hot water, solar space heating and photo voltaic power generation. With the orientation of the timber home on the site, our clients have several options for solar energy.

House plans for this Japanese home will be posted soon!

Timber Home – South Peak Resort, Lincoln NH

Our clients’ timber home in South Peak, Lincoln, New Hampshire is almost complete! Here are some construction pictures, including the landscaping and a couple of interior photos.

The timber frame entry gives a glimpse of the beauty of the timber frame interior.

The walkout basement is almost completed as well.

The interior is almost ready for furniture! More pictures will be posted soon!

New London New Hampshire Office Relocation!

Bonin Architects is excited to announce the opening of our new office located at 209 Main Street, New London, New Hampshire, next to Ellie’s Café.

Our new office is a two-story 1,449 square foot craftsman-style building, a signature facility which reflects our culture and the way we work with our clients. The first floor has a large conference table to accommodate large project meetings with clients and builders, as well as a separate seating area around a gas fireplace for more informal client appointments. In addition to meeting space, the upstairs has plenty of room for our design and project management staff and will also allow us to grow.

Despite the declining economy over the past year, Bonin Architects has continued to stay busy. Asked what has contributed to our growth, Principal Partner and Executive Project Manager Kimberly Bonin explains, “We offer home design and full architectural services, as well as project management to clients who want us to manage the construction of their new home. Our Principal Architect, Jeremy Bonin, is licensed in eight states (ME, NH, VT, NY, MA, RI, CT, and PA) and is a member of the AIA with a diverse background in commercial and residential design. He is also a LEED accredited professional and an expert in the green building industry. Our priority is listening to our clients’ wants and needs, including their goals for energy efficiency, and then working with them to design a home that fits their lifestyle – and their budgets.”

The new office is located in Baynham’s Square, the “gathering place” of New London. Other businesses in Baynham’s Square besides Ellie’s Café and Bonin Architects are Vessels & Jewels and The Banks Gallery. “Many of the locals have already stopped in to welcome us to the neighborhood. We’re definitely looking forward to having our client and project meetings in our new space and are already enjoying having our business in such a friendly community,” Kim adds.

Stop by to say hello the next time you are travelling through New London!

Top 10 Green Building Products of 2009

Award-winning business magazine Sustainable Industries recently announced the release of its 2009 Top 10 Green Building Products guide, the annual publication profiling industry-leading green building products selected by a panel of expert judges and the Sustainable Industries editorial team. This year’s Top 10 Green Building Products guide received more nominations than anytime over the last 4 years.

Top 10 Green Building Product winners were selected based on their environmental performance, scalability/market impact, innovativeness, design aesthetic, value and compatibility with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

The 2009 Top 10 Green Building Product winners are:

Acadia Combined Heating and Cooling System
Made by Hallowell International (http://www.gotohallowell.com/)
The Acadia is not just another heating and cooling system. It maintains 200 percent efficiency even when outdoor temperatures drop well below zero. When heating oil prices were sky high, Acadia users were saving up to 70 percent in energy costs.

ec-H20
Made by Tennant Co.(http://www.tennantco.com/)
Requiring no chemicals, ec-H2O uses tap water to clean most any surface of most any substance. Each machine reduces water usage by 70 to 80 percent, and the potential of 245 million gallons of water each year if it were installed in all new floor-cleaning machines.

Read more about their Top Ten Green Building Products...

NH Things To Do

If you are looking for things to do in New Hampshire this weekend, head over to the Lakeside Living Expo at Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford! The Expo, in its second year, is located near beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee, less than 90 minutes from Boston and the NH seacoast.

The Expo will feature over 200 companies featuring 300 exhibits from around the NH Lakes Region, including manufacturers of log and timber houses, suppliers of building products, rustic Adirondack home decor, furniture, artists, boating equipment, and indoor and outdoor cottage accessories.

Exhibit booths will be located in several tents surrounding the property. Bonin Architects & Associates will be located in the Lake Winnesquam tent in Booth #144.

2nd Annual Lakeside Living ExpoGunstock Mountain Resort, Gilford, NH
July 17-19, 2009
Friday Noon-8PM * Saturday 10AM – 8PM * Sunday 10AM – 4PM

If you’re planning to build a green home – whether it is timber frame, post and beam, structural insulated panels (SIPs or stress skin panels) or a conventional green home, make Bonin Architects’ booth your first stop! While you’re there, plan to attend a FREE SEMINAR on Green Homes by Jeremy Bonin, AIA NCARB LEED AP.

Free Seminar on Green Homes
Friday & Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM * Sunday 1:15 PM – 1:45 PM

Looking for discounted admission tickets?

Timber Homes: Beautiful & Unique

If you are looking to build a stunningly unique home, consider a timber frame home. Timber homes, also called post and beam homes, are both beautiful and distinctive.

The timber frame is wrapped in an insulating barrier, usually Structural Insulated Panels (SIP Panels). The timber structure is then visible on the inside of the home, creating one of the most beautiful home interiors available.

Unlike man-made materials, timbers vary in color and size, adding depth and warmth to the home. Posts and beams can be recycled from old factories, barns, and historical buildings, adding character and bringing a unique history to the home. Small defects may be present, including nail holes, notches, and scratches, which also to the beauty of the home.

Timber frames offer elegant, simple solutions to challenges that exist in designing a home, allowing homeowners to create every type of space imaginable, from grand and expansive to small and cozy, public to private, recreational to functional. Timber frames appeal to those concerned with the quality, not quantity, of space.

Timber homes address the basic human need for shelter and comfort while satisfying our deeper desires for simplicity, tradition, security, warmth, and beauty. Best of all, timber frame design can accommodate any architectural style to reflect your personal taste!

Timber frame home, top, by Riverbend Timber Framing