AIA Design Awards - Last Day to Vote Online for Your Favorite Project!

Voting ends today for the AIA NH Excellence in Design People's Choice Awards!  

Bonin Architects submitted a custom home on Lake Sunapee to be considered for the Awards.  Help us get the People's Choice Award two years in a row by voting online!

 Our project, # 1, The Landing, located in Blodgettt Landing, Lake Sunapee in Newbury, NH replaced an old uninsulated family summer cottage on the property.  Design goals were to maximize living space, lakefront views, and capture as much natural daylight as possible while maintaining privacy between close neighboring homes.  With four bedrooms and four-and-a-half baths, the design addresses all of the client needs.  Recreation areas and a home theatre provide options for children and adults alike.

An open stair anchors the home and creates a focal point, celebrating the four story design.  The basement provides direct lake access, ample storage, and a full bathroom for showering after enjoying the lake.

Site placement and interior programming / design conform to property setbacks, neighboring homes less than 7 feet away, and CSPA guidelines.  A 5% decrease in the impermeable impact of the site (53% to 48%) was achieved with an overall smaller building footprint and reduction in paved/hardscaped areas.


Please take time to vote for Project #1, The Landing!

Vote on the AIA site:  http://www.aianh.org/design_awards_vote2012.asp

September Open House

Join us for another Open House and Q&A with our local Green Building experts!  If you are thinking of relocating to the Dartmouth Lake Sunapee region and are considering building a new home or remodelling an old one, you won't want to miss this informative event!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Custom home near Lake Sunapee

An informal setting where you can ask local Green Building Experts questions about Shoreland Protection guidelines, green home design, renewable energy, building materials & costs, and more!

Local Experts:
Architect Jeremy Bonin, Bonin Architects & Associates
Custom Builder Everett Pollard, Northcape Design
Realtor Dan O'Halloran, Colby Real Estate
Engineer Charlie Hirshberg, CLD Consulting Engineers

Registration is required!!  Directions given to registrants only - call today!
Bonin Architects & Associates, PLLC
603-504-6009

Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act

The Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (CSPA) helps protect New Hampshire lakes and ponds from erosion and sedimentation as a result of construction and land use activities within 250’ of the shoreline, affecting all homeowners planning to build on or subdivide New Hampshire lakefront property.

The primary purpose of the Act is a good one - to prevent water runoff from going directly into the lake. Excess nutrients in runoff lead to excessive plant and algae growth which eventually starves the lake of oxygen and in turn suffocates fish and other aquatic life. Nutrients and sediment also speed up the lake’s natural aging process, slowly filling it in. Trees and plants at the edge of the lake can filter sediment, soak up nutrients, and protect the lake. One of the focuses of the CSPA is to restrict the number of trees cut near the shoreline.

The Act originally passed the NH Legislature in 1994 and recently went through a stringent reevaluation process to tighten up the laws protecting our lakes and ponds. Amendments were originally scheduled to go into effect April 1, 2008, but due to the complexity of the laws, lawmakers postponed the date to July 1st.

Sen. Martha Fuller Clark, D-Portsmouth said the changes in the Shoreland Protection Act are difficult to understand and supported the postponement. "Nobody really likes moving legislative deadlines, but for the health of our environment, and the health of our economy, we need to have additional time to solve the ambiguities here and to educate the public.”

Many “gray areas” still exist in the Act and its amendments including restrictions on building size, accessory structures and the amount of clearing that can be done, boathouse construction, and conflicting state vs. town setback requirements.

As a result, many people are coming to us for help in making sure their home plan is in compliance with these regulations. If you are planning to build an energy efficient home on New Hampshire lakefront property, we’re happy to help you get started designing a home plan that meets these amended requirements (along with any other existing regulations), as well as your family’s wants and needs in a primary or vacation home.

Jeremy Bonin, AIA NCARB LEED AP

Bonin Architects & Associates, PLLC

Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act

One of the most popular topics of discussion at the Lakeside Living Expo in Gilford, NH last weekend was the Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (CSPA). Several of our new clients from the show are building in the lakes area and will have to abide by these new regulations.

Since Bonin Architects is currently working with clients who have been affected by this legislation, we have, by necessity, become experts in this area. When considering a new timber frame home or energy efficient home design, contacting an architectural firm with licensed staff and construction managers who have experience in this field is imperative. In many cases, plans with the stamp of a licensed design professional (an architect for example) are required to be submitted for record and permits.

The Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (CSPA) was first enacted in 1994 and states the common view that "the shorelands of [New Hampshire] are among its most valuable and fragile natural resources." RSA 483-B:1. The Shoreland Protection Act has helped maintain clean lakes and rivers by requiring waterfront landowners to keep specific amounts of vegetation, trees and even stones and boulders on their properties, regulating impermeable surfaces such as pavement and restricting the homes placement on the lot. As of July 1st 2008, revised regulations took effect which include a “Natural Woodland Buffer” as well as requirements for shoreline frontage and other critical guidelines. Bonin Architects & Associates can explain these requirements to our clients when we visit your site and take the measurements for the placement of your new green home.

Kimberly Bonin, Executive Project Manager
Bonin Architects & Associates, PLLC