§ 01 — THE SITE
The Building and the Garden
The dry land boathouse on Moon River isn’t just a structure — it’s part of a complete site composition. This second video goes deeper than the first. The architecture is settled. The garden has taken root. What you see now is the project living in its landscape, which is what we were always designing toward.
Rockscape handled the landscaping. The perennial garden that frames the building was specified for the long game — species that fill in quickly, hold through the seasons, and give the exterior a base that reads as rooted rather than recently planted.
§ 02 — THE DECK
Outdoor Space Designed to Be Used
The deck runs the full length of the south face. Steel railings, open to the garden below. The stairs step down in sections — a deliberate grade change that extends the living space from the deck to the lawn to the waterfront edge.
That sequencing of outdoor space is part of the design intent, not an afterthought. The deck isn’t a platform bolted to the back of the building. It’s the building continuing outward.
§ 03 · THE TOUR
Watch the Full Walkthrough
We filmed the full exterior and garden tour with the property in its second season — after the planting has filled in and the decks have been broken in. Watch before reading the sections below.
§ 04 — THE PLANTING
What a Mature Garden Does to a Building
A newly finished cottage looks sharp. A cottage in its second or third growing season looks like it belongs. The perennials at Moon River were chosen with that in mind — low maintenance, fast to establish, and generous enough in volume to give the building a base that feels permanent.
The dark exterior holds the planting in contrast. The garden softens the building’s edges without competing with its form. That balance — strong building, soft surround — is something we plan for at the design stage, not something that just happens.
§ 05 — THE THROUGH-LINE
A Site, Not Just a Structure
The dry land boathouse was never just a building on a lot. From the first site visit, the design was about how the building, the deck, the garden, and the water edge worked as one composition. Video 2 is what that looks like once it’s settled in.
Every project has a moment when it stops being a construction project and starts being a place. This is that moment for Moon River.
