Give and Take
Friends always assume that , by designing her homes herself , Holland gets exactly what she wants .
“ In reality ,” she says , “ you start out with plan A , you get your quotes , and you might end up with plan G .”
An example : Holland hoped to build the Middletown property off the electrical grid . The former farmland didn ’ t have any utilities in place , so she designed the house to harness wind and sun and let solar panels do the rest . But plans changed and , in the end , a whole lot of engineering went into electrifying the property .
“ We lived for almost a year off a generator ,” she says .
Nevertheless , the home ’ s intentional siting , at one of the highest points in Middletown , captures breezes from nearby Second Beach . The ocean air crosses through transom windows and French doors , cooling the house on the hottest summer nights without any need for air conditioning .
Along with the two fireplaces , radiant floors help ward off the chill . They were an easy install under travertine tiles but presented a conundrum beneath antique heart pine flooring , which might warp when exposed to heat .
Other GCs might ’ ve pushed for porcelain or stone , but Holland knew what she wanted and made it work , thanks to some creative design and a trusty buffer of engineered planks .
82 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l APRIL 2021