Rock Solid

Rockport granite was used throughout the design, moving from the home’s façade to the planters on the terrace, down the steps to the spa, and over to the retaining wall by the fire pit. Large boulders repurposed from a ledge outcropping invite the family down the slope toward the private beach below using steps made of found fieldstone.

Eventually, the carefully selected plantings that mimic the indigenous foliage of the region will shroud the boulders and emulate the ledge that once stood on the site.

The Heat Is On

Radiant heating was used in the terrace, deck and stairs. The stairs were formed from one piece of granite, and had to be completely carved out to place the system’s PEX tubing. The clients also wanted an automatic cover, so Pittman’s team incorporated the stiff radiant heat tubing into the removable cover lids without having the tubing kink or leak.

Flexible stainless steel braided pipe connects the lid tubing to the main slab piping. They placed the radiant piping inside four custom stainless pans, poured concrete over them and attached the granite stonework on top. “Now you can lift the pieces and service the cover yet the lids are still connected to the boiler,” Pittman says.