Mini-Interview: Michael Swett

Interviews

Sep 6

We recently had a chance to shoot a home built by one of our favorite designers + builders here in Maine, Michael Swett! Michael specializes in Scandinavian style builds - a refreshing departure from the typical Colonials and Capes of New England.

Mike is an awesome guy and took the time out of his busy day to chat with us. Check out the mini-interview and a few select images from the shoot below!

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PALMS: I know you love Scandinavian Design - tell us a bit more about how you fell in love with this Design Aesthetic:

Michael: I’m an engineer, so I think by nature I gravitate to all things functional. In Scandinavia, they seem to marry function with a clean, minimal, warm aesthetic, and that really speaks to me. I think modern Scandinavian design lends itself to our similar environment here in Maine, too – cold, dark winters and short summers. As such, maximizing natural light and bringing the outdoors in should be priorities in creating a comfortable, desirable space to live.

Who is your favorite Scandinavian Designer?

There are so many! One of my favorites though would have to be Reiulf Ramstad Arkitektor, based in Oslo. I saw Mr. Ramstad speak at an Architalx lecture in Portland a few years ago. His practice seems to really focus on structure and nature in a way that I really appreciate.

Is there something that specifically inspired the overall design at Cairn Hill?

Not one thing specifically. Designing for a specific site is important to me. I wanted to create something that fit on the standard suburban-style lot, while maximizing views of the surrounding trees, bringing in natural light, and minimizing road noise.

In terms of program, I thought of the home as three separate volumes (downstairs; upstairs main living area; upstairs accessory area) and these volumes are communicated to the exterior of the home with different cladding types. The upstairs living area also cantilevers out a bit and has a lot of glass, giving it the feeling that it’s a separate box that’s perched up in the air.

You are a designer and a builder - what is your typical creative process on the design side of things?

Being both designer and builder, I always try to consider constructibility when I design, so it’s often a back-and-forth between developing creative design ideas and immediately thinking about how they’ll be built. I don’t like to get too far along with an idea before figuring out how it’s actually going to physically and economically materialize.

What was your strategy in the overall construction and build?

A big part of my strategy was to do as much of the building myself, but recognize where I needed to subcontract things out, invest in equipment, or bring in help to do things effectively and most importantly – safely. For instance, I had no desire to set up and take down staging by myself, and then climb up and down it the whole job, so I rented a large scissor lift that I used for sheathing, windows, roofing, insulation, cladding, etc. It may have looked more costly on paper, but it really made the project more achievable and safer for what was largely a solo build.

What features did you specifically want to incorporate into the build?

I knew from the start that I wanted to include a vertical slat railing wall. I had a simple, clean aesthetic I wanted to achieve, but that can be costly and labor intensive. When I started the house, I had no idea how I was going to build the railing, but I came up with a pretty effective solution in the end.

I wanted to incorporate an energy efficient building envelope that would also be durable and go way beyond code requirements and the typical “spec” build.

I wanted to source local wood for the exterior siding. The Maine-grown pine and cedar were some of the first design decisions made for the house.

Is there anything you would do differently if you could start the build from the beginning?

Yes, for sure. I would have spent more time on the planning and design end. I had just left my previous job as a construction manager and taken a few months off, and I just wanted to dive in and start getting my hands dirty. It can be fun to design on the fly, but I could have avoided a few hiccups with more up front planning.

I also would have used a non-fossil fuel burning heating system and more sustainably-manufactured insulation products, but those will be goals for the next build!

Were there any major challenges to the project?

The biggest challenge was probably the weather, but that’s to be expected when building in Maine. Due to some subcontractor delays (another common challenge!), I didn’t start framing until November. That month ended up being one of the coldest and one of the wettest Novembers on record, and the snow just kept coming after that. It was a good test though – I figure, if I can build through that, I can build through anything!

What feature of the house, interior or exterior, are you most proud of?

I would probably stay the interior stairs and vertical slat railing. These were some of the final finishes to go into the house, and I put a lot of time and effort into getting them right.