Books

On The Porch
(Taunton Press, April 2007)

If you dream of having a beautiful porch, this book, by James Crisp and Sandra Mahoney of Crisp Architects, is the perfect planning and design guide, loaded with tips about construction, maintenance and lots of information about adding finishing touches.

An Old Farmhouse Reborn
(Shades of Country, Taunton Press, October 2006, pg.36-43)

An early 19th century farmhouse sits comfortable on the side of a hill, part of a 30-acre property in upstate New York once used to raise sheep and chickens. Its new owners, a couple with two young children - as well as two bouncy black Labs - have given the once-undistinguished farmhouse a new lease on life by transforming it into a home that embodies the best of both the past and the present.

Compound Structure
(House Beautiful Pools, Hearst, March 2003) , pg.152-153)

The size of the property in the rolling countryside outside New York City, as well as the scale and style of the old Colonial house, suggested a straightforward and generous pool supported by “outbuildings”. New York architect James Crisp placed a 25-by-55-foot gunnite pool with a bluestone deck about 150 feet away from the main house.

Rustic Schoolhouse
(House Beautiful Weekend Homes, Hearst, March 1990, pg.120-123)

If there's one icon of American architecture, and one that calls to mind a more leisurely time, it's the porch. I grew up in the South, where porch sitting is a part of the culture. Even now, some of my most peaceful, introspective times are spent sipping coffee and looking out over the river on the porch of a guest house I stay at when visiting family back in rural Louisiana.