Testimonials
Sometimes it’s best to begin at the end with the lasting big take away – my wife and I now live in our Dream Beach Home. Every day we completely enjoy it with our family and friends. Peter is completely responsible. He made it happen. Brought it to life. And I know now that he is one of the most talented and interesting people I have the pleasure of knowing.
Other times it’s best to begin at the beginning with the very first experience – I met Peter quite by chance when my wife and I were selling our house and he had come to “explore potential enhancements” with a client. I witnessed his situation analysis and the ability for creative problem solving and immediately recognized the special approach he brought to the art of architecture. I felt sure he would be part of the home of the future.
In between, my wife and I worked with Peter to make our Dream Beach House happen. Perhaps his first best attribute was the ability to listen, translate and draw. Initial conversations focused on elemental questions – what needs to be included? How do you want to live? Plans then started to develop showing space and proportions. When necessary to assist our understanding, Peter would produce a computer-generated drawing to help us visualize the options. The result was a unique illustrated blueprint.
We said “vista”…
And the house faces the beautiful open space to the west and captures the afternoon and setting sun; this also provides a significant amount of privacy.
We said, “bring the outside inside”…
And there are walls of windows that fold away, enabling us to literally live outdoors while letting in amazing amounts of natural light.
We said, “keep the inside open”…
And there are practically no walls on the main living floor; instead, there are “flowing open areas” instead of “rooms”.
And there’s a front porch, a small balcony off the Master Bedroom on the second floor and another larger one off the third floor.
We said, “entertain family and friends”…
And the kitchen is the large central hub for informal gatherings.
We said “Thanksgiving”…
And the dining area can sit down the entire family.
We said, “hide the front stairs from the street”…
And the stairs are concealed behind the beautiful front door; in fact, the stairs are a central design feature serving as the “spine” of the house.
We said, “We have a lot of stuff”…
And there are numerous built-in bookcases in the family room, hallway and surrounding the stairs.
And there are tremendous closets and storage spaces.
We said we wanted the overall style to be a Beach House…
And the exterior design uses an old-fashioned lattice works presentation to ground the house on the property and conceal the two-car garage.
Peter transformed questions into creative challenges:
What about the new Flood Zone height requirements?…
He said go higher and we now have a huge integrated outdoor living space with a covered Veranda that includes a fireplace and a complete kitchen.
What about all of the stairs as we get older?…
He added an elevator.
What about drainage?…
He utilized Rain Gardens in the front and back.
What about the lack of visitor parking on the street?…
He pulled the whole house back on the property and created a parking courtyard in the front.
With plans now in hand, it was time for implementation. Peter involved a wonderful partner who acted as the General Contractor and together they developed a flow chart and a budget. Discussions lead to materials and subs being evaluated and selected. They obtained all of the approvals from the town’s Conservation, Building, Planning, and Zoning departments. Each step along the way demonstrated their comprehensive experience and professionalism.
As the house was going up, Peter was involved every day. Then came the bonus round surprise – while the plans had shown furniture placement, Peter took it to the next level and designed and made custom pieces of furniture. Out of his workshop came the kitchen and dining room cabinets, the bathroom vanities, the fireplace mantel, a bench and table for the entrance hall as well as all the bookcases.
Soup to nuts! Way beyond an architect – I see Peter as a Renaissance Man. The best conclusion is that I would definitely do it again.
Other times it’s best to begin at the beginning with the very first experience – I met Peter quite by chance when my wife and I were selling our house and he had come to “explore potential enhancements” with a client. I witnessed his situation analysis and the ability for creative problem solving and immediately recognized the special approach he brought to the art of architecture. I felt sure he would be part of the home of the future.
In between, my wife and I worked with Peter to make our Dream Beach House happen. Perhaps his first best attribute was the ability to listen, translate and draw. Initial conversations focused on elemental questions – what needs to be included? How do you want to live? Plans then started to develop showing space and proportions. When necessary to assist our understanding, Peter would produce a computer-generated drawing to help us visualize the options. The result was a unique illustrated blueprint.
We said “vista”…
And the house faces the beautiful open space to the west and captures the afternoon and setting sun; this also provides a significant amount of privacy.
We said, “bring the outside inside”…
And there are walls of windows that fold away, enabling us to literally live outdoors while letting in amazing amounts of natural light.
We said, “keep the inside open”…
And there are practically no walls on the main living floor; instead, there are “flowing open areas” instead of “rooms”.
And there’s a front porch, a small balcony off the Master Bedroom on the second floor and another larger one off the third floor.
We said, “entertain family and friends”…
And the kitchen is the large central hub for informal gatherings.
We said “Thanksgiving”…
And the dining area can sit down the entire family.
We said, “hide the front stairs from the street”…
And the stairs are concealed behind the beautiful front door; in fact, the stairs are a central design feature serving as the “spine” of the house.
We said, “We have a lot of stuff”…
And there are numerous built-in bookcases in the family room, hallway and surrounding the stairs.
And there are tremendous closets and storage spaces.
We said we wanted the overall style to be a Beach House…
And the exterior design uses an old-fashioned lattice works presentation to ground the house on the property and conceal the two-car garage.
Peter transformed questions into creative challenges:
What about the new Flood Zone height requirements?…
He said go higher and we now have a huge integrated outdoor living space with a covered Veranda that includes a fireplace and a complete kitchen.
What about all of the stairs as we get older?…
He added an elevator.
What about drainage?…
He utilized Rain Gardens in the front and back.
What about the lack of visitor parking on the street?…
He pulled the whole house back on the property and created a parking courtyard in the front.
With plans now in hand, it was time for implementation. Peter involved a wonderful partner who acted as the General Contractor and together they developed a flow chart and a budget. Discussions lead to materials and subs being evaluated and selected. They obtained all of the approvals from the town’s Conservation, Building, Planning, and Zoning departments. Each step along the way demonstrated their comprehensive experience and professionalism.
As the house was going up, Peter was involved every day. Then came the bonus round surprise – while the plans had shown furniture placement, Peter took it to the next level and designed and made custom pieces of furniture. Out of his workshop came the kitchen and dining room cabinets, the bathroom vanities, the fireplace mantel, a bench and table for the entrance hall as well as all the bookcases.
Soup to nuts! Way beyond an architect – I see Peter as a Renaissance Man. The best conclusion is that I would definitely do it again.
Mike & Marianne Miceli
Peter Cummings is a great listener. He spent time with us in our home to see how we currently lived and listened to us describe how we would like to live in the future. He really heard us. His first draft of our home plan was more than 80% there. He took what we said and ran with it in a creative yet practical way. The rest of the plan came together easily, and almost no changes were necessary.
Before Peter Cummings, we had interviewed many other architects, but after meeting Peter we knew he was the one for us. He is very hands-on, seeing to every detail of design through the build process. He worked seamlessly with our general contractor, John Jacobellis. Together, they made the entire process as easy as possible.
We love our new home and know we couldn’t have done it as well with any other team.
We highly recommend Peter Cummings!
Before Peter Cummings, we had interviewed many other architects, but after meeting Peter we knew he was the one for us. He is very hands-on, seeing to every detail of design through the build process. He worked seamlessly with our general contractor, John Jacobellis. Together, they made the entire process as easy as possible.
We love our new home and know we couldn’t have done it as well with any other team.
We highly recommend Peter Cummings!
Mindy & Jeff Siegel
“You hit the nail on the head with the architectural feel of the building.”
Greg French, Part Owner of Henry C. Reid Jewelers
“I’ve done my fair share of development grumbling – but want to take a moment to applaud the developers at Henry C. Reid Jewelers! You would never know that the second story wasn’t always there and it blends in seamlessly. Well done!
Greg French, Part Owner of Henry C. Reid Jewelers
“I’ve done my fair share of development grumbling – but want to take a moment to applaud the developers at Henry C. Reid Jewelers! You would never know that the second story wasn’t always there and it blends in seamlessly. Well done!
Charles Farrington
Member of Preserving Fairfield