Wright-inspired home being built in Chandler
When Will Carpenter bought an acre of land with an uncontaminated view of San Tan Mountain 10 years ago, there wasn’t even a road leading to his plot.
Carpenter and five neighbors got together and hired a contractor to put in the road and connect their homes to water and power.
Carpenter, a contractor with WT Carpenter Construction, and his wife, Melissa, an administrator at Mesa Community College, chose the land because of the view of the mountain, and also for its proximity of Basha High School. The school is within walking distance for their three children.
But aside from the view and the location, something else makes this project special: The whole house is designed following Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian principles.
Building is in his blood
Carpenter got a degree in construction management from Arizona State University and has wanted to build his own house since the age of 8.
“I was at a birthday party,” Carpenter said, “and I asked my aunt where my uncle was. And she said, ‘He’s building our house.’ And in my 8 year-old mind, I thought, ‘Wow! You can build your own house! That’s so cool!’”
The homeowner, whose father and grandfather were also in the construction business, even traced his family history back to 1066 and found that the “Charpentiers” (meaning “carpenters” in French) from France built the invasion fleet for William the Conqueror.
Following Wright’s lead
Wright built his first Usonian house in Wisconsin, and later built more than 100 others. He described the philosophy as “organic architecture” and built the houses with natural materials.
“Some of these principles are the house kind of turns its back on the street,” Carpenter said. “Things like high window sills and hiding the front door so it doesn’t actually face the main street. Yet there’s plenty of light.”
Another characteristic of Usonian architecture is a strong aesthetic connection between interior and exterior spaces. In this house, every window is designed to take advantage of the view of the mountains to the southeast.
“The one principle this violates of the Usonian houses is they’re supposed to be compact,” Carpenter said of his future 4,400-square-foot house. “Despite warnings from my wife, I just couldn’t. I tried downsizing it at one point, I reduced it to 3,000 square feet, and it just broke my heart because I had to take out rooms that I couldn’t do away with. Every room means something to me.”
Walking toward the entrance, visitors will get a partial glimpse of the living room. They will climb a small staircase — flanked by concrete planters on either side — up to the front door, which will be 28 inches off the ground.
Inside, it’s an open plan. The kitchen, dining room and family room are all visible from the entryway. But while the entryway and living room are on a raised deck at the same level as the front door, the other public spaces are on the main floor level. Even though it’s one large great room, the ceiling and floor heights vary, so each room will have its own character.
The interior details
Some of the most interesting features of the house include a circular breakfast nook in the kitchen. The wall will have a built-in banquette seat like a restaurant booth and will face a round table.
“It’s very comfortable, very cozy,” Carpenter said. “The ceiling is lower. There’s a bank of windows at the top and a pendant light hanging above the table. I have a feeling it’s going to become everyone’s favorite spot in the house.”
A small room adjacent to the kitchen has a dog door to give the family dog freedom to go into the back yard while also serving as a kennel when the owners aren’t home.
What’s next
The concrete block exterior is done, as is the wood framing and some of the red concrete flooring.
But there’s still a ways to go. The family hopes to be done by November.