“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”

― Henry James

The first day of Summer isn’t quite here yet, but as of late, we’ve been day-dreaming about sun drenched afternoons, relaxing by the pool with a good book, reconnecting with friends and family, and last but certainly not least, packing our bags and making a carefree escape to a summer house destination.

Whether it’s a home with pristine beachfront views, or stunning a lakeside retreat, we’ve rounded up 8 architecturally pleasing abodes that satisfy our lust to wander.  These picturesque homes will get your design pulses racing.

WESTERN RED CEDAR BENEFITS

• DURABILITY–Western red cedar is a naturally durable softwood that creates extractives (Thujaplicans and Phenolics) that ward off decay caused by insects, water infiltration, and fungi. The extractives increase with age leading to a longer lasting product life cycle–especially in exterior applications.

• DIMENSIONAL STABILITY–WRC has a very low shrinkage factor and is largely superior to all other coniferous softwoods in its resistance to warping, checking, and twisting.

• THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY–WRC’s low density gives it a high thermal insulating value because it contains a high proportion of cell cavities. In dry wood, these cavities are filled with air which is one of the best known thermal insulators. The R value is 1.35″ (34mm) of thickness.

• FIRE RESISTANCE–reSAWN’s CHARRED CEDAR has a Flame Spread Index of 40 and a Smoke Developed Index of 140 to give it a Class B Rating. CHARRED CEDAR can be fire treated to Class A for interior projects.

Charred Japanese cedar clads the exterior of this split-level house in Izumo, Japan, by Kanazawa studio Harunatsu-Arch.  The architects chose to clad the exterior with charred Japanese cedar boards, giving the building a blackened textural surface that contrasts with the smooth concrete foundation slab.