The existing two-bedroom house occupies a compact waterfront site in the Village of Dering Harbor, where its most prominent elevation is visible from the water and from the ferry approaching Shelter Island. The challenge was to accommodate a substantially larger family program without allowing the house to overwhelm either its site or this familiar public view.

Rather than replace the existing structure, the design builds upon its Greek Revival vocabulary, carefully knitting new construction into the original house to create a more generous Classical Revival composition. A cupola establishes a new focal point, while the additions are composed to preserve the apparent scale of the house from the water. A new pool and detached garage are tucked behind the residence and kept deliberately compact, allowing much of the previously overbuilt and paved site to be reclaimed as green space.

The result is intended to feel less like an enlargement than an evolution: a five-bedroom family house with the presence and functionality required for contemporary life, while maintaining the scale, proportions, and character appropriate to its highly visible coastal setting. The proposal received unanimous approval from the Dering Harbor Village Architectural Review Board in December 2025.