Berkshire Residence Russin Case Study
Featuring sustainable cedar and modern design, this project delivers a low-maintenance, durable exterior with custom wood solutions tailored to fit both budget and aesthetic goals.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Designed by Vincent Appel and his architecture firm, Of Possible, and built by Kent Hicks Construction, the 3,600-square-foot Berkshire Residence, located in Sheffield, Massachusetts, blends the clean lines of modern architecture with the traditional aesthetic of the area’s rural buildings and barn structures.
Floor-to-ceiling windows perfectly frame the home’s interior, and exterior cladding made of Western Red Cedar complements the ever-changing New England landscape. Factory-finished with Cabot bleaching stain, this exterior achieves perfect neutrality while still peaking interest.
Despite its seemingly effortless aesthetic, the build — which took four years from ideation to completion with a total of 24 months on site — required nuanced specifications for its cedar wood board grades, lengths and widths.
This need for precision ultimately led Appel to Russin — now Of Possible’s go-to supplier of cedar and other high-quality exterior products.
Building a Trusting Partnership With Russin
Early in the design process, Appel knew he wanted the structure to be built out of wood. His primary goal was to source a durable, long-lasting material with low-maintenance requirements that his clients could enjoy for decades.
After comparing many wood types, he chose Western Red Cedar. This wood stands up to the elements and, more importantly, time. Longevity was a priority for the homeowners who wanted to ensure their children could use the home years down the road.
Appel’s wood selection would provide them with a home that would stand for the next 150 years. “[The homeowners] wanted to build this house once and have something that was low-maintenance with a 50-year-lifespan so their children could inherit it,” Appel said.
He added, “The material selection and the way it’s detailed will last until the wood turns to dust. It’s a 150-year building. [Not a 50-year building].”
When it came down to choosing a vendor to supply cedar for this project, Appel chose our skilled team at Russin.
As a member of the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (WRCLA), our voluntary WRCLA membership showcases the importance we place on holding true to industry grading standards.
Our emphasis on quality control — paired with the ease of working with one team from procurement to fabrication on site — was important to Appel to ensure a smooth and cohesive building experience.
Let’s Build Something Great Together
When you don't want to settle for second-best on your next project, let Russin be your guide. Our product experts can help you find the perfect product for your needs.
Blending Budget Restraints With Architectural Finesse
Contrary to its stunning end result, the Berkshire Residence did not have a free-for-all budget. In fact, the project began with an impossible specification for the allotted costs: using 9-foot-long, clear, tight, vertical grain, Western Red Cedar boards.
Building the right spec for the project without sacrificing aesthetics required finesse and a lot of communication between our product experts and Of Possible.
Due to the homeowner’s budget, Appel relied on us to optimize the order by milling and finishing random-length 4-inch and 6-inch wide cedar boards of varying grades.
We also ensured that less than 10% of the materials were of a D grade, which is a lower-quality lumber grade with a few more imperfections than higher grades.
Discovering and Eliminating Pain Points
By arranging the boards in a strategic pattern on the building’s facade, Appel did not have to use horizontal lap joints in his design. This resulted in one less point of failure in the long term, a discovery in the specification process that he would not have realized without working closely with our team.
The arrangement of the boards also created a large, three-inch air cavity behind the wall. Perfectly ventilated at the bottom and top of the wall, the airspace will allow the lumber to breathe and dry evenly on all sides when it gets wet.
Additionally, eliminating the need for lap joints helped Appel achieve his goal of providing his clients with a low-maintenance build. Without these potential points of failure where debris can build up over time, his clients can easily maintain their home’s exterior siding with just soap and water.
Another benefit he observed by using boards of varying widths is the ability to utilize blind fastening. By using stainless ring shank nails to avoid having to use fasteners, the home’s seamless lines remained intact and were not interrupted by face fasteners.
Blending the thicknesses of the boards also helped drop some costs so the Of Possible team could get a slightly higher percentage of higher-grade materials. This also meant that the building produced less waste.
Appel explained, “[When using custom-milled wood], you end up using more of the material. You’re using more of the tree. You’re using more of what’s available because it can all go into the building. You don’t have to cull for something driven by an arbitrary taste.”
Ultimately, by working with Russin at the front end of the process, he could make design choices mindfully and utilize the fiber to minimize waste, reduce seams and manage costs while still achieving his architectural goal: to use wood to create a natural aesthetic.
“Just a Phone Call Away”
Having proximity to the people making the decisions up the supply chain is crucial to architects like Vincent Appel. He was pleasantly surprised to discover that Russin’s experts were easily accessible. All he had to do was pick up the phone and explain his ideas.
“You don’t always know the questions to ask, but as an architect or designer, you know the outcome you want. So, you have to find the right person who is open to having that conversation,” Appel said.
He added, “Russin is willing to open up about what you can adjust in the process to reach those goals. It is an immediate non-starter if you can’t have an informed conversation with the people who are supposed to be the problem-solvers.”
By working with creative architects and looking at projects holistically, our team of experts can provide insights beyond simply sourcing materials.
Focusing on what the end user wants the project to look like — in this case, a natural aesthetic — and combining those wants with the client’s expectations for maintenance, budget and material waste helps our team identify pain points. This allows us to work with architects and designers to better address and eradicate those concerns.
“Those conversations in the early stages of a project where you’re working out all of the specs and materials, it makes all of the difference to be able to pick up the phone, have a call and figure out if your idea does or does not work,” Appel noted. “There’s a lot of knowledge that unfolds in the process really quickly in the early stages.”
By working with a company inspired by pushing the limits and not fixating on a result until his order was optimized for all of its constraints, Appel was able to design a true legacy build.
Let’s Build Something Great Together
When you don't want to settle for second-best on your next project, let Russin be your guide. Our product experts can help you find the perfect product for your needs.
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Let's build something great together.