Charlotte Corbin's Cottage, Isle of Hope, GA
Charlotte Corbin’s Cottage, at left, and the William Leigh House, below, are part of a remarkable group of designs that was created to provide new homes for the landmark historical community of Isle of Hope, near Savannah, Georgia. Builder Magazine noted that the “houses are virtually indistinguishable from the existing island homes.” When I visited Isle of Hope, I had a hard time telling these new cottages from the old ones that preceded them by a hundred years and more.
The houses are a showcase of the rural designs that once dotted our Southern coasts and traveled from there across the country with Western settlement. Styles include vernacular versions of Victorian, Greek Revival, French Colonial, Craftsman and Low Country folk cottages, like the ones shown here, that are so simple that they have no style name.
The homes vary in size and layout, from 1260 sf to 3760 sf, and from one to three floors high. Bedrooms might all be upstairs, all downstairs or on both floors. All houses have plenty of storage, modern kitchens and baths. Most have fireplaces and walk-in closets.
William Leigh House from the Parkersville Collection of plans
When the designs, by architect Gerry Cowart of the Cowart Coleman Group, in Savanah, were first built, they got so much attention from the media and prospective homeowners that a presentation portfolio was created to sell copies of the blueprints to the public. That was back in the 1990s, before the Internet became the primary marketplace for building plans.
The consequence of the timing is that you’ll have to order a copy of the portfolio, by mail, to see and appreciate all of the plans. So, if you’re on the Internet now, looking for building plans because your concrete contractor is starting tomorrow morning, the Parkersville Collection is not for you. However, if you’re interested in finding examples of the careful detailing that produces the best traditional homes, by all means order the portfolio. It will be well worth your time.
Visit the Parkersville Collection website to order their portfolio or to read more about it. While you’re there, click on the button that reads “More on Homes.” You’ll be taken to a page that offers you a photo gallery of the different homes and a little more information on each. You still won’t see floor plans, but you will be entertained while you’re waiting for your mail carrier.