Palmetto Bluff Home With Statement Staircase
Here at Shoreline Construction, we love working on waterfront homes. In the Lowcountry, we know that we have to take extra precautions to ensure that homes hold up against potential flooding and meet required codes. To us, flood codes only inspire more creativity--we love to turn safety features into stunning design accents.
We recently did just that at a home in the Moreland neighborhood of Palmetto Bluff, designed by Pearce Scott Architects. The gorgeous property sits right on the edge of Lake Bales, and is surrounded by tall, lush green trees.
In order to accommodate code requirements for this particular homesite, we built the first floor up and placed the garage underneath the house. The front of the home features a balcony with whitewashed accent railings, an alcove front porch with classic recessed brick, and a dormer window that stands level with some of the surrounding greenery. At the base of the home, we constructed a two-story garage that shines thanks to teal paint and a matching trim of recessed brick. This ground-floor addition turned the house’s design into a stunning three-story home.
With a white and blue exterior color scheme and a private dock equipped with a pavilion, the house’s design incorporated elements of classic Lowcountry coastal charm. On the lake-facing side of the house, each of the home's three stories feature clear views of the shimmering water: an open lounge space on the ground floor, an expansive screened-in porch on the second, and a private balcony on the third. We always jump at the chance to provide waterfront homeowners with innovative ways to enjoy the coastal breezes and scenery. In this three-story home, the additional floors offered more opportunities to create comfortable outlooks.
From its full design to its more minute details, this home was carefully planned and truly one-of-a-kind. But one of our favorite elements was its statement staircase.
In a tall, three-story home with soaring ceilings, one option is to blend the staircase into the background. Some homeowners opt for understated or casual staircase designs when multiple floors of home design are involved. For this home, however, we decided to go in the opposite direction: bold and visible. By pairing a large, elevated staircase with an airy open-plan arrangement, we brought the staircase to the foreground and turned it into one of the home’s most defining features.
Working with the home’s architect and future owners, we constructed a three-story staircase with silver cable railings. The staircase extends from a landscaped section of the backyard to the back door, forming an external stair tower that is one of the most unique architectural elements we’ve seen before. Inside the home, the statement staircase ascends from the first floor’s recessed brick base to the top of the home.
Flooded with natural light, the finished staircase is a design centerpiece that stands out from the moment one walks inside. It complements the house’s white and almond interior color tones as well as the interior’s distinctive chandelier, with its bold geometric design.
Because the staircase changes directions at the landings, its design creates an open space through the center of the home. This space was left clear on purpose: the homeowners are planning to add a glass elevator in the center of the house, rising in a column and offering the family and their guests a truly striking, functional design feature.
Planning ahead for the elevator made the construction of this home truly special. It’s ideal when an architect, a client, and contractors can work together so closely to turn a family’s dream home into reality. The construction was also process-driven throughout (focusing on the process is one of our core values, by the way). We were excited to turn a flood zone requirement into a springboard for creative design.
Check out our Currents series to see how it all came together and enjoy some aerial shots of the finished home, with its burnished metal roof and careful landscaping. We feature multiple homes in this video—if you’re intrigued by this staircase design, check out some of the patio and three-story constructions we’ve worked on throughout the region.
Watch Currents Episode-5 ↓
To see more of the homes we’ve constructed in the Moreland community within Palmetto Bluff, check out these posts. If you would like to learn more about our design and construction projects across different communities in Palmetto Bluff and the Lowcountry, our homepage posts have you covered. And don’t hesitate to contact us if you’re interested in a statement staircase of your own!
