Cass Schexnayder Residence
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Location
Hammond, Louisiana -
Owner
Susan Cass and Teryl Schexnayder -
Completion Date
May 2017
The Cass-Schexnayder Residence is located on approximately 3 acres of land in Hammond, Louisiana, and is surrounded by an abundance of sizeable pine and
oak trees. The house is designed, by owner’s request, around principles of Feng Shui. The house is oriented on an East - West axis in response to Louisiana’s
hot and humid climate, and is shifted 8 degrees to allow for ideal bagua. There is approximately 3,300 square feet of living space, including 3 bedrooms
and 3 bathrooms. The structure of the home is centered on a spine with 2 rock gardens that carve into the main spaces of the home, providing large windows
with views to the exterior. The main living space is separated into 2 smaller spaces, allowing the separation of energy with the living room on the south
side serving as a calm space for reading and listening to music while the TV room and kitchen on the north side will be the energetic space for entertainment.
The main house and the garage/workshop are separated by a walkway with louvers facing the south side cradling a centralized dog yard on the north side.
This will aid with the homeowners mission to continue adopting and rescuing Doberman’s. The materials and layout of openings respond to the modern vernacular
mindset and correspond to the functions of the spaces. There is a large front porch with deep overhangs on the southern side and a screen porch with a
fireplace that provides direct access to the master suite on the north side. The living spaces, which stretch along the long facades of the house, are
oriented facing north-south to minimize solar heat gain while allowing expansive views. The east-west facades contain minimal openings that usher light
and maintain privacy. The roofline is created with single sloping metal roofs allowing clerestory windows to shed light into the main living spaces. Water
drainage on the site includes rain chains to gravel garden beds on the smaller roofs while the larger roofs follow a gutter system into corrugated metal
cisterns for greywater reuse.