Dream House | Wooden St James cottage offers repose

There is just something to be said for a house constructed entirely from wood.

Timber-frame houses with wood cladding, such as this one, have a demonstrably powerful impact on the physical and mental well-being of the human body, improving remarkably the quality of our lives.

Wood is a valuable, biodegradable, renewable and sustainable resource that is a most ecologically friendly construction material, lowering environmental impact. Naturally visually beautiful, wood has strength and durability. It offers sound absorption, keeping the transmission of outside noise to a minimum; and acts as a natural thermal insulator, maintaining indoor temperatures, keeping it cool and enhancing the cleanliness of indoor air.

These qualities induce deep, satisfying slumber, lower heart rate and blood pressure, and discourage allergies while offering freedom from tension and anxiety — all giving rise to cosiness, contentment and mental repose.

This timber-built, thatched-roof tropical architecture was erected in 2021 on a sloping one acre, eyeballing the harbour and the airport, on Leader Avenue, Montego Bay, St James. It parades a two-storied, thatched roof cottage, with a floating balcony suspended in thin air. Sleeping, bathroom, dining, living, and kitchen arrangements are in felicitous synthesis. Walls are stained and varnished, with kitchen counters of quartz and granite. The furniture is a mix of cedar and mahogany wood – simplicity at its finest.

Amicable to the setting are two separate thatched-roof gazebos on the natural incline, for games, lounging, and dining. A swimming pool and sun deck are on another lower level.

The appreciative owners are wife and husband, Cuba-born Jacqueline, and Jamaican Marvin Wright. Marvin is a cigar connoisseur and tourism entrepreneur who has lived in Cuba and Nicaragua. The couple both produce premium, hand-rolled cigars for the local and international market.

Their house has been influenced by their growing up and experiencing wooden houses with their warm, homey feel, in the countryside of their respective countries of birth, as well as the architecture of Bali, Indonesia.

Congrats on a residence blending harmoniously with its natural environment, for the betterment of not only its euphoric occupants, but a planet in great peril!

Barry Rattray is a dream house designer and builder. Email feedback to barryrattray1@hotmail.com and lifestyle@gleanerjm.com.