On one consultation trip to the East Coast, Peter visited a high school friend who had purchased a waterfront lot in East Hampton. His friend had had plans drawn up for a very complex, contemporized version of an early 1900's oceanfront dwelling. He proposed that Peter come back east to build it.
Peter's dad was getting older and had only seen his grandchildren twice in the last five years, so Peter and his family accepted the offer and moved back to the East Coast. About the time the East Hampton project was completed, the current owner of the Fire Island beach house commissioned Peter to do a renovation and expansion of it.
By this time, all three children were of school age, so settling down and staying put became more important. On the north shore of Long Island, Peter and Robin found a divisible, run-down estate property, which had been trashed to the point that only a builder would touch it. Over several years, they turned it into a three-lot subdivision. This required a great deal of negotiation with the township Planning Department and the local Historic Society. The development of that property was complex and provided the Ashers with excellent training.
Click here to see what this house looked like when Peter first bought it.
Transformations
During the seven-year stay on Long Island, in addition to developing their own property, Peter built his “Deckscapes” and created major expansions of existing dwellings in neighborhoods where vacant lots were non-existent. These were more than remodels. The homeowners would have chosen to build from the ground up if there had been any home sites available. The changes were so extensive that the original ranch style or boxy two-story houses simply disappeared into the new designs, so they came to be called “Transformations.”
In 1987, the Ashers put their home on the market. This was the year of the Black Monday market crash. The home sale market was at the bottom. At the time, there was an article in the New York Times, stating that people were looking at as many as fifty homes before purchasing. What saved them from a wipe-out was the fact that they had one of the most unique and desirable homes on the local real estate market. The design was a blend of Traditional and Contemporary and as such was not locked into a trend. Also, as designer-builder, Peter was able to customize it extensively for the buyer.
Design-Build on the Oregon Coast
Several factors led to the Ashers resettling in Oregon. Peter's dad had just passed away. His family had grown used to the peace and privacy of large acreage property. According to news articles, the Pacific Northwest had come alive after a decade of recession, and it appeared that there was beginning to be a trend there toward original design. It also appeared that existing land use laws were keeping large parcels affordable. And lastly, one of the Asher children was attending a school in northwest Oregon.
Peter and Robin eventually found their current Oregon home in 1988. Peter began building modest retirement homes and then one-of-a-kind oceanfront and view homes.
Commentary by Peter Asher
In all my design work involving view property, I have applied the technique I used on the original Fire Island beach house. (1) Create the floor plan based on the clients’ needs and budget. (2) Create the view openings based on the clients’ desires and the views available from the different floor levels. (3) Develop roof-lines that go with the floor plan, the views, and the style preferences of the clients.
By this time, all three children were of school age, so settling down and staying put became more important. On the north shore of Long Island, Peter and Robin found a divisible, run-down estate property, which had been trashed to the point that only a builder would touch it. Over several years, they turned it into a three-lot subdivision. This required a great deal of negotiation with the township Planning Department and the local Historic Society. The development of that property was complex and provided the Ashers with excellent training.
