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Tres
Amigos Beach House sits on a quarter acre of land set back 100 yards from
the Caribbean. It lies on the westernmost tip of Puerto Rico in the small
town of Rincon, known as the 'Pueblo de los Bellos Atardeceres', the Town
of Beautiful Sunsets. Tres Amigos Beach House faces the west and the entire
side of the house is a large screened lanai open to the sunsets, the surf,
the Caribbean Trade Winds (the 'trades'), and in season, the migrating
whales.
The
1100 square foot main living area is on the second floor and is reached
by exterior wooden steps curving up from the end of the driveway. The
house is canopied by Almond, Mango and Mahogany trees, giving the feeling
of being in a treehouse...but with all the connivances of a contemporary
home. On the upper main level, there are two bedrooms, two full baths,
a fully equipped kitchen, and the open dining room - living area extending
from the center of the main cupola out to the lanai (porch).
The
Tres Amigos Beach House is a unique wooden 12 sided dodecagon. The 8'
walls rise to a central 16' windowed cupola with a Casa Blanca fan light.
The cathedral ceiling is natural wooden beams. Because of the open design,
the trades blow gently through the house year round, assisted by Casa
Blanca fans in each room.
The bedrooms have split air conditioning units blended into the architectural integrity. The beige peach ceramic tile floors
keep the house cool to the feet. There are Mexican tile accents in the
kitchen and baths. The house has Anderson windows less than a year old.
The wooden roof is covered with reflective galvalum. There is an air space
between the wood and the galvalum layers, adding to the house's coolness.
The house has a passive air conditioning system of roof vents with wind-powered
suction hoods, and air vents between rooms and around the exterior where
the walls meet the ceiling.
The
cabana is a separate apartment on the ground floor with its own entrance,
three steps up from the breezeway. The cabana has a bedroom, a full bath,
and a kitchen-living room opening onto the screened lanai, similar to
the main floor. The bedroom has AC. The cabana also has Mexican tile accents
and wooden beam ceiling with windows on all 4 sides allowing the trades
to blow through. Its 400 square feet added to the main floor make 1500
square feet of living space.
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