New Jersey Coastal Cottage

Photography by Scot Zimmerman

Text by Ann Zimmerman

Just how small can you build and still have everything? An avid surfer, swimmer, and sailor asked this question when he designed and built this full-time family home a short walk from the Atlantic shore.

Photography by Scot Zimmerman

Wishing to downsize from an over-sized and under-used house to live at the beach, this homeowner experimented with building a small, personalized, and livable coastal cottage. “I wanted to demonstrate that smaller homes work and are outstandingly cute,” says Tom Bateman, who designed, built, and furnished his New Jersey home. Relying on the local cottage traditions for inspiration, a broad porch runs the width of the cottage and is complete with a swing and bright blue rockers. The painted cedar board-and-batten and clapboard exterior is time-tested to stand up to the salty sea breezes.

Photography by Scot Zimmerman