Having first visited the North Coast of the Dominican Republic in 1981, we were captivated by the
rustic buildings that were both simple and fanciful. After several years of visits, Elric was sufficiently
enchanted by the Island and the locals that he chose to purchase and renovate a dilapidated
farmhouse. Eventually, after some years passed, we became involved in designing guest cottages and
a central complex for the Playa Grande Beach Club. These buildings were intended to reflect the
local traditions and character. In order to construct the timber frame roof of the small hotel lobby
we were required to layout and to cut the joinery at the building site near the beach. The
construction schedule did not allow for the timbers to be shipped first to our shop in NJ, and then
to the site. This arrangement proved to be challenging, but we finished just in time.
