It is a tremendous design challenge to make a new house feel warm and cozy. Even more so, it is difficult to establish presence, without necessarily being large, in a new subdivision filled with 'monster' houses on modest building lots.

The success of the Fairmount House is in it's attention to detail (colour, stone and wood), and the owner's openness to 'open concept' layout, salvaged materials and lots of daylight. The salvaged materials include the main floors wide plank hemlock flooring from a military building dismantled in Halifax . Similar wood was used to frame the double-height space with v-groove, beams and pendants. Salvaged multi-pane windows were also used in the double-height space to not only connect the two levels visually, but to enhance the airflow throughout the house.

A modest kitchen offers a spectacular view of the Northwest Arm in Halifax , while being an eat-in location. A dual-side stone fireplace is a dominant piece for both the kitchen and living room.

Tapered wood columns with a stone base connect the entranceway with the interior, as this element is repeated in the house.