Drawing Now the extensions became a kitchen, laundry room, and garage. At one end, the second story overhung the first floor, and large finials from the early house were attached to the corner boards, adding to the air of a house that had evolved. The massive chimney had raised pilasters, and the roof had the appropriate twelve-inch pitch of the period. As a concession to the problems of winter and snow buildup, the roof was extended on brackets and did not have gutters. Recalling the idea of a house that grew over time, the entrance of the main block was slightly off-center. The door surrounds, with pilasters and small lights over the door, borrowed from Federal-era New Hampshire houses. The plan, while drawing from the past, was very contemporary with its large hall that ran the depth of the house, and bow windows that opened the large living room and dining room onto the rear garden. A book published by the Wills firm noted that bow windows "were not found in the early houses," but then explained: "However, had the inhabitants had our efficient heating systems, a bow window... would have been used."15 The large hall, with its wainscoting and wallpaper of early American scenes, was designed with the staircase tucked in the front corner, only the newel posts were turned and the balusters were appropriately simple, indicating that this was a farm house. As in other houses where Wills retained control of the design, proper reproduction hardware was employed and the dining room-had-a-built-in-corner-cabinet.

Despite his large volume of work, Wills kept his firm small, usually employing only a few associates, such as Warren J. Rhoter and his son Richard Wills, who joined in 1952. In 1957, the company became Royal Barry Wills Associates, and a third gener­ation, Jessica Barry Wills, came aboard in 1986. With offices in Boston and New Castle, Maine, the firm has major projects across the country, though houses continue to be its specialty. The Herbert S. Pheeney House (1999) in Osterville on Cape Cod is clearly inspired by Federal-era houses of the Cape and Nantucket. Set back from the road with a four-hundred-foot drive, a grassy forecourt greets the visitor. The main block has a chimney on each end and a slightly off-center entrance with a fan light.