A Rhode Island Home That's Made for Visitors

Summer is busy season for Karen and Brian McMahon. As soon as temperatures start rising, the couple welcomes a steady stream of visitors to their home on Block Island, RI. “Around June we hear from friends we didn’t even know we had!” says Brian. Not that the McMahons are complaining. From the moment the couple broke ground on the cedar-clad house five years ago, they dreamed it would be a destination for them and their grown sons, James, Matt, and Kip.

Fast-forward a few years and extended family and friends have joined the party, regularly filling the home’s five bedrooms and detached eight-bed barn. Says Karen, “We’re so fortunate to have this place. We want everyone to experience it.”

The house looks sprawling, but it’s actually a moderate 2,499 square feet because of local regulations that limited its footprint. To guarantee they made the most of every inch—and got as many ocean views as possible—the McMahons asked Boston architect Jeremiah Eck to outfit the three-and-a-half-story structure with multiple decks that seamlessly transition to the indoor living areas.

A signpost points the way to locations important to the family. "We call the house Boomerang Hill because we hope once you visit, you’ll always come back," says Karen.