Site Large Menlo Park lot
A large Menlo Park lot with room to expand rear-ward without compromising the lot. The house is an early 1950s Eichler with lots of openness to the rear and a front U-shaped courtyard.

Program Update and Enlarge
Add a master suite where an un-permitted addition had been, plus a little more. Move the kitchen away from the front door to create a grander entry sequence. Provide office and homework areas, a laundry room, and a pantry. Enlarge the kids' bathroom and remodel what used to be the master bathroom.

Exploration How are homes laid out differently almost 60 years later?
What does a family of four need in the 21st Century that just wasn't included in a home from the 1950s? How can the entry sequence be made grander, so that the first thing guests see upon entering the house is the great room with it's rear wall of glass (not a doorway to a narrow galley kitchen)?

Solution
Stand back a little: The entry is now wider than before, with a half-height wall separating the dining area from the entry. Where the dining area used to be (at the other end of the room) we put in an easier-to-use and more comfortable island kitchen.

Spread out: The kids bathroom doubled in size by taking over the laundry area. The added master suite is spacious enough to include a smalll office, a large closet, and a just-the0right-size bathroom. Between the master suite and the garage we put a laundry room and pantry, keeping the utilities out of the living space.

Follow that roof line: The buterfly roof is somewhat unique for Eichler homes. We made sure that the addition worked with the sloping shape, while also keeping to the minimal, simple Eichler construction style wherever possible.

KA Project Team
John Klopf, AIA, CGBP
Mason St. Peter

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