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Site:
Eichler subdivision
An existing post-and-beam
Eichler house on a 7800sf subdivision lot in San
Mateo for a family of four. The original house
was designed by Anshen + Allen.
Design
Objectives: creativity
and continuity
Give this family more living space and make the
bathrooms more functional, without detracting
from the original design. Bring the house up to
date with modern finishes that match the creative
style of the family. How can we add square footage
onto a tightly-designed, period house while preserving
the original design intent? How can we use the
same language found in this forty-year-old house
but still improve the quality of construction,
the energy performance, the seismic performance,
and the usability and comfort? How can we provide
a canvas for the owners' creativity and artwork?
Solution:
efficiency and light
Admitting light:
The clients picked their own bright colors and
designed their own ceramic tile patterns. They
always intended to put their own paintings on
the walls. Klopf Architecture provided the owners
with even daylighting to showcase their house
and their art. Small skylights properly placed
admit plenty of light while minimizing the overheating
that skylights can cause in San Mateo. Windows
are flush against walls to allow daylight to wash
in, filling spaces with volumes of light.
Corner
windows:
Our mutual concern was to de-emphasize the additional
bulk and preserve the visual line of the overhangs
to make the addition fit in with the original
house design. We put floor-to-ceiling double-pane
windows in the corners of the added-on rooms to
keep with the language of floor-to-ceiling glass
and openness that characterize the house.
Efficient lay-out:
The clients were not interested in a complete
redesign, but wanted the entire house to work
better. To stay within the intended scope, we
enlarged the bedrooms and re-arranged the bathrooms.
We made the master bathroom more spacious and
added modern amenities. We converted the second
bathroom into a two-room bath that can be shared
by a brother and sister as they grow up.
Contractor
Renaissance Man Construction (contact Jon Cooke) 650.483.8583
download project booklet (556k PDF file) - recommend viewing in "facing page" mode of Acrobat Viewer
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