The owners both have backgrounds in architecture. They purchased the lots at 6522 and 6524 to develop two spec homes. After going through the design process, they decided they wanted to change one of the designs to a custom home for themselves.

 

The only access to the site is from the street, which necessitated the garage to be located on the front of the house. Once accepted as a prominent design element, the garage was used to help define the entry courtyard, realizing the adjacent home to the East will complete the courtyard.  

 

The house is 2650 sf of conditioned space with a 450 sf garage. It is a 3 bedroom, two bathroom residence. The owners also wanted a single story house which would allow them to age in place. The site strategy was to develop a series of outdoor spaces (entry court, main courtyard, and backyard) Since the house backs up to the Dart Line and the White Rock Trail, the main outdoor space is the courtyard. 

 

The house lays out as a bar running the length of the site, with two wings extending to the East. This provides shading from the West sun in the courtyard during the summer. The wing closest to the street contains the butler’s pantry, kitchen, and living area. The kitchen and living areas are partitioned by a free-standing steel and wood entertainment center. The television is held within this and swivels to face the living room, kitchen, or dining room. The Living Room has a large, North facing, wall of polycarbonate, which provides diffused lighting throughout the day. 

 

The main bar between the Living/Kitchen wing and the Master Bedroom wing contains the two kids bedrooms, jack and jill bath, powder room, and the laundry room. The connecting hallway is quite long and contains a polycarbonate light monitor to break up the length of the hall. The jack and jill bath borrow light from the hallway light monitor. 

 

The Master Bedroom wing was conceived of as a box within a box. The central organizing element is a walnut clad box that contains a small home office, closet, linen storage, WC and shower. The upper portion of the box is wrapped in polycarbonate to filter natural light from a series of skylights. The flanking wardrobes leading to the vanities on the West wall provide more closet storage. 

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Dror Baldinger FAIA Architectural Photography