2017 Home Tour

The project started as a remodel to the existing house that was built decades ago by the owner’s father. It was determined before long that the house could not meet requirements and a new house was planned. Now the original owner’s son has built a new house just where his father did many years ago.

The home flows among three domains for public and private uses and is planned to take advantage of daylighting and views of the surrounding landscape. The living and dining room space maximizes the interaction between indoor and outdoor spaces.

Overhangs shade the house from the warm summer sun and the house opens to cooling breezes. In cooler times of the year, the radiant heated concrete floor slab stabilizes interior temperatures and limit energy use.

This farmhouse modern home presents itself as a simple home. Its iconic shape reminiscent of America’s northeast nestles in with the eclectic architecture found in the Evergreen Park Neighborhood of Palo Alto. On a more intimate level, the home’s exterior has a material relationship with its organizing geometry, regulating the exterior rhythm and details, and playing with patterns of shadow and light.

The carefully composed landscape design provides spaces for gathering, and is a compliment to the open floor plan of the main level. On the interior, extended runs of fenestration and a glazed stair link the house through all floors, and pull a patterned movement of light into the home throughout the day.

This radical remodel of an Eichler-era townhouse consisted of replacing a confusing floorplan with an open-concept design. A new sky-lit, steel staircase connecting all three levels, transforms the formerly dark interior into a sunlight-drenched space. The living room is now directly accessed from the main entry, and has been converted into an inviting lounge, with a view of the oak-studded backyard.

The newly expanded kitchen and dining room, a half-story up, overlooks the living room and is now the center of the house for our client, a gourmet chef who enjoys entertaining.

At the third floor, the staircase connects the new master bedroom suite and two front bedrooms via a dramatic aluminum-grated landing/bridge. A separate bathroom and laundry room complete this floor.

The weather damaged exterior was re-clad in vertical cedar, galvalume, and steel-troweled stucco recalling the mid-century providence but upping the architectural language to a more refined, contemporary palette.

Thermal comfort had been a challenge for the owner due to the dilapidated condition of the building.  Single-paned wood windows, no insulation, dry-rotted siding, and an antiquated FAU system made a majority of the house either too drafty in the winter or too hot in the summer.

By using passive heating and cooling techniques with the installation of the large operable skylight in the middle of the house and insulation, the interior environment requires no active cooling or heating since completed. Other sustainable elements used were radiant heat with high efficiency water heating and solar thermal components, thermally broken, dual-glazed doors and windows, formaldehyde-free cabinetry, and low-VOC paint.

The Double Gable Eichler is a completely remodeled Eichler house located in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Everyone loved the classic, original bones of this house, but it was in need of a major facelift both inside and out. The owners also wanted to bring the house into the 21st Century by updating the materials and systems, removing the barriers between the kitchen and great room, and increasing the size of the master bathroom (along with a few other layout changes).

In conjunction with the atrium and the landscaped rear yard and patio, the glassy living room feels open on both sides and allows an indoor-outdoor flow throughout. The new, natural wood exterior siding runs through the house from inside to outside to inside again, running vertically like the original siding, updating one of the classic design features of the Eichler homes.

Picking up on the wood siding, walnut vanities and cabinets offset the white walls. Gray porcelain tiles evoke the concrete slab floors and flow from interior to exterior to make the spaces appear to flow together. Similarly, the ceiling decking has the same white-washed finish from inside to out. The continuity of materials and space enhances the sense of flow.

Hugging the land, this home sits comfortably in the natural landscape of Portola Valley. Characterized by a strong curved axis, mimicking the natural topography of the site, the structure interlocks with the land, taking full advantage of the breathtaking views and carving out inviting outdoor spaces.

With a striking composition of stone, wood and metal, the architecture is both organic and modern. With reverence to the pristine natural setting, the design embraces both passive and active sustainable strategies, including rainwater harvesting, sophisticated natural day lighting & ventilation and the transplanting of fifteen ancient native Manzanita plants. Enhancing the native landscape, the garden provides a diverse experience, from the tranquil sounds of running water, to the contemplative solitude of an intimate overlook platform, to the captivating infinity edge pool.