DII ARCHITECTURE

A family of 5 purchased a quaint cottage tudor with the understanding they needed more space.  Specifically; bedrooms, storage, & a new master suite were requested.  The property/home is narrow & the only viable option was to design/build over the garage to the rear of the site.  This still presented a challenge to add the circulation, storage, extra bedrooms & baths.  Thus, 2 cantilevers to the north & west were proposed, as well as a ‘destination’ balcony.  The clients also expressed love of natural light & clean lines.  Early on we realized, due to budget constraints, the master bathroom would be a phase 2 project, which gave immediate use of this space as a temporary office & extra storage.

Many initial layouts & parti diagrams sought to find the most efficient route to connect with the existing home/staircase, and accommodate the 2 new & 2 reconfigured bedrooms.  An extra wide hallway, positioned to the west allowed for everything to connect well & for multiple family members to pass each other.  The hall also became a promenade w/ a built in book shelf, landing, & window storage bench.(with exterior planter box)  Moving toward the back of the home, there are 3 kids’ bedrooms to the right(each with study nook).  A final resting spot draws the owners or visitors to the end of the hall, at the tension cable/steel beam supported balcony.  The master bedroom is privately tucked around the corner with its own overhang & band of windows, which offer ambient light & birch/backyard views.  Handscraped bamboo flooring connects all the spaces & the 2 new bedrooms utilize the vaulted ceiling as an uplifting volume.