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Here are a few examples of unique homes that were shaped by a good design process, the same design process that is explained in Designing Your Perfect House: Lessons from an Architect.

 

Building A Home on Difficult Terrain

The spectacular view from this site had to be capitalized upon, in spite of the steep terrain. Octagonal rooms allow panoramic vistas and an unconventional floor plan lets this house site comfortably on the mountainside.

The site sat atop an east facing mountainside and presented an exceptional twenty mile view. The program for the house called for a large first floor plan. The steepness of the slope dictated that the house not be too deep from front to back.

A majestic old oak tree dominated the front of the site requiring the driveway to meander around it, gradually descending the slope, eventually reaching the arrival courtyard. The program called for a four car garage. Because of the bulk of a garage of that size, we split it into two separate two-car garages, placed them at opposite ends of the arrival courtyard, angled them to embrace and further define the space of the courtyard, and recessed the carriage house style doors to reduce their prominence.

The primary rooms of the house are shaped on an octagonal theme, nesting together and spread across the full width of the slope. This allows as many rooms as possible to enjoy the views from a variety of angles. It also adds interest to the way one room relates to another. The entire master bedroom suite is essentially a separate building, connected to the main house only by a naturally lit art gallery. In spite of the steep terrain, several points of access to the site were achieved.

 

 

An Awkward Site Leads to a Charming Result

The riddle of building on a steep, sideways slope was solved by creating an arrival courtyard. The prize was a charming entry experience and unbelievable views from every room.

This site sloped severely from side to side, with a wonderful view. The shape and terrain of this site meant that the house would have to be approached from one end, thus presenting difficulties in creating an appropriate arrival sequence. We created an alleyway type of driveway that leads visitors between the steep upslope on the left and a romantic walled garden to the left, ultimately ending in a charming, heavily landscaped arrival courtyard. From there, the front door is presented.

Because of the severe slope and in order to capture the views, the rooms of this house had to be strung single file along the hillside,making a potentially awkward floor plan. This difficulty was turned into an opportunity by the creation of a wide corridor that links all of the rooms, punctuated with deep, arched openings. This corridor is wide and became a gallery for the owner's extensive art collection.

The style of the house is reminiscent of an English country cottage. The articulation of the roofline breaks down the scale of the house to match the style. Because the roof is a prominent feature, cedar shakes were chosen for the roofing material. A brick wall creates a private garden screening the western kitchen windows from the driveway, ensuring privacy even when visitors enter the arrival courtyard.

 

 

 

 

Controlling the Orientation of the Home Maximizes the Views

The view for this site was in the direction that would have been considered the front of the house. Proper orientation and control of the automobile approach gave this house the full benefit of the views and increased privacy for the master suite.

In order to take advantage of the exceptional views on this site, it was important to choose the correct orientation for the home. The lot is situated on a corner, with moderately sloping terrain. We chose to bring the driveway in from the street to the north, thus preserving the screening woods to the east and placing the arrival courtyard to the uphill western side. This allowed the entire eastern side of the house that faced the wonderful view, to be unencumbered by automobile issues.

Upon entering this contemporary craftsmen style house, one sees through a two story, suspended staircase through a full wall of glass to the distant view. The staircase/entry space divides the house into two halves. To the left are the private spaces of the master bedroom suite and the private library. To the right are the more public spaces, the living room, dining room and kitchen. The owners lived abroad for many years, he having grown up in Japan, so clean lines and a simple richness of detail, the hallmarks of Asian design, matched their tastes.

 

 

Creating an Energy Efficient Home Despite Climatic Challenges

The challenge was to create an energy efficient design in a warm southern climate. A thoughtful design process led to extended rooflines and a unique shape for this environmentally friendly house.

The owners wanted a house that would be energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Because of the southern climate, keeping the house cool was a higher priority than keeping it warm. That prospered the long roof overhangs that shade the walls from the midday sun. Triangular clerestory windows let filtered daylight into most rooms without the heating effect of direct sunlight.

The house is broken into several interconnected pavilions, allowing improved cross-ventilation. The house is entered through a glassy foyer linking the master bedroom pavilion to the living pavilion allowing a view through to the gardens. Instead of a formal and separate dining room, a large great room provides a space at one end for the dining table. This creates a multifunctional space that is comfortable for small and large groups while eliminating excess square footage.

Full walls of glass doors connect the main rooms to a wrap-around deck expanding the living space outdoors in this temperate climate.

 

 

An Atypical House Placement Achieves an Outstanding Result

On a problem lot, a simple, but "outside the box" solution to the house placement results in a special home in a suburban neighborhood.

It was the lot the builders rejected. From the street, it appeared as if the land descended into a marshy tangle of underbrush. All of the neighboring houses were built the same distance from the street. If this house followed suit, it would have ended up at the bottom of the wet hollow, resting on soil that was already tested and found to be insufficient for normal construction.

A survey and a site analysis were done and it was discovered that the land rose in elevation behind the wet area. It was learned that the woods behind the property were designated as preserved open space and could never be built upon. The clients were then able to buy the property from the developers for a fraction of the cost of similar properties because of the perceived problems.

Instead of placing the house in the normal position as the neighbors had done, the architect moved the house farther from the road, behind the low wet area and at a higher elevation so it did not appear to be in a hole. The result was a larger, landscaped front yard that makes the site appear larger, and a very private rear yard that takes advantage of the neighboring protected woods. The owners pocketed a nice savings by taking a problem lot and transforming it into something special in the neighborhood.

 

 

Distinct Home Design With Authentic Styling

The challenge was to create an authentic, replica style house. A careful analysis of the characteristics of the architecture of the period and an appreciation for the forces that influenced house design over two hundred years ago, led to a house that fooled the experts.

The clients desired a period styled house patterned after a historic house, ca. 1725, located nearby. The building site was a two acre parcel in a small development of similar sized tracts. Many of the other houses had already been built and were typical suburban homes that would qualify as traditional, but not distinguished or authentic.

For the design of the house, we chose to replicate the front of the stone house the owners admired, but with a few alterations. The owners desired a larger house than the original and needed things "scaled up." The front door of the original house was only six feet tall, the rooms were too small, and the ceilings were low. To maintain the spirit of the original, everything was enlarged proportionately. An addition was designed at the back of the house an included a garage and a couple of additional rooms. Those elements, along with the other modifications, were all done in the spirit of the original.

To finish the job of creating authenticity, we placed the house back on the lot, far from the street, and turned it at an angle, relating it to a small brook that ran through the property instead of aligning it with the street. The result was a house that appears to be a historic, eighteenth century building that eventually was surrounded by twentieth century houses built in the meadows around it.

 

Click here to meet Bill Hirsch, the author of Designing Your Perfect House