After renovating the client’s front house, we started work on a large addition to an existing rear unit on the property that will house her brother. The site will be a hub for the extended family to gather. 

The existing rear dwelling was in rough shape, and had a number of unpermitted additions tacked on, but on paper it was a legal-but-nonconforming second dwelling on an R1 lot. By convincing the city that we were only doing an addition to it, we could maintain its nonconforming use (and setbacks) but add far more square footage than if we had just permitted the project as an ADU (which would have limited us to 1200 sf). 

Being in the backyard, we were conscious of how a large building would be perceived/felt by the front house and the neighboring properties. The second story is stepped back from the first, and is tucked underneath a steeply pitched roof whose eaves came down to the 1st floor top plate. Hopefully the second story is perceived of as more of an “attic” than a full floor.

The first floor is flexible, with thickened spatial dividers and walls shaping 3/4-enclosed rooms. Large sliding panels and oversized pivoting doors allow the home to subdivide to host guests during holidays, and then open back up once everyone leaves.

Terrestrial Pursuits Corporation

Auxo Structures

In Balance Green Consulting

TBD

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