by Madisonshome on Tue Apr 01, 2008 8:57 pm
Here is a long winded description for our plans for the house. Everyone is going to have to use their imagination during the tour. The walls, drywall and windows are up so you should be able to get a sense of what we are doing. I promise I will post photos soon.
The home is of the Allied 1961 vintage similar to the other homes on the tour. In 2007 we engaged Joe David with Build Construction Services to consult with us on the construction. Our goal was to embrace the original bones and construct of the home while improving the home with inspiring colors, graphic text, ultra-clean lines and ecologically friendly choices. Further, we wanted to add a guest suite without changing the lines of the home. We also engaged Liz Youngling, Interior Designer - Manhattan Beach, California to coordinate our color and style selections.
In addition, Joe David attended classes with us on ecologically friendly building construction. Joe spent lengthy time with us questioning how we entertain, where we have lived, how we feel about privacy and lighting. His attention to detail, and his eye for design, are reflected in the construction. Joe has effectively incorporated our views on Swiss design, his own experience working abroad and our desire to use low impact materials.
The home began with a long list of issues including: asbestos tiles, carpeting, poor wiring, no insulation, popcorn ceilings, all utilities in the carport and sludge filled pool and in-ground hot-tub.
The architectural improvements currently underway include extending the kitchen over the former back patio to provide a greater space for entertaining. Glazing has been used throughout the back of the home to play upon the ultra 1961 modern full glass front of the original design. Joe designed the back glazing to reflect very clean lines from floor to ceiling and open up a full view of the back landscaping and pool. This view is enjoyed upon entry into the front of the home while the surprising expansiveness of the kitchen is not seen until entry into the living room.
Joe moved the laundry facilities from the garage to the hall area outside the expansive closet/travel room. The master suite was opened up with a glass door installed to the private en-suite garden and large modern bathroom with cantilevered double glass sinks and full glass shower with private toilet room.
The center bedroom was redesigned as a closet to accommodate luggage and to reduce clutter in the master suite. The back office/guest bedroom was opened up with a glass door to allow enjoyment of the back garden. Further, a double closet was created to support longer term guests and to house the expansive media center that runs the entertainment center with speakers in all rooms of the house. The office closet also includes the tivo, apple TV, security devices, and computer center that supplies data, media, sound and wireless to the guest suite and home attached to the carport.
The kitchen and living room are combined for cooking and entertaining. The kitchen was designed by Natural Territory, Scottsdale. Santosh Rao and his kitchen designer, Andy used sustainably sourced hardwood bamboo throughout the kitchen. They paid special attention to run the grain horizontal and to hide toaster oven, microwave and storage to give a clean modern look to all surfaces. The 7’X 5’ center island will have 4 inch thick white ceasar stone surface embedded with a gas stove for conversations over cooking food.
Joe worked with us to creatively solve the need for a guest suite without building a separate structure. The wall of the carport was moved toward the front of the house leaving the frontal view un-altered while creating a new space to create a storage closet and guest suite. The feel of the guest suite was enlarged with a glass door. Joe created two separate rooms by placing a “barn door” style opening in the interior to provide a separate guest bath, work area, sofa, queen bed and flat screen entertainment center.
The site architecture drawings was done by the well known Steve Martino of Cactus City Design. The execution of the work is being managed by Joe. The hardscape includes a front courtyard which mimics the original pattern of the brickwork of the home. The landscape architecture of the back of the home includes an 8 foot storage area which will be painted red creating privacy and inspiration against the cool blue colors of the pool and extensive handlaid tile work using a 1960’s pattern crafted with the help of Liz.
Steve Martino creative design of benches, continuous hardscaping between front and back “bookend” walls and red steel Japanese style screening on the side of the house will create the indoor/outdoor space he is famous for. Further, the landscaping will have a plethora of native plant with the exception of a green lawn for the family dog.
The ecologically friendly personality of the home includes a 4.1kw solar panel system delivered by American Solar, recycled glass tile throughout the home supplied by Natural Interiors, energy star appliances including laundry facility, limited use of RO water system, low flush toilets, recycled wood furniture, 16 SEER A/C, and Icynene insulation in walls, ceilings, and on all piping with R factor of approx. 42, new foam roof and double paned glass throughout the home.
Overall, nearly everything in, on and beside the home was replaced in painstaking detail by the project manager.
