Holcomb ResidenceCustom Home
The original home on this property was lost in the 1997 Los Gatos
“Cats Fire”. In rebuilding, the owners wanted the new home to match
their lifestyle in a way the old home had never done. The original
house had a very long straight hallway and the garage was underneath the
main level of the house. In the new design, we positioned the garage
at the opposite end so it was at the main house level and the owners
would no longer need to make multiple trips up and down stairs just to
unload groceries. A series of freely flowing, light-filled
interior spaces surround a rotunda living room with a conical ceiling
and clerestory windows. Six French doors open the living room to the
outdoor terrace and provide sweeping vistas of the neighboring
hillsides. Roof overhangs were designed to provide shade in the summer
and allow sunlight to the interior in winter. By using the same
limestone surfacing inside the French doors and also on the patio
beyond, the inside seems connected to the outside. Re-terracing the
patio into cascading levels and a height reduction of the existing
retaining wall better connect the house to the pool. The roof fascia
and soffits wrap continuously around the house emphasizing it’s
horizontality and unique roof forms.
The home is 4,500 s.f. Much of the remaining foundation was
damaged but approximately one third was able to be re-used. A lower
level recreation area and a spacious guest quarters occupy the original
garage level.