Phoenix Desert Contemporary

Phoenix, AZ, United States

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Phoenix Desert Contemporary

Phoenix, AZ, United States

Firm

Robert Klob Designs, Inc.

Type

Residential › Private House

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2012

SIZE

1000 sqft - 3000 sqft

BUDGET

$500K - 1M

Photos

Luciano Kruk Arquitectos (17)

SCOPE OF WORK:
The owner purchased a foreclosure home that the previous owner had started to remodel the inside. The home was originally built in 1953 and had gone thru numerous renovations over the years. The new owners needed a larger home with more open and living space. They also wanted a design that was considered Desert Contemporary with a mid-century modern influence. This would require an extensive remodel and addition.

EXISTING HOME AND NEIGHBORHOOD:
The neighborhood is undergoing a transitional period. The home is centrally located and near popular shopping and financial districts. The original homes were built in the 1950’s and many have not been properly maintained – these homes are now being purchased and extensive renovations have been made to today’s standards and designs. The neighborhood has seen a sharp increase in property values that will support such extensive renovations.

THE HOMEOWNER’S OBJECTIVES:
The objective of this homeowner was to create a modern home that worked with their lifestyle. Clean lines, minimal clutter and optimal use of space. This process started at the apex of the housing recession and the owner wanted to capitalize on the lower build costs to achieve their goals. The owners wanted to retain some of the original home. The back bedrooms remained and were remodeled. They wanted the existing master bedroom to become an office with mountain views. It was also our goal to keep as much of the plumbing within the proximity of the existing fixtures. A major change the owners wanted was to raise the roof from the 50’s traditional 8’ to 9’, 10’ and higher in some places to add a dramatic effect.

Views were also important. This property has desert mountain views to the East and North. We wanted to capitalize on the North views from the Owners Suite and East Views from the Great Room and Dining Room.

UNUSUAL PROBLEMS OR CHALLENGES:
We encountered two major issues during the design phase. The first was the property was zoned with an antiquated zoning designation that is no longer used by the municipality. This zoning designation created substantial restrictions on the amount of open space and height restrictions that needed to be maintained. The zoning for this lot was about twice as restrictive as similar sized lots in the municipality that use current zoning designations. In order to achieve the goals of the owner, we needed to obtain several variances.

During the variance process, the neighborhood re-enacted an HOA that had not been functional for nearly 30 years (although one resident maintained its entity licensing, the HOA had no meetings or officers during that time). When the HOA was reestablished, they fought the variance requests. Unfortunately, this created a sharp division within the neighborhood – those that have been there for many years vs. those that are new and wish to redevelop.
It took over a year & in the end, it was a bit of a give and take. We did get some resolve, but were forced to maintain other aspects. With this in mind, the owners decided they wanted to maximize the livable footprint and would concede on covered patio space to abide by the lot coverage/open space requirement.

OVERALL RESULTS:
Our goal was to keep as much of the existing structure as possible. We were able to keep the 2 rear bedrooms and repurpose the master to an office. The hall bath was remodeled and the hallway was moved to provide a direct view thru the home from the entry to the rear yard & mountains beyond.

The entry stayed in a similar location, but was enhanced with a very modern, 5’ pivot door. An existing powder room that was adjacent to the entry was remodeled to create a wine room.

The Kitchen was substantially enlarged to create an open space that flowed with the great room and adjacent dining room (with the wine room). Natural light was very important to the owners. We have floor to ceiling windows that allow the rooms to not only be bright and vibrant, they also frame a very prominent mountain view to the East. The Kitchen has the highest ceilings in the home – the high walls allow for transom windows to bring in substantial natural light to an internal space. The cohesive effect of the layout of space combined with abundant glazing creates a warm and inviting environment that brings the outside in.

In the desert, the summer heat gain from the western sun can be extensive. To mitigate this, we placed the garage and shop on the West side to create a buffer to the residence. This helps with maintaining an efficient climate controlled environment throughout the year.

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Phoenix Desert Contemporary

Phoenix, AZ, United States

Phoenix Desert Contemporary

Phoenix, AZ, United States

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team