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Portola Valley Home
Portola Valley Home
Portola Valley, CA, United States
Project Featured on Jan 12, 2024
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Other Projects by S^A | Schwartz and Architecture
Portola Valley Home
Portola Valley, CA, United States
Project Featured on Jan 12, 2024
Type
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2021
SIZE
1000 sqft - 3000 sqft
To add a bit of surprise to what otherwise could be a standard ranch house façade, we wanted the updated ‘face’ of this home to feel as if it were suddenly coming alive and welcoming you as you approach.
This phased Silicon Valley remodel updated the original ranch house to a more open and functional family home. Like many modest homes where land values have escalated wildly in recent years, the question of starting fresh versus remodeling loomed large. Here, given the limitations of the site and family’s goals, we committed to working with as much of the existing home as possible –one that demands as much strategy as design.
In the first phase of the remodel several years ago, we reconfigured the roof shape of the main living area while retaining the same lower roof slope at the front. In the second phase, we substantially rebuilt an existing studio over the garage to become a new prime bedroom suite, turning what was the overlooked back end of the home into part of a more welcoming front entry.
As you approach from the upper public road, the remodel appears very private and closed off. However, as you get closer, the facade opens up to reveal a small outdoor courtyard adjacent to the prime bathroom. The slatted screen at the upper courtyard has a hidden egg-shaped oval routed into the backside. We intended the subtle gesture from solid to open to be like a warm welcome smile or handshake as you approach the existing front door on the left. The courtyard also gives the prime bathroom privacy despite being on the roadside of the site. The deck off the prime bedroom then opens dramatically to the views across the valley.
This phased Silicon Valley remodel updated the original ranch house to a more open and functional family home. Like many modest homes where land values have escalated wildly in recent years, the question of starting fresh versus remodeling loomed large. Here, given the limitations of the site and family’s goals, we committed to working with as much of the existing home as possible –one that demands as much strategy as design.
In the first phase of the remodel several years ago, we reconfigured the roof shape of the main living area while retaining the same lower roof slope at the front. In the second phase, we substantially rebuilt an existing studio over the garage to become a new prime bedroom suite, turning what was the overlooked back end of the home into part of a more welcoming front entry.
As you approach from the upper public road, the remodel appears very private and closed off. However, as you get closer, the facade opens up to reveal a small outdoor courtyard adjacent to the prime bathroom. The slatted screen at the upper courtyard has a hidden egg-shaped oval routed into the backside. We intended the subtle gesture from solid to open to be like a warm welcome smile or handshake as you approach the existing front door on the left. The courtyard also gives the prime bathroom privacy despite being on the roadside of the site. The deck off the prime bedroom then opens dramatically to the views across the valley.
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