Hillside Retreat

Nestled into a lush hillside landscape, this large addition extends off an existing residence that was much too small to fit a growing family. To keep the project within budget, the existing house remains intact except for one small guest room, which was removed to make space for the new residence, and allows for a smooth transition between the old and new structures.

The footprint of the addition was restrained to reduce ground disturbance to the property. However, the second and third floors extend beyond the footprint, cantilevering out over the patio and garden below. Not only does this allow for generous living and sleeping spaces on the upper levels, and for covered outdoor space below, but it also imbues the home with a contemporary design aesthetic: two offset but interlocking forms tucked into the hillside. Oriented to the south with a view of the sloping yard, the new structure gives the family the spacious living areas full of light that they eagerly needed.

Though contemporary in form, the upper portion of the addition echoes the more traditional original home with schoolhouse windows and clapboard siding that matches the original house. With a simple, paneled form creating a clean and tidy connection between the existing and new living spaces of the expanded home, the two wings of the home are at once balanced and offset.