Despite being located on top of a hillside with views of Mount Diablo, the original house on this Orinda site did not take advantage of its bounty.

“While it had an interesting plan organization, it suffered from very low ceilings and eaves (6’-4”) that effectively blocked almost all views and created dark and uninviting interior spaces,” say the architects at Swatt | Miers Architects, who were responsible for the transformation. They took the house down to the foundation and created a new home on the footprint, weaving in lots of glass to better access the outstanding views and natural light.