Home Build Ideas

Appearing as a floating houseboat, the two story new building is surrounded by water. The verandah/carport is also new but detailed with traditional exposed rafters and ceiling lining boards, to complete the original verandah. © Justin Alexander

The Emperor Adrian, built his Villa Adriana studio surrounded by a swimming pool as he used to train and swim around the studio as a daily routine. Short of the loop this ‘C’ shaped pool allows safe supervision of young children and maintains a fresh cool atmosphere around the house. © Justin Alexander

The first floor bedrooms cantilever towards the backyard, being larger than the ground floor living spaces. The two rectangular volumes are shifted, each with different wall constructions: very glazed and open downstairs, and closed upstairs. The bedrooms have two sliding shutters, manually controlled. © Justin Alexander

A view of the Free Float Pool House from the garden of lush plantings by Bayview Landscape Architecture.

The owners of the Free Float Pool House originally set out to build a traditional cabana in the style of their house, but discovered that a neo-traditional aesthetic prevented it from meeting their goals. The UP Studio's modern design achieves the unobstructed views and flexibility they desired.

Glass Mosaic tiles give a natural shimmer to the water, similar to a pebble lined freshwater lagoon. Reflections on the soffits and ceilings provide unique light effects. © Justin Alexander

The glazed ground floor living space plays hide and seek with the sun and the swimming pool. Motorised sliding shutters can provide the adequate privacy and solar control. L.S.S.A. (A.C.D.C.), the louvres contractor, applied new technologies to these remote controlled screens. © Justin Alexander

Appearing as a floating houseboat, the two story new building is surrounded by water. The verandah/carport is also new but detailed with traditional exposed rafters and ceiling lining boards, to complete the original verandah. © Justin Alexander

Stone terrace steps

A maple tree grows through an ipe deck in this garden that Mary Barensfeld designed for a family in Berkeley, California. A reflecting pool separates it from a granite patio, which is furnished with a Petal dining table by Richard Schultz and chairs by Mario Bellini. The 1,150-square-foot garden serves as an elegant transition from the couple’s 1964 Japanese-style town house to a small, elevated terrace with views of San Francisco Bay. Filigreed Cor-Ten steel fence screens—perforated with a water-jet cutter to cast dappled shadows on a bench and the ground below—and zigzagging board-formed concrete retaining walls are examples.

The home as viewed from the backyard, now and then. Mature landscaping and new dining areas elevate the outdoor spaces.

The swimming pool offers an alternative plunge to the nearby Bantam River.

The residents decided to convert a koi pond on the property into a petite pool. Next steps for the renovators are updating the kitchen and increasing its size by expanding it into the mudroom and laundry room.