Renovations

Loft cabin built from recycled materials in Olympia, Washington by Jacob Witzling

The project’s unique challenges—a tight budget and steep, difficult terrain—led architecture firm _naturehumaine to a creative solution that gave the house its delightfully sculptural appearance. Making the first floor’s envelope slightly narrower than the top one’s saved money while minimizing the amount of excavation required.

Dovecote

LP architektur

Torcuato House Pavilion

The horizontal layout of the home allows for easy movement throughout the interior, while the line of the continuous roof seems to extend into the trees. Enlarging the opening of the home allowed for impressive views of the river and surrounding area.

The second-floor office is housed inside a rounded rectangle of concrete that the architect inserted on top of the old farmhouse.

The ladder from the kitchen leads to this "sleeping box," a tucked-away room perfect for visiting relatives, or as Heierle discovered during a trip to work on the project, visiting architects. When light streams through the skylight and down into the hallway below, it adds an "almost mystic element," says Heierle.

The original home was preserved and renovated. In the front bedroom, a small window was replaced with a large painted-steel window seat, a favorite of the residents' grandchildren.

The entrance level’s master bedroom has engineered oak floors and a full wall of built-in closets.

The central staircase is a key element of the scheme. With the bedrooms and bathroom located on the entrance level, it was crucial to create an intuitive and inviting flow up toward the more social areas. On the upper floor, the central staircase divides and defines an otherwise open plan.

Though the home is expansive, the team made certain to waste as little space as possible. Clever moments of storage, like this sliding shoe closet, abound.

Although little was done to alter the building’s original form, the firm did demolish an extension that was the site of a mechanical plant. This alteration allowed for an outdoor deck covered with timber decking by Chemisys Group.

"The most challenging part of the design was fusing the old part of the house with the new addition," says principal architect Alex Terry. The character and architectural integrity of the single-level 1950s ranch house was thoughtfully reconsidered during the addition and remodel. The home’s front porch, typical of the period, was refreshed with Ipe decking and railing.