Paradise Valley Residence

Project Data
Existing Footprint: 3,300 SF Original House Built in 1956
New Footprint: 6,125 SF
Demolition: 746 SF Completed in December 2007
Heavy Remodel: 420 SF
Moderate Remodel: 2,134 SF Construction Cost: $1.4M
New Construction: 3,571 SF plus Deck/Patio/Gallery: 1,756 SF SF Cost: < $230/SF average

Concept Statement
An exquisite 1.7 acre urban lot with monumental views and excellent native vegetation was occupied by a 1956 ranch home lacking in space and totally disconnected from it’s site and the views. A limited budget, but unlimited desire for an extraordinary home created an atmosphere of collaboration and innovation for the architect and owners. By retaining a large portion of the existing 3,300 SF house for remodeling and relocating re-invented living spaces in the footprint of the demolished areas of the house, a balance was secured between new and old, indoors and outdoors, closed versus open exposures. The creation of the Great Room facilitated a “domino effect” allowing rooms to assume new, more suitable identities: the living room became the formal dining; the dining room became a sitting room, the kitchen became a workroom; the garage gives way for a new kitchen/dining area.

A remarkably subdued house when viewed from the public way is transformed into a dynamic contemporary composition from within the site boundaries. The distinction between indoors and outdoors is blurred as living spaces expand into the landscape through floor to ceiling butt-glazed window walls. Protected view corridors extend to Camelback Mountain from virtually every living space and from many of the outdoor patio zones. In each case, the viewer is screened from intense light and glare by masonry spine walls and sweeping roof overhangs. In this residence, the outdoor spaces receive as much activity and occupation as the interior zones.

Materials, including wood, steel, concrete and masonry, are exposed in their natural state. Nothing attempts to be what it is not. Venetian plaster and gyp-board walls create a colorful backdrop for the owner’s contemporary furniture and fittings. The overall effect is a warm and highly textured palette of natural and man-made materials acting as a backdrop and container of human activities. In this house, the frenetic movements of young children and the more restrained activities of adults co-exist in a symbiotic balance. There is an equity of use in the living spaces and the zoning necessary for each occupant to find privacy or respite in their own zone.