Shift House

Shift House comprises a remodel and addition to a 1920s Tudor cottage, as well as a conversion of a detached one-car garage into a studio sized ADU. The project is located on a standard sized suburban lot surrounded by other period homes, which are characteristic of the neighborhood.
The original 970 sq. ft. portion of the home includes a living and dining area, two bedrooms, a small bathroom and the kitchen, while the 740 sq. ft. addition adds a primary suite, family room, office and powder room. The floor plan is arranged into an L-shaped pubic zone flanked by two private zones, one for adults and the other for the children. At the heart of the house is the kitchen, which acts as a central gathering area, and is tied to the adjacent family room with full-height built-in cabinetry.
The exterior form of the addition is composed of interlocking shed roof massings, that stand in stark contrast to the existing home. The addition embodies a recomposition of the existing traditional house form, which can be seen as a deconstruction of the iconic pitched roof arrangement, simplified into a shed roof, then cut, rotated and rearranged into interlocking blocks. This newly introduced design language sets up an interesting relationship between old and new, and allows the interior spaces of the addition to be light-filled with soaring ceilings and large exterior openings that connect the interior spaces with the rear yard via a new wrap-around deck. The detached guest house opens directly onto the pool area and acts as a buffer between the rear yard and the neighboring property to the north. The home also benefits from new hardscaping and landscaping that incorporates specialized planting areas and permeable paving that work to capture and filter rain water to reduce pollutants and prevent unwanted runoff.