Forest Hill
We created a spacious new house that honored the architectural scale of its neighbors. We buried one floor below grade, we built the main level with high ceilings, and on the upper floor we kept the eaves low but gained interior volume by letting the ceilings rise with the roof.
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Needing space for their children and for two home offices, this couple wanted to construct a new house with substantial scale and grandeur. They had chosen a neighborhood with established density and architectural character and sought a San Francisco architect who could work with the neighbors. In a couple of meetings with the homeowners association we achieved full support for our design.
The architecture begins with a centralized Paladian geometry, but we massaged the proportions to suit modern use.
We reinterpreted elements of Art Deco and Spanish Revival, key styles in the complexion of San Francisco. Positioning the garage entrance at the lower end of a sloping street front, we were able to build a three-car garage under the house and keep it mostly out of sight. We dropped the rear yard below street level and met it with a shady loggia, giving the private side of the house a more majestic scale than is apparent from the street and generous indoor-outdoor living spaces.
To boost equity value and to lower monthly utility costs, we installed solar panels on the roof. These provide energy for both radiant heating and domestic hot water.