The original home on this property was lost in the 1997 Los Gatos “Cats Fire”.  In rebuilding, the owners wanted the new home to match their lifestyle in a way the old home had never done.  The original house had a very long straight hallway and the garage was underneath the main level of the house.  In the new design, we positioned the garage at the opposite end so it was at the main house level and the owners would no longer need to make multiple trips up and down stairs just to unload groceries.

A series of freely flowing, light-filled interior spaces surround a rotunda living room with a conical ceiling and clerestory windows.  Six French doors open the living room to the outdoor terrace and provide sweeping vistas of the neighboring hillsides.  Roof overhangs were designed to provide shade in the summer and allow sunlight to the interior in winter.  By using the same limestone surfacing inside the French doors and also on the patio beyond, the inside seems connected to the outside.  Re-terracing the patio into cascading levels and a height reduction of the existing retaining wall better connect the house to the pool.  The roof fascia and soffits wrap continuously around the house emphasizing it’s horizontality and unique roof forms.

The home is 4,500 s.f.  Much of the remaining foundation was damaged but approximately one third was able to be re-used.  A lower level recreation area and a spacious guest quarters occupy the original garage level.