Harrison House

Harrison House

At only 1,800 square feet, the existing house would not accommodate the needs of its new owners. With two small children, they wanted more bedrooms & bathrooms, as well as additional casual family space. These additional desires required another 1,800 square feet. An existing eyesore of a carport tacked onto the front façade of the existing house begged for removal.

While doubling the size of the house, the architect’s goal was to resurrect the original mid-century box – then minimize the impact to it. The design solution involved separating the addition so that new & old could be distinctly read. New vs. Old can be decoded where the original yellow brick is exposed and seen in contrast to new cypress siding and white stucco surfaces. The black color of the original wood post & beam structure is extended to the new, exposed black steel. New space was elevated on a podium some distance away, connected by an elevated bridge at roof level. An offending carport was removed from the front of the house, replaced by a more discreet detached garage in a different location, allowing a new front façade to be composed.

These light touches do not engage the original house’s exterior walls at any place, keeping those exterior walls as free from intrusion as possible. Original interior partitions were edited and reconfigured to provide purer open space (previously, various closets protruded into the living area’s rectangle). As needed, components were restored or replaced, and new interior space was organized along the exterior window in relation to newly created outdoor areas.