A business-to-business magazine focused on the collaborative process and talented work of residential architects and custom homebuilders.
Issue link: https://residentialdesign.epubxp.com/i/811962
along these raised ceiling planes, or clerestories as Thomas and Viraj call them, adds to the effect. The dance of vertical and horizontal elements continues inside. The horizontal swipes of the board-formed-concrete walls contrast with the vertical grain of the walnut custom built-ins and the oak flooring. All is carefully choreographed. But for Richard and his team, the glazing was the biggest challenge. "The windows are beautiful. They are the key to the house," he says. "But we built them on site, piece by piece. So instead of taking two days to install like conventional windows, they took two months. Still, we don't really have to turn lights on in the house in the daytime, there's so much natural light." Figuring out the connections for the few pieces of steel in the house was also tricky. Everyone on the project would have liked to use more steel, but it wasn't in the budget. Instead, they used it as an accent here and there, working in tandem with the windows to make more of less. Elsewhere, says Thomas, "the majority is shear walls and LVL, Glulam." "We try to place the money where we get the best value out of it," says Richard. "And to explore how far we can take things to keep it safe but still adventurous." A number of choices and solutions happened on site, which is an improvisation Richard enjoys. "If we had been doing a custom home for a client, any substantial change might have taken two weeks of drawings and meetings. But here, I could have a 20-minute chat with Thomas and get it worked out." Moving On So, the house is finally finished. Richard and Patricia's art collection adorns the walls, and their midcentury furniture brings the rest of the interiors to life. So, it must be time to relax and enjoy the place, right? Nope. Richard drove by another interesting lot recently, and the siren call of the next project has begun its irresistible tune. Tetra House has now hit the market, and made it onto some local modern home tours for extra exposure. It's time to move on. Richard can't rest on laurels; he hungers for a new challenge. And he especially thrives on these houses he does for himself and his family. They bring a different kind of energy and satisfaction than the custom work does. "I enjoy being the curator of these houses," he says. "I can take the time to live in them, feel them out, get them just right. When you hand over a custom house, there's always the feeling that you're leaving the last 5 percent undone." When he drives the project for himself, he concludes, "I can take care of that, and make a more interesting house, because I can take on more risk than a client would. I can take the risk, and then they can walk in and enjoy the result." CASE STUDY 38 RESIDENTIALDESIGNMAGA ZINE.COM VOL. 2, 2017