OPENTOUR

ARCHITECTURE

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the architects association of santa cruz countypresents

a benefit for

HABITAT FOR HUMANITYsaturday, may 21st10am–4pm$25 ticket admits two people

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Welcome to Open Architecture Tour 2005

A Benefit for

Habitat for HumanityThe Architects Association of Santa Cruz County is proud to present our Eleventh Annual Open Architecture Tour on Saturday, May 21, from 10:00am until 4:00pm.

This showcase of architectural works is a unique opportunity for you to meet talented local architects and experience their designs. Your ticket book enables you and a companion to take a self-guided tour of sites located throughout Santa Cruz County.

These architectural works encompass a wide range of styles and bud-gets. There are new custom homes and charming residential remodels. Each will offer exciting new ideas to current or prospective home owners interested in the latest in home design.

Architects, participating craftspeople, and docents will be at each site to greet you and discuss design features. We hope you will keep this ticket book as a valuable reference when you plan your own project.

The Architects Association of Santa Cruz County

Our association is a not-for-profit association of licensed architects, associates who are in the process of becoming licensed architects, and affiliated professionals who live or work in Santa Cruz County. The Association was formed in 1982 to increase public awareness of and sensitivity to architecture, to give members a platform for address-ing design and building professionals, and to sponsor cooperation among private and public groups with the goal of improving the quality of the built environment.

Please visit our website at www.aascc.org for much more information and a complete list of all members and upcoming events.

This booklet is published annually by the AASCC in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity, Santa Cruz.

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Stephanie Barnes-Castro

Architect Stephanie Barnes-Castro

Staff Architect Lisa Blatchley

Owner

Contractor Castro & Howe Construction

Structural Engineer George Reynolds and Associates

Landscape Architect Ellen Cooper

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Owners Ron & Kay Bailey bought 17 acres of land at the top of Branci-forte Drive with the idea of living out their dream of creating a vineyard adjacent to a Mediterranean home with a beautiful valley view. The vine-yard is still young but quite extraordinary. They have done a spectacular job of lacing the vineyard between a few grand oak trees even though it was recommended that they remove the trees to create more sunlight.

The 3,741 square feet Mediterranean style home is designed in a courtyard–fashion around an attached garage and detached workshop. Opening out to both the interior courtyard and the extensive exterior patio is a plentiful number of French doors all of which take full advantage of the views. The interiors are quite modern following the requirements of the owners who wanted an interior that worked well with their Scandi-navian decor. The amenities include radiant floors, above ground wine storage area and a 3-car garage.

The owners surprisingly are not dot-commers. Rather they are two very hard working individuals that over the course of their lives kept a focus on a dream that they made happen with an equal amount of hard work once they found the property to create their dream.

Home with a Vineyard View

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NAI Architecture

with higher coffered spaces over the living and dining areas, provide for elegant painted-wood moldings and detailed window and door trim. The exterior painted board and batten and shingle siding tie the cottage to the early architectural styles of the conference center.

Architect William K. Mayfield, AIA NAI Architecture/Planning/Interiors

Structural Engineer Donald Urfer and Associates

Geotechnical Engineer Bauldry Engineering

Interior Design Joan and Mark Folden

Landscape Design Sue Nelson, Plant Works

Contractor Sweers Construction

Site The Site was a privately owned 6,866 SF parcel with numerous douglas fir, bay, and oak trees, and very steep terrain. The narrow rect-angular shaped lot rises 50 feet from the street to the rear property line. The existing cabin, a single-story summer structure, built during the 1930s, with several enclosed porches (including sloping floors) and addi-tions, had exceeded its expected life.

Location The Mount Hermon Conference Center is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, eight miles north of the city of Santa Cruz. The Center consists of approximately 440 acres including conference facilities and private homes, all situated in a heavily wooded mountain environment.

Challenge To design a replacement vacation cottage with new septic system within very tight zoning setbacks, and poor soil conditions.

Solution The new cottage includes 3 bedrooms and 3 baths on 2 levels and is approximately 2,000 SF. Because of the steep slope of the prop-erty, the main entry is on the lower level with its shingle-sided battered walls and whimsical vault roof and over-sized tapered columns.Also on the lower level are the grandchildren’s doll house (under the stairs), bed-room and bath, and the laundry room. The main level includes an open living, dining and kitchen plan, guest bedroom and bath, and the master bedroom and bath. There is a front covered porch with a hanging swing, and also a side deck for outdoor dining which has a small patio with inlaid hopscotch tiles also for the grandchildren. The nine foot ceilings,

2 Folden Residence

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Thacher & Thompson

Architects Thacher and Thompson

Owners

Contractor David McClure

Structural Engineer George Reynolds and Associates

Milling Steve Liebenberg

This house is located on a 45 acre property in Felton. The house and outbuildings sit on the edge of a large meadow along a creek. Beyond the meadow, managed timber lands extend up the hillside creating an unspoiled backdrop. Fall Creek State Park is beyond.

A 1,400 square foot redwood cabin was built in 1975 with design as-sistance from Kit Ratcliff. In 2001, Thacher and Thompson designed a 2,000 square foot addition along with detached workshop and garage.

Both the 1975 cabin and new buildings are constructed with wood from trees on the property and cut by a portable mill on-site. The re-cent milling was done with the same mill employed in 1975 by the son of the original miller and permitted the generous use of large timbers that help create the mountain lodge character of the house and out-buildings.

The indigenous redwood materials and the masonry fireplaces give the buildings a timeless quality. The house looks as if it could only be located in such a setting. All the buildings display the owner’s affection for quality materials and fine craftsmanship.

The house also integrates passive solar design with solar hot water panels.

3 Ahwahnee West

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Bert Lemke, Seascape Design

ter suite, with its lower ceiling, provides a cozy feeling while at the same time allowing the home to be within the building height limit.

Owners

Architect Bert Lemke, Seascape Design

Engineer Brad v Group. Inc.

Energy Compliance Patricia Van Guilder, TDR Certified Energy Analyst

Building Contractor Tom Curtiss, Tom Curtiss Construction, Inc.

Framing Subcontractor Brett Gripenstraw, Brett D. Gripenstraw Construction

This craftsman style home is nestled between old growth redwoods. From the cobblestone parking, brief views of the central courtyard are visible through the woods. The glimpse of the courtyard entices the visitor in. Wrought iron rail and rock posts lead the way to an entry pavil-ion. As one passes through, more is visible. The designed spaces open up and welcome the visitor.

The forest setting for this new residence, combined with the owner’s detailed list of preferences, resulted in a dream home that has tranquil views and interesting yet organized interior spaces, as well as cozy, pri-vate sanctuaries.

The first design challenge for this Woods Cove location was to determine if all the desired spaces would fit in the allowable building area. Another design challenge was to minimize the impact of an extra large garage on the front of the home.

Requirements for kayak storage above the car top racks meant an over-size, tall garage with tall garage doors. The danger here was the potential for the garage to become a focal point and spoil the harmony of the exterior design. This obstacle was overcome by strategically placing the garage off to the side and set back a bit.

Interior spaces feel expansive yet comfortable, thanks to ten-foot ceilings and windows that take advantage of the forest views. However, the mas-

4 Home at Woods Cove

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William Rennie Boyd

suite was squeezed into the attic space over the garage. The great room has tall vaulted ceilings, supported by two whimsical yet fully functioning ‘post-industrial’ trusses. The room opens onto an outdoor deck, the ideal place to sunbathe, barbecue, watch the surf and enjoy the passing show on West Cliff.

Designing a vacation rental allowed me to appreciate our beautiful area through a visitor’s eyes, and to consider going to Santa Cruz for a holiday sometime, though it hasn’t happened yet! So bring your sunscreen, stop in for a visit, and consider a stroll or ride down West Cliff to finish off your tour. To see additional photos or learn more about this house, go to www.seasidehome.us

Owner

Architect William Rennie Boyd

Structural Engineer Andrew Radovan, Bowman and Williams

Energy Consultant Lynnette Sergius, Area Title 24

Contractor Bill Lindeke, Lindeke Construction

Dorothy Webster had owned a little cottage just off Westcliff Drive for years and wanted to renovate it, maybe add a bedroom to make it a more attractive vacation rental. Unfortunately, in its quiet battle with the termites, the house had already lost. If anything was to be done, it was to start over.

What the lot had going for it besides the obvious benefit of its ocean view was its large size and all day sun orientation. Dorothy’s idea for the perfect vacation house was to make indoor and outdoor areas for entertaining or hanging out, lots of sleeping rooms for a large group or extended family, and create a getaway place for fun at the beach.

Finish materials had to be durable enough to stand up to the vacation traffic as well as the ocean environment, and the budget was modest.

The design and building that emerged is a fairly straightforward response, not too much in the way of architectural hoopla. With four+ bedrooms and three baths, the house can sleep up to ten comfortably.

The lower level has two bedrooms and a bath, a living room with fire-place, wet bar and patio terrace, which leads to the garden with its fire pit conversation area, outdoor shower and spa.

The upper level exceeded our expectations, giving ocean views where we thought we had none, as in the master bedroom. Another bedroom

5 Beach Party Bunkhouse

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Mark Primack

Architecture can and should be a considered arrangement of beautiful walls, openings and gardens in which meaningful lives are sheltered, inspired, and enriched. By carefully adhering to the letter of underlying zoning laws, we avoided the sometimes disheartening compromises of discretionary permits, public hearings and design by bureaucratic com-mittee, and so we were free to make the best design decisions we could. And I think that that allowed this project a rare enthusiasm, joy and warmth. I feel it still when I visit the house, sit in the library, the kitchen or the courtyard, or climb up onto the crow’s nest to watch the waves along West Cliff. I thank Patrice for trusting me to design her home, and for sharing it with the community.

Client/Collaborator

Contractor William Schultz, Schultz Construction

Architect Mark Primack

Engineer John Buchanan

Consulting Landscape Janet Pollock Architect

Cabinetmaker Cliff Friedlander

Patrice bought a tract house near West Cliff Drive. One story, with three bedrooms in the back; a side loaded garage in front of a kitchen on the left, and a living room on the right that commanded a view of the family car. The original owners had oriented their home toward Chinese, with a Ming red tile in the front hall.

Patrice had already knocked out one wall —eliminating a small bedroom in favor of a bigger living area—when she asked me to design a major remodel to meet her needs. She wanted a master bedroom on the sec-ond floor, and a large library upstairs as well. She also wanted private open space that she could easily access and enjoy.

The big debate was whether to remodel and add on, or demolition and rebuild from scratch. That’s a psychological as well as an economic issue, and after much discussion it was agreed to remodel the living room and kitchen, add the master bedroom over the existing back bed-rooms, and replace the attached garage, with a library above it.

Collaborations between client and architect are successful when each brings their most positive strengths to the table. Patrice was thought-ful and generous, not just toward each decision, but also toward every one who contributed their labor and their experience to her project. The finished house reflects the many lasting friendships and mutual respect that grew through the daily challenges and accomplishments of design and construction.

6 Privacy Near the Coast

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Matson Britton Architects

Clients

Architects Matson Britton Architects

Contractor Jim Nugent

Cabinet Maker Kit Soetart, Cabinet Town

The home presented here is an example of an addition and remodel to an existing home. The addition was relatively small at 382.5 square feet, but the remodel was approximately two thousand square feet. The existing home had been a primary residence with a rental unit on the second floor; the second unit was abandoned as such, and the square footage was incorporated into the main residence. The remodel imparted a “craftsman” feel to the essentially generic shingled ‘70s design.

This craftsman stylistic choice allowed for lower pitched roofs that could incorporate wonderful ocean views into the remodeled second floor master bedroom. A new entry porch was added with an arbor area that imparts an indoor/outdoor transitional feel to the family room, which had previously been two bedrooms. Interior walls and a masonry fireplace were removed to allow for an open approach to the kitchen, dining, and living area.

We hope you enjoy your tour, and thank you for your support of Habitat for Humanity.

7 Craftsman Remodel

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Matson Britton Architects

Architects Matson Britton Architects

Contractor Brett Gripenstraw

Cabinet Maker Kit Soetart, Cabinet Town

Landscape Design Natalain Schwartz, Green Touch and Installation

From the beginning, this house was a challenge: the lot was only 30 feet wide and 70 feet deep. It could only accommodate a house of 1365 square feet (which needed to include a one car garage.) However the program required a 3 bedroom, 3 bath house to serve as this multi-generational family’s weekend getaway. But proving the adage bigger isn’t always better, this cottage accommodates all of those needs and more. By placing the front door on the side of the house, the side yard becomes an entry courtyard and valuable street frontage is given to the ten foot wide living room. The circulation of the house is minimized as a central core with all the rooms radiating off of this space.

The house has everything one would want in a larger home: a lovely master suite with a fireplace and a balcony overlooking Capitola Village; a living room with 12’-0” ceilings; and a dining room that opens out to an intimate patio shaded by old oak trees. The Jentes-Briegers wanted the house to have a more European feel with steeply pitched roofs, overgrown trellises, and dormers instead of skylights. In order to meet Capitola’s 25’-0” height limit, we designed the house to be slab on grade. This was a great opportunity to install radiant heat and to provide a better sense of continuity with the patio in the backyard. Marble was used on the floors downstairs and maple upstairs. This cottage, though it started as a challenge, has proven itself to be cozy, comfortable, and very work-able.

Clients Karen Jentes and Steve Brieger

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Anderson-McKelvey Architects

difficulties, through the attentive efforts of Frank Gishler, the details were executed with great precision and care and in a very timely manner.

To provide the finishing touches, Nick Thayer designed landscaping that complements the style of the house while beckoning outdoor living. With the rear yard having more privacy, a spa is well situated off of the master suite. The front yard, surrounded by a low stucco wall is reminiscent of a Mediterranean style courtyard and because of its orientation will be bright and sunny most of the day. (That is, when there’s no fog.)

Owner

Architect Anderson–McKelvey Architects Dennis Anderson and John McKelvey

Structural Design Andrew Radovan

Interior Design Kay Heizman, ASID

Landscape Design Nick Thayer

Contractor Frank Gishler, General Contractor

After numerous remodels over the years, the Blackburn residence lacked any theme or continuity. Multiple floor and ceiling levels com-bined with undersized rooms resulted in an inconvenient and disjointed living space. The challenge was to remodel the house without adding any square footage, design a functional floor plan and retain the exterior Mediterranean details.

The design program included creating a central core living space consisting of areas for recreation as well as seclusion. Other special requirements were a bedroom wing that could accommodate frequently visiting family members and a master bedroom suite. Phyllis Blackburn’s interest in innovative design allowed us to explore unique design features such as an indoor/outdoor shower and suspended bar stools. Addition-ally, it was possible to utilize cutting-edge building products and recycled materials such as broken glass counter tops alongside a bar top crafted from premium redwood salvaged from a dismantled water tank located on the owner’s ranch in nearby Hollister.

To further enhance the design, Phyllis worked with Kay Heizman to cre-ate a rich and vivid color scheme. A limited southern exposure would naturally leave the rooms somewhat dark but through the use of bold col-ors the spaces are vibrant and alive.

Remodeling projects are often difficult because of building settlement, out-of-square conditions, and substandard framing. In spite of the many

9 The Blackburn Residence