Menlo

2020
Menlo Park, CA
1,700 SQ. FT.

Our clients purchased a 1940s house not far from Meta HQ in Menlo Park. The old house sat on a triangular lot and an illegal addition extended over two of the city's setbacks. Much of the layout was impractical and the city wanted us to remove the illegal part, time to start over. We designed a new 1,700 square foot modern, compact, high performing, low maintenance house.

How it all started

The original house had small rooms, an impractical layout, and  the materials were dilapidated and worn out. The city would make us remove the illegal addition. Nothing was worth keeping.

Single-story blue house with white trim, a small porch, and autumn trees in front yard.
Blue stucco residential building with white door, windows, and driveway under a partly cloudy sky.
Modern gray house with angled roof, large windows, purple supports, and colorful flowers by sidewalk.

How it came together

Modern gray house with angled roof, surrounded by garden, trees, and outdoor seating under blue sky.

The new house is a simple rectangular form with a shed mono slope roof. Skylights running down a central corridor add balanced natural light in all rooms.  The lowest ceiling end of the house is a guest bedroom and the highest is an open living, kitchen and dining space. High windows along the street facade let light in but allow for privacy. We used highly efficient European tilt turn windows, often chosen to get Passive House ratings. They vent inward allowing the air to flow, and are made of thick wood. The exterior siding is a no maintenance never painted cement board panel. The house runs only on electricity with a geothermal heat exchange loop. With 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, the house is spacious yet efficient.

Modern gray building facade with three upper windows and yellow flowers in front under bright blue sky.
Modern bathroom with green vanity, white bathtub, gray window, towel rack, and small plants.
Modern gray house exterior with purple awning and small desert-style garden with succulents and rocks.Modern gray house exterior with large window, small door, and garden with green plants and flowers.
Bright hallway with skylights, white walls, a purple chair, and a window at the end.Modern kitchen with green lower cabinets, light wood upper cabinets, stainless fridge, and large wooden-framed window.
Modern living room with gray sectional sofa, purple chair, large windows, and wall-mounted TV.
Modern house with wooden upper facade, gray lower walls, garage, front door, and green lawn.

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Larkspur

Modern kitchen with wooden island, two stools, pendant light, and sliding glass doors to a deck.

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Cole Valley