Carriage House Remodel

Company:
AXIA Architects
540 Mendocino Ave
SANTA ROSA, California 95401
(707) 542-4652
https://www.axiaarchitects.com
Contact:
Doug Hilberman
Business Phone: (707) 542-4652

Project Location: Healdsburg
Completion Date: 04/01/2019
Owner: Confidential Client

Additional Team:
ZFA Structural Engineering, Santa Rosa, CA
Lyn Matejczyk, Interior Designer, Oakland, CA
Steve Berlin, General Contractor, Santa Rosa,

Project Description

The carriage house appears to have been constructed around the turn of the century, with the traditional housing for animals on the 1st floor and a small living quarters on the second floor. The 8,800 SF structure included hay lofts and a central courtyard to store the carriages. The layout, while functional for its original use, was neither functional as a modern-day barn, nor as a garage. The county limitations on accessory dwelling units at the time was
800 square feet.

Design Challenge

To increase the square footage to accommodate the owner’s family, architectural firm developed design strategies to maximize living spaces that could be defined as outdoor spaces. The approach piggy-backed onto the quintessential indoor-outdoor Sonoma County lifestyle with fluidity between the zones. Firm narrowed down the conditioned space to only the kitchen and bedrooms. The sliding glass walls of the living and dining room allowed them to be considered exterior spaces, though the heated thermal mass kept them comfortable. Firm also researched the historic property records to find 600 additional square feet that the County agreed to grandfather into the living space.

Physical Context

The site layout respects the solar patterns of the day.  Pool and patio activities occur on the south facing side.   Outdoor dining, games, and entertainment bar occur in the shaded courtyard.  The wine cellar, and reading areas take advantage of the natural cooling in the old horse stalls.