Dover Guest House
Additional Team:
Structural Engineer: Dennis Fagent, ZFA, 707-526-0992, [email protected]
Builder: Withheld at Owners' Request
Project Description
An existing 30×50 metal clad garage and storage barn is remodeled to serve as a combination guest house, office, and shop. The common guest space (sitting, dining, kitchen) opens both north and south with newly fitted interior glass roll up doors. The original solid roll up doors are moved to the exterior where they provide privacy, sun control, and fire protection. East and west walls are faced with continuous library shelving and are curved to mitigate the existing awkwardly proportioned orthogonal volume and help focus the space.
The kitchen consists of a large island with pantry, dish washing, and ovens placed out of sight to either side. A spiral stair leads to a structural tube and perforated sheet metal bridge connecting the upper east and west portions of the building. Landings at each end provide access to bedrooms and a bathroom and are/will be embellished with historical artifacts skylit through aluminum egg crate diffusers.
Free of adherence to a specific look or style the project is compositionally inclusive with a variety of elements orchestrated into a single work. A metal fireplace with a TV concealed behind a sliding door above is integrated into the shelving, furnishings are unabashedly simple, and collected artifacts provide accents and points of focus. Finishes include newly exposed and sealed concrete first floors, waxed cold rolled steel fireplace, bridge, and stairs, granite and stainless steel kitchen counters, and Douglas fir ceilings and millwork.
Design Challenge
Design Challenge: An existing 30x50 metal clad garage and storage barn is remodeled to serve as a combination guest house, office, and shop. The project strives to be free of a specific look or style and to be compositionally inclusive with a variety of elements orchestrated into a single work. Solution:- Room arrangements were strongly dictated by existing GLB headers which divided the interior into four equal bays. The two center bays become a common space between outer bays of stacked shop, office and bedrooms. The two opposing upper floors are connected with a structural tube and perforated sheet metal bridge and landings become opportunities to display historical artifacts as well as to introduce filtered sky light.
- The awkward proportions and lack of focus of the high common space are greatly enhanced by the introduction of curved library shelving on the east and west walls. Now, there is some there there(!).
- The kitchen consists of a large island with support areas including pantry, dish washing, and ovens placed out of sight to either side.
- The four existing garage door openings are newly fitted with interior glass roll up doors and the original solid roll up doors are moved to the exterior where they provide privacy, sun control, and fire protection.
- A metal fireplace and a TV concealed behind a sliding door above are integrated into the shelving. Furnishings are kept unabashedly simple.