l . a .  p a u l  &  a s s o c i a t e s

Gordon Residence

Custom Single-Family

Addition, Restoration & Alteration

Orinda, California

This contemporary house was originally built in the 70's and needed major restoration.  The owners had outgrown it's size and needed additional space for their teenage son, that could also function as guest quarters and do double duty as an at-home office for the wife's burgeoning therapy practice.  The answer was to construct a 1,000 square feet, two-story addition at the rear of the sloping site, containing a two-room suite with bathroom, powder room and small kitchen, all on a lower level, remote yet connected to the original house by a glass-enclosed, circular stair tower.   As a light-filled tower, the stair becomes the link between the original house and the new addition.  Large, walk-in closets and built-in bookshelves allow for maximum storage.   The fireplace and hearth is surrounded in marble to provide accent to the room.  A large, exterior deck helps bring the outdoors in and expands the spacious feel of the suite.

The new addition was designed to seamlessly blend with the original architecture, being restored and updated for contemporary styling.  The home's interior was entirely restored and redesigned to open it up to views of Mount Diablo while expanding the original floor plan and linking the original house with the new addition.  The exterior stair and walkway winds down the steep hillside and becomes a "bridge" at the front entry to the lower addition.  The roof above the addition was designed as a large rooftop deck with transparent guardrails to not obstruct the views and to provide an outdoor social space for the family and friends.