Mark and Mary Anne Robb hired me to help them with a thoughtful and ambitious project: to convert their small tract house into an accessory dwelling unit, and create a new contemporary home that they could build by themselves, for themselves and their two young sons. Their property, though in the city, overlooks Arroyo Seco Canyon.
The house was sited to take advantage of passive solar heating and photo-voltaic electricity. Polished concrete floors are hydronically heated. Custom concrete counters, floors and partitions; wood cabinets, doors and trim built of green or recycled materials are all executed to a high professional standard. Rainwater harvesting and storage provide irrigation for both the edible and ornamental gardens.