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B E F O R E The Menzies' small brick house, in the downtown neighborhood of Mordecai, was no longer able to accommodate their family of four as it once had. With two growing teenage boys, the time for an addition had come.
B E F O R E We tore down what had been previously added to the house and replaced it with a three storey addition, housing an office and kids' room below, living/dining on the main level, and master bedroom on the top floor. The levels are connected outside, as well as inside, with a series of decks that cascade down along the side of the house.
The middle deck is set down from the street by a half flight of stairs, enclosed by house walls on both sides. It is a hidden, intimate courtyard, private yet connected.
B E F O R E The previous addition had felt cramped. The setbacks on this tight lot were a challenge. They delineated only a small piece of a land on which we could build.
Despite the small footprint, our use of glass and an improved spatial flow, both inside and outside, gave the house a new sense of spaciousness.
A display niche separates living from dining, centered on the opening to the kitchen in the original house and offering a framed view to walk towards.
The triple height stairwell connects all three floors and allows for natural cooling through the skylight positioned at its peak.
A midlevel landing provides access to the outdoor deck suspended between the two houses,
so that it is equally accessible from both the lower and main levels. The outdoor spaces are squeezed into the in-between spaces of this tight urban lot,
providing a sequence of outdoor rooms you move through, from street level down to the wooded yard in back.
Nestled into this dense downtown neighborhood, it is a surprise, a treehouse hidden amidst the backyards of the street.
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