This new construction features an open concept main floor with a fireplace in the living room and family room, a fully finished basement complete with a full bath, bedroom, media room, exercise room, and storage under the garage. The second floor has a master suite, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a laundry room.

This new construction features an open concept main floor with a fireplace in the living room and family room, a fully finished basement complete with a full bath, bedroom, media room, exercise room, and storage under the garage. The second floor has a master suite, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a laundry room.

This new construction features an open concept main floor with a fireplace in the living room and family room, a fully finished basement complete with a full bath, bedroom, media room, exercise room, and storage under the garage. The second floor has a master suite, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a laundry room.

This cozy lake cottage skillfully incorporates a number of features that would normally be restricted to a larger home design. A glance of the exterior reveals a simple story and a half gable running the length of the home, enveloping the majority of the interior spaces. To the rear, a pair of gables with copper roofing flanks a covered dining area and screened porch. Inside, a linear foyer reveals a generous staircase with cascading landing. Further back, a centrally placed kitchen is connected to all of the other main level entertaining spaces through expansive cased openings. A private study serves as the perfect buffer between the homes master suite and living room. Despite its small footprint, the master suite manages to incorporate several closets, built-ins, and adjacent master bath complete with a soaker tub flanked by separate enclosures for a shower and water closet. Upstairs, a generous double vanity bathroom is shared by a bunkroom, exercise space, and private bedroom. The bunkroom is configured to provide sleeping accommodations for up to 4 people. The rear-facing exercise has great views of the lake through a set of windows that overlook the copper roof of the screened porch below.

This new construction features an open concept main floor with a fireplace in the living room and family room, a fully finished basement complete with a full bath, bedroom, media room, exercise room, and storage under the garage. The second floor has a master suite, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a laundry room.

This new construction features an open concept main floor with a fireplace in the living room and family room, a fully finished basement complete with a full bath, bedroom, media room, exercise room, and storage under the garage. The second floor has a master suite, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a laundry room.

This new construction features an open concept main floor with a fireplace in the living room and family room, a fully finished basement complete with a full bath, bedroom, media room, exercise room, and storage under the garage. The second floor has a master suite, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a laundry room.

This new construction features an open concept main floor with a fireplace in the living room and family room, a fully finished basement complete with a full bath, bedroom, media room, exercise room, and storage under the garage. The second floor has a master suite, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a laundry room.

This new construction features an open concept main floor with a fireplace in the living room and family room, a fully finished basement complete with a full bath, bedroom, media room, exercise room, and storage under the garage. The second floor has a master suite, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a laundry room.

This new construction features an open concept main floor with a fireplace in the living room and family room, a fully finished basement complete with a full bath, bedroom, media room, exercise room, and storage under the garage. The second floor has a master suite, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a laundry room.

This new construction features an open concept main floor with a fireplace in the living room and family room, a fully finished basement complete with a full bath, bedroom, media room, exercise room, and storage under the garage. The second floor has a master suite, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a laundry room.

This new construction features an open concept main floor with a fireplace in the living room and family room, a fully finished basement complete with a full bath, bedroom, media room, exercise room, and storage under the garage. The second floor has a master suite, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a laundry room.

This new construction features an open concept main floor with a fireplace in the living room and family room, a fully finished basement complete with a full bath, bedroom, media room, exercise room, and storage under the garage. The second floor has a master suite, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a laundry room.

This new construction features an open concept main floor with a fireplace in the living room and family room, a fully finished basement complete with a full bath, bedroom, media room, exercise room, and storage under the garage. The second floor has a master suite, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a laundry room.

This new construction features an open concept main floor with a fireplace in the living room and family room, a fully finished basement complete with a full bath, bedroom, media room, exercise room, and storage under the garage. The second floor has a master suite, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a laundry room.

This new construction features an open concept main floor with a fireplace in the living room and family room, a fully finished basement complete with a full bath, bedroom, media room, exercise room, and storage under the garage. The second floor has a master suite, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a laundry room.

Closet - transitional closet idea in Houston

The Control/Shift House is perched on the high side of the site which takes advantage of the view to the southeast. A gradual descending path navigates the change in terrain from the street to the entry of the house. A series of low retaining walls/planter beds gather and release the earth upon the descent resulting in a fairly flat level for the house to sit on the top one third of the site. The entry axis is aligned with the celebrated stair volume and then re-centers on the actual entry axis once you approach the forecourt of the house. The initial desire was for an “H” scheme house with common entertaining spaces bridging the gap between the more private spaces. After an investigation considering the site, program, and view, a key move was made: unfold the east wing of the “H” scheme to open all rooms to the southeast view resulting in a “T” scheme. The new derivation allows for both a swim pool which is on axis with the entry and main gathering space and a lap pool which occurs on the cross axis extending along the lengthy edge of the master suite, providing direct access for morning exercise and a view of the water throughout the day. The Control/Shift House was derived from a clever way of following the “rules.” Strict HOA guidelines required very specific exterior massing restrictions which limits the lengths of unbroken elevations and promotes varying sizes of masses. The solution most often used in this neighborhood is one of addition - an aggregation of masses and program randomly attached to the inner core of the house which often results in a parasitic plan. The approach taken with the Control/Shift House was to push and pull program/massing to delineate and define the layout of the house. Massing is intentional and reiterated by the careful selection of materiality that tracks through the house. Voids and relief in the plan are a natural result of this method and allow for light and air to circulate throughout every space of the house, even into the most inner core. Photography: Charles Davis Smith