Photography By Joe Dodd
Design ideas for a large contemporary backyard gravel raised garden bed in San Francisco.

Pool house - large traditional backyard rectangular and stone lap pool house idea in Austin

Inspiration for a coastal courtyard concrete paver patio remodel in Orange County with no cover and a bbq area

Deck - huge contemporary backyard deck idea in Los Angeles with no cover

Klopf Architecture, Arterra Landscape Architects and Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures Designed and built a new warm, modern, Eichler-inspired, open, indoor-outdoor home on a deeper-than-usual San Mateo Highlands property where an original Eichler house had burned to the ground. The owners wanted multi-generational living and larger spaces than the original home offered, but all parties agreed that the house should respect the neighborhood and blend in stylistically with the other Eichlers. At first the Klopf team considered re-using what little was left of the original home and expanding on it. But after discussions with the owner and builder, all parties agreed that the last few remaining elements of the house were not practical to re-use, so Klopf Architecture designed a new home that pushes the Eichler approach in new directions. One disadvantage of Eichler production homes is that the house designs were not optimized for each specific lot. A new custom home offered the team a chance to start over. In this case, a longer house that opens up sideways to the south fit the lot better than the original square-ish house that used to open to the rear (west). Accordingly, the Klopf team designed an L-shaped “bar” house with a large glass wall with large sliding glass doors that faces sideways instead of to the rear like a typical Eichler. This glass wall opens to a pool and landscaped yard designed by Arterra Landscape Architects. Driving by the house, one might assume at first glance it is an Eichler because of the horizontality, the overhanging flat roof eaves, the dark gray vertical siding, and orange solid panel front door, but the house is designed for the 21st Century and is not meant to be a “Likeler.” You won't see any posts and beams in this home. Instead, the ceiling decking is a western red cedar that covers over all the beams. Like Eichlers, this cedar runs continuously from inside to out, enhancing the indoor / outdoor feeling of the house, but unlike Eichlers it conceals a cavity for lighting, wiring, and insulation. Ceilings are higher, rooms are larger and more open, the master bathroom is light-filled and more generous, with a separate tub and shower and a separate toilet compartment, and there is plenty of storage. The garage even easily fits two of today's vehicles with room to spare. A massive 49-foot by 12-foot wall of glass and the continuity of materials from inside to outside enhance the inside-outside living concept, so the owners and their guests can flow freely from house to pool deck to BBQ to pool and back. During construction in the rough framing stage, Klopf thought the front of the house appeared too tall even though the house had looked right in the design renderings (probably because the house is uphill from the street). So Klopf Architecture paid the framer to change the roofline from how we had designed it to be lower along the front, allowing the home to blend in better with the neighborhood. One project goal was for people driving up the street to pass the home without immediately noticing there is an "imposter" on this lot, and making that change was essential to achieve that goal. This 2,606 square foot, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom Eichler-inspired new house is located in San Mateo in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Klara Kevane Landscape Architect: Arterra Landscape Architects Contractor: Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures Photography ©2016 Mariko Reed Location: San Mateo, CA Year completed: 2016

Large minimalist gray three-story wood flat roof photo in San Francisco

Befitting a gourmet, high-end appliances ensconced in gray/white granite, give the kitchen gravitas. A spacious center island, topped with honed black granite, provides plenty of room for prepping meals, morning coffee or kibitzing with the cook.

Mudroom - transitional gray floor mudroom idea in Atlanta with beige walls and a white front door

Tuscan patio photo in Los Angeles with a pergola

Peter Murdock
Mid-sized trendy great room photo in New York with a standard fireplace

Design ideas for a small modern drought-tolerant and partial sun backyard concrete paver landscaping in Los Angeles with a fire pit.

Lori Hamilton Photography
Huge island style backyard stone and custom-shaped infinity water slide photo in Miami

Huge minimalist backyard gravel patio container garden photo in New York with no cover

Sunroom - mid-sized 1950s sunroom idea in Dallas with a two-sided fireplace and a standard ceiling

photo by Seed Studio, editing by TR PhotoStudio
Inspiration for a small modern full sun backyard formal garden in San Francisco with a fire pit and decking.

Inspiration for a coastal rectangular lap pool remodel in Providence

Swimming pool and exterior.
Inspiration for a mediterranean rectangular pool remodel in Santa Barbara

Patio - contemporary patio idea

This is an example of a farmhouse landscaping in San Francisco.