A Dutch Colonial with a gambrel roof, you say? Fantastic! In our view, there is no style of house better suited than a Dutch Colonial for a front porch addition. The main advantage is that the front elevation is typically flat, which makes for easy structural attachment and a full-depth porch across the width of the house. A central front entry door location also works well with column spacing, and the final benefit of this house style is the ease with which the new porch roof can be joined to the existing gambrel roof line. The roof angles work, the height of the eaves work, the symmetry of the upper level windows work, and the front door location works, it all works! ​ PHOTO: DLD

This home was a typical Toll Brothers contemporary from the early ‘90’s. The exterior had reached the end of its life, with decayed cedar siding and a deteriorated roof. Greg & Tamara decided to use this opportunity to radically remake their home - to update its modern appeal and set it apart from any other suburban tract house. Spring Creek Design created a new deck, new siding design, entryways and sculptural landscaping for the home. Design Criteria: - Replace siding and give the home a bold, modern look. - Update the home’s landscaping with a spare modernism. - Add a new deck with an outdoor kitchen. Special Features: - Bold new exterior features fiber-cement panels and siding. -Three different colors are used to clearly define the shapes of the home. - Cantilevered concrete entryways features “floating” concrete slab landings. - Azek deck with tempered glass railings. - Custom wine-bottle light fixtures adorn the outdoor kitchen. - Massive planting boxes of Cor-Ten steel form the basis of a low-maintenance, dramatic landscape. - Custom-fabricated square gutters and downspouts compliment the linearity of the home’s design.

This home was a typical Toll Brothers contemporary from the early ‘90’s. The exterior had reached the end of its life, with decayed cedar siding and a deteriorated roof. Greg & Tamara decided to use this opportunity to radically remake their home - to update its modern appeal and set it apart from any other suburban tract house. Spring Creek Design created a new deck, new siding design, entryways and sculptural landscaping for the home. Design Criteria: - Replace siding and give the home a bold, modern look. - Update the home’s landscaping with a spare modernism. - Add a new deck with an outdoor kitchen. Special Features: - Bold new exterior features fiber-cement panels and siding. -Three different colors are used to clearly define the shapes of the home. - Cantilevered concrete entryways features “floating” concrete slab landings. - Azek deck with tempered glass railings. - Custom wine-bottle light fixtures adorn the outdoor kitchen. - Massive planting boxes of Cor-Ten steel form the basis of a low-maintenance, dramatic landscape. - Custom-fabricated square gutters and downspouts compliment the linearity of the home’s design.

This home was a typical Toll Brothers contemporary from the early ‘90’s. The exterior had reached the end of its life, with decayed cedar siding and a deteriorated roof. Greg & Tamara decided to use this opportunity to radically remake their home - to update its modern appeal and set it apart from any other suburban tract house. Spring Creek Design created a new deck, new siding design, entryways and sculptural landscaping for the home. Design Criteria: - Replace siding and give the home a bold, modern look. - Update the home’s landscaping with a spare modernism. - Add a new deck with an outdoor kitchen. Special Features: - Bold new exterior features fiber-cement panels and siding. -Three different colors are used to clearly define the shapes of the home. - Cantilevered concrete entryways features “floating” concrete slab landings. - Azek deck with tempered glass railings. - Custom wine-bottle light fixtures adorn the outdoor kitchen. - Massive planting boxes of Cor-Ten steel form the basis of a low-maintenance, dramatic landscape. - Custom-fabricated square gutters and downspouts compliment the linearity of the home’s design.

This home was a typical Toll Brothers contemporary from the early ‘90’s. The exterior had reached the end of its life, with decayed cedar siding and a deteriorated roof. Greg & Tamara decided to use this opportunity to radically remake their home - to update its modern appeal and set it apart from any other suburban tract house. Spring Creek Design created a new deck, new siding design, entryways and sculptural landscaping for the home. Design Criteria: - Replace siding and give the home a bold, modern look. - Update the home’s landscaping with a spare modernism. - Add a new deck with an outdoor kitchen. Special Features: - Bold new exterior features fiber-cement panels and siding. -Three different colors are used to clearly define the shapes of the home. - Cantilevered concrete entryways features “floating” concrete slab landings. - Azek deck with tempered glass railings. - Custom wine-bottle light fixtures adorn the outdoor kitchen. - Massive planting boxes of Cor-Ten steel form the basis of a low-maintenance, dramatic landscape. - Custom-fabricated square gutters and downspouts compliment the linearity of the home’s design.

This home was a typical Toll Brothers contemporary from the early ‘90’s. The exterior had reached the end of its life, with decayed cedar siding and a deteriorated roof. Greg & Tamara decided to use this opportunity to radically remake their home - to update its modern appeal and set it apart from any other suburban tract house. Spring Creek Design created a new deck, new siding design, entryways and sculptural landscaping for the home. Design Criteria: - Replace siding and give the home a bold, modern look. - Update the home’s landscaping with a spare modernism. - Add a new deck with an outdoor kitchen. Special Features: - Bold new exterior features fiber-cement panels and siding. -Three different colors are used to clearly define the shapes of the home. - Cantilevered concrete entryways features “floating” concrete slab landings. - Azek deck with tempered glass railings. - Custom wine-bottle light fixtures adorn the outdoor kitchen. - Massive planting boxes of Cor-Ten steel form the basis of a low-maintenance, dramatic landscape. - Custom-fabricated square gutters and downspouts compliment the linearity of the home’s design.

This home was a typical Toll Brothers contemporary from the early ‘90’s. The exterior had reached the end of its life, with decayed cedar siding and a deteriorated roof. Greg & Tamara decided to use this opportunity to radically remake their home - to update its modern appeal and set it apart from any other suburban tract house. Spring Creek Design created a new deck, new siding design, entryways and sculptural landscaping for the home. Design Criteria: - Replace siding and give the home a bold, modern look. - Update the home’s landscaping with a spare modernism. - Add a new deck with an outdoor kitchen. Special Features: - Bold new exterior features fiber-cement panels and siding. -Three different colors are used to clearly define the shapes of the home. - Cantilevered concrete entryways features “floating” concrete slab landings. - Azek deck with tempered glass railings. - Custom wine-bottle light fixtures adorn the outdoor kitchen. - Massive planting boxes of Cor-Ten steel form the basis of a low-maintenance, dramatic landscape. - Custom-fabricated square gutters and downspouts compliment the linearity of the home’s design.

This home was a typical Toll Brothers contemporary from the early ‘90’s. The exterior had reached the end of its life, with decayed cedar siding and a deteriorated roof. Greg & Tamara decided to use this opportunity to radically remake their home - to update its modern appeal and set it apart from any other suburban tract house. Spring Creek Design created a new deck, new siding design, entryways and sculptural landscaping for the home. Design Criteria: - Replace siding and give the home a bold, modern look. - Update the home’s landscaping with a spare modernism. - Add a new deck with an outdoor kitchen. Special Features: - Bold new exterior features fiber-cement panels and siding. -Three different colors are used to clearly define the shapes of the home. - Cantilevered concrete entryways features “floating” concrete slab landings. - Azek deck with tempered glass railings. - Custom wine-bottle light fixtures adorn the outdoor kitchen. - Massive planting boxes of Cor-Ten steel form the basis of a low-maintenance, dramatic landscape. - Custom-fabricated square gutters and downspouts compliment the linearity of the home’s design.

This home was a typical Toll Brothers contemporary from the early ‘90’s. The exterior had reached the end of its life, with decayed cedar siding and a deteriorated roof. Greg & Tamara decided to use this opportunity to radically remake their home - to update its modern appeal and set it apart from any other suburban tract house. Spring Creek Design created a new deck, new siding design, entryways and sculptural landscaping for the home. Design Criteria: - Replace siding and give the home a bold, modern look. - Update the home’s landscaping with a spare modernism. - Add a new deck with an outdoor kitchen. Special Features: - Bold new exterior features fiber-cement panels and siding. -Three different colors are used to clearly define the shapes of the home. - Cantilevered concrete entryways features “floating” concrete slab landings. - Azek deck with tempered glass railings. - Custom wine-bottle light fixtures adorn the outdoor kitchen. - Massive planting boxes of Cor-Ten steel form the basis of a low-maintenance, dramatic landscape. - Custom-fabricated square gutters and downspouts compliment the linearity of the home’s design.

This home was a typical Toll Brothers contemporary from the early ‘90’s. The exterior had reached the end of its life, with decayed cedar siding and a deteriorated roof. Greg & Tamara decided to use this opportunity to radically remake their home - to update its modern appeal and set it apart from any other suburban tract house. Spring Creek Design created a new deck, new siding design, entryways and sculptural landscaping for the home. Design Criteria: - Replace siding and give the home a bold, modern look. - Update the home’s landscaping with a spare modernism. - Add a new deck with an outdoor kitchen. Special Features: - Bold new exterior features fiber-cement panels and siding. -Three different colors are used to clearly define the shapes of the home. - Cantilevered concrete entryways features “floating” concrete slab landings. - Azek deck with tempered glass railings. - Custom wine-bottle light fixtures adorn the outdoor kitchen. - Massive planting boxes of Cor-Ten steel form the basis of a low-maintenance, dramatic landscape. - Custom-fabricated square gutters and downspouts compliment the linearity of the home’s design.

The railing posts for this project were custom painted green to blend with the natural surroundings and match the home trim. The cable railing is our Ithaca style which has slim lines, so it allows for the best views of the forest and mountains. Slim yet strong railing posts are 1/4 of the width of typical aluminum posts and minimize obstructions in your precious view. Keuka Studios - Cable Railing Builder

This home was a typical Toll Brothers contemporary from the early ‘90’s. The exterior had reached the end of its life, with decayed cedar siding and a deteriorated roof. Greg & Tamara decided to use this opportunity to radically remake their home - to update its modern appeal and set it apart from any other suburban tract house. Spring Creek Design created a new deck, new siding design, entryways and sculptural landscaping for the home. Design Criteria: - Replace siding and give the home a bold, modern look. - Update the home’s landscaping with a spare modernism. - Add a new deck with an outdoor kitchen. Special Features: - Bold new exterior features fiber-cement panels and siding. -Three different colors are used to clearly define the shapes of the home. - Cantilevered concrete entryways features “floating” concrete slab landings. - Azek deck with tempered glass railings. - Custom wine-bottle light fixtures adorn the outdoor kitchen. - Massive planting boxes of Cor-Ten steel form the basis of a low-maintenance, dramatic landscape. - Custom-fabricated square gutters and downspouts compliment the linearity of the home’s design.

This home was a typical Toll Brothers contemporary from the early ‘90’s. The exterior had reached the end of its life, with decayed cedar siding and a deteriorated roof. Greg & Tamara decided to use this opportunity to radically remake their home - to update its modern appeal and set it apart from any other suburban tract house. Spring Creek Design created a new deck, new siding design, entryways and sculptural landscaping for the home. Design Criteria: - Replace siding and give the home a bold, modern look. - Update the home’s landscaping with a spare modernism. - Add a new deck with an outdoor kitchen. Special Features: - Bold new exterior features fiber-cement panels and siding. -Three different colors are used to clearly define the shapes of the home. - Cantilevered concrete entryways features “floating” concrete slab landings. - Azek deck with tempered glass railings. - Custom wine-bottle light fixtures adorn the outdoor kitchen. - Massive planting boxes of Cor-Ten steel form the basis of a low-maintenance, dramatic landscape. - Custom-fabricated square gutters and downspouts compliment the linearity of the home’s design.

This home was a typical Toll Brothers contemporary from the early ‘90’s. The exterior had reached the end of its life, with decayed cedar siding and a deteriorated roof. Greg & Tamara decided to use this opportunity to radically remake their home - to update its modern appeal and set it apart from any other suburban tract house. Spring Creek Design created a new deck, new siding design, entryways and sculptural landscaping for the home. Design Criteria: - Replace siding and give the home a bold, modern look. - Update the home’s landscaping with a spare modernism. - Add a new deck with an outdoor kitchen. Special Features: - Bold new exterior features fiber-cement panels and siding. -Three different colors are used to clearly define the shapes of the home. - Cantilevered concrete entryways features “floating” concrete slab landings. - Azek deck with tempered glass railings. - Custom wine-bottle light fixtures adorn the outdoor kitchen. - Massive planting boxes of Cor-Ten steel form the basis of a low-maintenance, dramatic landscape. - Custom-fabricated square gutters and downspouts compliment the linearity of the home’s design.

This home was a typical Toll Brothers contemporary from the early ‘90’s. The exterior had reached the end of its life, with decayed cedar siding and a deteriorated roof. Greg & Tamara decided to use this opportunity to radically remake their home - to update its modern appeal and set it apart from any other suburban tract house. Spring Creek Design created a new deck, new siding design, entryways and sculptural landscaping for the home. Design Criteria: - Replace siding and give the home a bold, modern look. - Update the home’s landscaping with a spare modernism. - Add a new deck with an outdoor kitchen. Special Features: - Bold new exterior features fiber-cement panels and siding. -Three different colors are used to clearly define the shapes of the home. - Cantilevered concrete entryways features “floating” concrete slab landings. - Azek deck with tempered glass railings. - Custom wine-bottle light fixtures adorn the outdoor kitchen. - Massive planting boxes of Cor-Ten steel form the basis of a low-maintenance, dramatic landscape. - Custom-fabricated square gutters and downspouts compliment the linearity of the home’s design.

Typical Kirkland split level home which had a small walled off kitchen. We blew out the walls, removed the drop ceiling with the proverbial florescent light, covered with plastic panels, added new Luxury Vinyl Tile floor, new cabinets, counter tops, back splash, lighting and paint. This opened up the space and created a great room affect Shoot-2-sell was our photographer and he was great.

Costa Christ Media
Deck - contemporary rooftop deck idea in Dallas with a fire pit and a roof extension

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