Mill Valley Residence

Just a few miles from the Golden Gate Bridge, in Mill Valley California, the costs of homes and the competitive nature of the real estate market means that if you have the time, energy and wherewithal, buying fixer upper is the way to go and a smart investment.

The homeowners, along with their two kids, purchased a 1940 Mediterranean Spanish-styled home that had remained unchanged for a better part of 75 years. This property was ripe for a remodel. Being that Chambers is an independent building construction manager with years of experience under her belt, these homeowners were ready for the challenge.

Spanish Mediterranean architecture tends to feature moderately low-pitched, red-tile roofs, stucco walls, rounded arches, and an asymmetrical façade. The relatively modest home is part of a small cluster of like-kind homes in the neighborhood. The homeowners wanted to honor this architectural aesthetic and chose to keep the exterior façade largely unchanged. The exception is a slightly enlarged garage and the bold new exterior color choice: Benjamin Moore, Secret. It is within the interior where all the magic took place.

Armed with construction know-how, the homeowners purchased this home in December 2015 with the intent of remodeling. Having met on a previous project, Chambers enlisted Diego Pacheco of Diego Pacheco Design Practice to architect the design. Having worked for larger firms in the past, Pacheco started his independent practice in 2012 focusing on residential remodels from the Wine Country through the Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Homes from this time period tend to have dark interiors and small divided spaces—something they knew needed to change. This two-storied four bedroom abode situated on an upslope lot, was 2,300 square feet and they set out to add an additional 500 square feet of livable space at the rear of the home.

To modernize the home and accommodate today’s lifestyle, Pacheco was guided by several programmatic goals. First, how best to tackle the choppy existing floor plan and make the home feel more connected. Second, to create the privacy necessary for the main floor bedrooms. Third, how to add light into the rather dark interior. Fourth, was how to create more usable outdoor space and capture the hillside view.

Pacheco’s solution was to design a renewed interior configuration that clearly defined a public space and a private bedroom wing. To accomplish this, a spine (or hallway) was centrally located. Pocket doors conveniently close off the two sides of the home for additional privacy as needed. Pacheco completely opened up the public side by creating a diagram of one singular space from front to back. “The home’s interior was cramped and dark with no connection to the outdoors,” stated Pacheco. With Terence McMahon Construction at the helm, the removal of the old lath-and-plaster interior walls and the raising of the once traditional 8-foot ceiling height into an elevated gable roofline, “the space was transformed into a bright sweeping interior”.

To further add much needed natural daylighting, a large scale 4’-6” x 20’ skylight by Royalite Inc. was included in the center of the home. One bonus transformative design element was added at the rear of the home, a 4-panel 13’ x 7’ 10” bi-folding glass wall system by California-based NanaWall Systems. Although price shopping of other products such as a traditional sliders was considered, Pacheco affirms, “the homeowners were familiar with NanaWall and discovered through due diligence that NanaWall product was not much more. For future resale value, they decided to go with a real NanaWall.” The added benefit is a product that fully opens the house up which is not provided through traditional sliders. Although the fenestration throughout the home was replaced with white Marvin windows, after visiting the NanaWall showroom in Emeryville, the homeowners decided to make the folding glass wall a focal point and have it finished in clear anodized. “The goal was to have the NanaWall stand out and be separate—a showpiece for the home,” declared Pacheco.

With the large opening panels of glass at the rear of the home, “the drama is way more impactful aesthetically and visually by having the room flow outdoors, even when the folding wall is closed,” says Pacheco. The homeowners enjoy entertaining and dining outdoors so it was a conscience design decision to move the dining room to the back of the house. What this allows is genius—the dining room serves both as an indoor as well as an “outdoor” dining area, integrating elements of both when the wall is open. As Pacheco explains, with a smaller yet beautifully terraced backyard, there was little room for both an outdoor dining and outdoor lounging area off the kitchen. “With the opening glass wall, there is no need for double rooms. The interior dining room serves both functions.” What the homeowners and Diego both had discovered was a programming concept so successful that the designer has since pitched the idea to other clients.

With a talented home chef in Vernachio, who loves to cook and experiment, the kitchen was outfitted with only the best. Modern and minimalistic kitchen cabinetry by Henrybuilt was installed throughout for a beautiful, sleek and fuss-free design aesthetic. A gorgeous 20-foot long Calacatta marble island with a waterfall edge was installed to one side of the galley kitchen. This island is truly multifunctional as it serves as prep area, a breakfast dining area and on the backside, it serves as the handrail for the stairs leading to the lower floor.

New radiant heating was installed throughout and all of the home’s 3.5 bathrooms were fully gutted and the systems were updated. Graphic, natural pigment and hand-poured cement tiles, by Clé Tile, were used in both the powder room and kids’ bathroom. The master bedroom was enlarged and a large walk-in closet was added to give the homeowners their much deserved retreat.

Completed in late summer of 2017, the results of this remodel and rear addition have transformed what was once a modest and rather closed off home into a light-filled and airy masterpiece that provides this family with the indoor/outdoor connection and overall functionality they were striving for.

DETAILS:
Folding Glass Wall: NanaWall Systems
Windows: Marvin
Skylight: Royalite Inc.
Kitchen Cabinets: Henrybuilt
Kitchen Island: Calacatta marble from IRG
Hardwood Flooring: Maple
Bath Cement Tiles: Clé Tile
Fireplace: Fireorb
Exterior Paint: Benjamin Moore Secret
Interior Paint: Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace