Project

A relatively new house, originally designed by Walker Warner, never achieved our clients desire for a new home.

After living in the home for 10 years, the homeowners had a desire to re-imagine some key rooms and reconfigure the space to better suit their lifestyle. The challenge was to update the look and functionality of the home while maintaining the integrity of the original design.

The mountain top site benefits from stunning views, but also exposes the home to relatively extreme weather for Napa: much colder at night and hotter during the day, with too much natural light amplifying the intense heat of Wine Country summers. To reduce the cooling needed during the day, a series of shading devices were designed to protect the southern facing exposure. Custom wood and aluminum shade structures were installed to reduce heat gain and glare, and improve ventilation. These shading devices were designed with 3d modeling and the specific sun exposure at this location. Various times of the year and day were analyzed with the client to ensure the spaces blocked the sun when desired and admitted the sun during the cooler winter months.

A screened porch connecting two wings of the house was completely weatherized with windows replacing the screens to create an all-season space. The Dining Room Terrace Pergola was replaced with a large structure over an expanded dining room terrace. The expansive Music Room was often used to host conservatory concerts with the performers residing on-site and practicing in the home. This unique consideration required attention to auditory elements in order to control sound propagation throughout the home.

Location:

Napa, CA

Architect:

Verner Architects

General Contractor:

Gleason + Tankard

Photography:

Michael Hospelt