When these clients decided to nearly double the size of their house, it wouldn’t have been difficult to attach an addition on this large suburban lot. Instead, architect Paul Mankins added volume by simplifying the existing house. He stripped it to its archetypal gabled form, raising the roof pitch to gain attic space and extending the roofline over a one-story appendage. “The clients needed a lot of bedrooms,” Mankins says. “Restructuring was the most cost-efficient way to gain the square footage they needed without being out of scale with the neighborhood.”
The house is clad in Douglas fir, and updated porches wrap to the south, east, and west, protecting the enlarged glass openings. Citing the appeal of the simple form, a judge applauded the “vernacular rigor that recalls the scale of barns and agriculture buildings.”
Entrant/Architect: Substance, Des Moines, Iowa; Builder: Amelon Construction, Iowa City; Structural engineer: Charles Saul Engineering, Des Moines; Living space: 4,200 square feet; Site: 0.85 acre; Construction cost: Withheld; Photographer: Paul Crosby Architectural Photography.
Resources: Bathroom cabinets: Omega, www.omegacab.com; Bathroom fittings: Kohler, www.kohler.com, Toto, www.totousa.com, Hansgrohe, www.hansgrohe.com, American Standard, www.americanstandard.com; Bathroom fixtures: Duravit, www.duravit.com; MTI, www.mtibaths.com, Kohler, www.kohler.com, Toto, www.totousa.com; Cooktop: Bluestar, www.bluestarcooking.com; Dishwasher: GE, www.geappliances.com; Flooring: American Olean, www.americanolean.com; Garbage disposer: Kitchen Aid, www.kitchenaid.com; Hardware: Emtek, www.emtek.com, Hafele, www.hafele.com; HVAC equipment: Arco Aire, www.arcoaire.com; Insulation: Owens Corning, www.owenscorning.com; Kitchen cabinets: Omega, www.omegacab.com; Kitchen fittings: KWC, www.kwc.com, Hansgrohe, www.hansgrohe.com; Kitchen fixtures: Kohler, www.kohler.com; Lighting fixtures: Energie Lighting, www.energielighting.com, Lightolier, www.lightolier.com; Oven: Bluestar, www.bluestar.com; Paints/stains/wall finishes: Diamond Vogel, www.vogelpaint.com; Refrigerator: Sub-Zero, www.subzero-wolf.com; Roofing: McElroy, www.mcelroymetal.com; Skylights/roof windows: Velux, www.veluxusa.com; Windows: Pella, www.pella.com, Two Rivers Glass & Door, www.tworiversglass.com
