Portage Bay- Modern beach house

View of house from the existing dock. Houseboat in the foreground will be rebuilt. 

An old waterfront barn - just feet from Portage Bay- is rebuilt into a modern home. The challenging site restrictions made for a unique massing. While responding to the complicated setbacks, the barn house also shares an access walkway for several future house boats. 

The client was looking for what they described as a "modern beach house". To achieve the beach house feel and pay respect to the memory of the old barn, the home is predominantly clad in weathered cedar planks. We explored several different cladding options to express the juxtaposition of the different masses of the home. The floating mass of the living room was rendered in horizontal and vertical configurations to compare. 

View from dock looking over the roof of an existing houseboat

The long lot also includes an existing residence that looks down on the current barn. For the existing home we had to consider how views will be effected by the new barn house. The rendering below shows the view from the top of the hill.

View of house from upper part of the lot where an existing house sits. 

This project is the first of a larger development that will include 3 new houseboats and the rebuild of an existing one. This will be the last houseboat community allowed in Seattle. The new shoreline rules will not allow any new houseboats unless it is being replaced. 

Maple Leaf Modern

This Urban In-fill project is a new home by Tang Real Estate Investments. This project is the kind of  transformation we are asked to do frequently at KSA. We studied the house extensively exploring several options. The result is essentially a new home, but because how we designed the project we were able to get through the permitting much faster at less cost. 

The existing home was built in the 40's and in pretty bad shape. We creatively used the existing foundation and select walls but added another story while at the same time designing an entirely new open modern floor plan. The exterior will be a mixture of dark colored cedar with some bold color accents and hardi-panel as a counterpoint to the cedar. 

In interior will have feature wall that includes a mosaic pattern of colored glass panels the provide an interesting backdrop to the monumental wood and steel stair.  This dramatic two-story entry will have exposed beams that line the upper floor adding warmth and interest. The main floor will have tall ceilings and with an open "loft like" feel. 

The upper floor will have two bedrooms with a jack and jill bath attached to both rooms. The master bedroom and 5-fixture bath provide a luxurious setting that takes advantage of views towards the Cascade Mountains. 

Capitol Hill Kitchen

KS-Arch was asked to help visualize a kitchen remodel in a wonderful existing home in Capital Hill. We created a highly detailed 3-d model and rendered it with photographic finishes to provide the most accurate look at the design options a client was choosing from.

We think that renderings like these go a long way when it comes to comparing tile options, fine-tuning the cabinet layout or getting a sense for how full-height cabinets will effect the how you feel in a given space.