Carriage House
The carriage house appears to have been constructed around the turn of the century, with the traditional housing for animals on the 1st floor and a small living quarters on the second floor. The 8,800 SF structure included hay lofts and a central courtyard to store the carriages. The layout, while functional for its original use, was neither functional as a modern-day barn, nor as a garage. The county limitations on accessory dwelling units at the time was 800 square feet. As an adaptive reuse, the owner wanted to expand the family living and entertainment space while paying homage to the carriage house history. To increase the square footage to accommodate the owner’s family, AXIA developed design strategies to maximize living spaces that could be defined as outdoor spaces. The approach piggy-backed onto the quintessential indoor-outdoor Sonoma County lifestyle with fluidity between the zones. AXIA narrowed down the conditioned space to only the kitchen and bedrooms. The sliding glass walls of the living and dining room allowed them to be considered exterior spaces, though the heated thermal mass kept them comfortable. AXIA also researched the historic property records to find 600 additional square feet that the County agreed to grandfather into the living space. The site layout respects the solar patterns of the day. Pool and patio activities occur on the south facing side. Outdoor dining, games, and entertainment bar occur in the shaded courtyard. The wine cellar, and reading areas take advantage of the natural cooling in the old horse stalls.
