2004 Custom Home Design Awards

Custom Home, Sept-Oct, 2004 by Meghan Drueding, Leslie Ensor, Shelley D. Hutchins, Bruce D. Snider

Entrant/Architect/Project Manager: Vetter Denk Architects, Milwaukee; Living space: 2,200 square feet; Site: .4 acre; Construction cost: $250 a square foot; Photographer: Kevin Miyazaki/Milwaukee Magazine. * For product information see page 158.

Custom Home Less Than 3,000 Square Feet Baltimore Residence

Anyone who has built in a historic district knows how tough it can be to get even a conservative design approved. But if you want to tear down some existing buildings and replace them with something more modern, you're really asking for a fight. Architect Rebecca Swanston won that battle, and the judges praised her effort. They declared the new residence in one of Baltimore's oldest neighborhoods "a fantastic place to live."

The new, mostly two-story brick home replaces two unhistorical structures--a 1920s storefront and a parking garage--and incorporates a historical three-story residence. The facade of that building remains intact, but the new construction presents a more contemporary face to the street. A group of stepped windows wraps the corner, lightening the building visually and literally. And along the eastern elevation, three bays (one enclosed and two with balconies) repeat the rhythm of bay windows common to the neighborhood. The overhanging bays diminish the importance of garage doors below. "We tried to be sensitive to the surrounding buildings with proportions and materials," Swanston said.

To capture as much light as possible and to take advantage of views of Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Swanston gave the second floor over to the living spaces. The bright, airy character of the open plan is established by a beautifully designed kitchen and large sliding glass doors that frame the view. The owner's suite occupies the top floor of the original house and opens to a roof deck that has become her outdoor living room. The owner wanted two discrete bedroom suites for house guests, and so two more bedrooms flank the two-car garage on the first floor.--L.E.

Entrant/Architect: Swanston & Associates, Baltimore; Builder: Roy Cox Remodeling, Baltimore; Living space: 2,500 square feet; Site: 1,600 square feet; Construction cost: $200 a square foot. Photographer: Eric Bruce Salsbery. * For product information see page 158.

Custom Home Less Than 3,000 Square Feet Tucson, Ariz., Residence

Though this loft-like home in the Arizona desert consists mostly of hard-edged, industrial materials, it manages to project a welcoming feeling. "There's a nice warmth to the interior despite the use of concrete," said a judge. Architects Luis Ibarra and Teresa Rosario achieved this effect by mixing components with different textures, such as the post-tensioned concrete blocks used for the walls inside and out, smooth metal railings and window frames, and polished concrete floors. "The materials have a tactile quality," says Rosano. "There's also a lot of birch cabinetry, which helps warm things up."

The judges also commented on the home's compatibility with its rocky, steeply sloped site. "They didn't try to manipulate the external environment with lawns," said one. Ibarra and Rosano designed a three-level floor plan that steps up the hill, and builder Page Repp drilled the foundation directly into solid rock. The house nestles snugly into the hillside, and the natural gray color of the concrete block matches the terrain and vegetation surrounding it.