The second complete project I'd get to work on was a house deep in a subdivision of Prairieville, Louisiana. Having seen my first project in the Parade of Homes, the owner wanted their project to be similar to the Oneal house. The main requirements of the design were that the house resembles the neighboring buildings (which were not yet built or even designed yet), that the house open itself up to view the woods behind the house (whereas at the Oneal house the design is self-contained), and that the master bedroom be located away from the main house (as it was in the Oneal house). As a problem solving exercise, my biggest task was bringing the home owners to a point where they understood why there house could not be just like the Oneals’ home.

Because of the kite shape of the lot, I used the adjacent lots orientation to link the houses’ elevations together. The end result is a house that hinges off into two wings overlooking a big backyard, planned around the modules of the south porch, capped off by a tower element used to solve the roof drainage problem of a house that turns an acute angle. The tower was intended to be used as either a light well or a study but was priced out during construction unfortunately. Likewise, the homeowner took over the design of the house during construction. Many of my design ideas are still visible in the finished construction.

To see the Oneal house, click here.