A break in the atmospheric river gave us this photo update at the Hilltop construction site yesterday. Learn more about our design + build project here.

Photos by David W. Cohen Photography

In-need of a fairly major facelift, this modernist era waterfront home had multiple additions done to it over the years, but no real design or recent work for the last 50. For its recent 2atara major remodel, Japanese inspired aesthetics were introduced throughout the home to give it its new look.  Low ceilings on the first floor were lifted into a cathedral with exposed steel elements to repeat designs found elsewhere in the home. At the entrance the existing concrete flooring was ground down to expose nice aggregates and create a Japanese style recessed entry area. In the kitchen, because of the skinny footprint of the building, upper cabinets were avoided and instead a large pantry was created that also houses the fridge, keeping things aesthetically nice and tidy. Neutral finishes were used throughout the home to make the small spaces feel larger, and 2atara even reused existing doors and windows from another project to keep client costs down and reusable materials out of our landfills.

Learn more about this project here.

When our client first came to us they were debating a move to a bigger/more updated house that would better suit their family’s needs. But, as is so often the case they did not want to leave their neighborhood, water views and a home full of memories. So, we went to the drawing board, side-by-side with our clients, to come up with a new layout that would open-up the tight spaces and moving walls to create key dynamic focal points of interest. These solutions would greatly improve the overall flow of the home, while also giving it a more contemporary look & feel. Read the full story here.

This beautiful 70s home on Wing Point Golf Course was a joy to work on. Primarily a cosmetic renovation of the kitchen and bathrooms, the 2atara team also worked on creating more effective lines of sight throughout the home. By relocating some doors and windows, 2atara provided improved views out to the Golf Course. An upstairs loft space, with nice separation from the rest of the house was also renovated into a very hip home office.

Working within the constraints of a tight budget, the 2atara team came up with some very creative ways to cut costs for the homeowners. The old wood burning stove was removed and instead of also removing and dumping the chimney, the cavity was carefully repurposed as a window seat nook – keeping unnecessary construction waste out of the landfills.

As with all 2atara projects, sustainable technology and materials were introduced, including water saving toilets, low VOC paints and a sustainably focused tile company named Happy Floors was hired for the flooring. Sustainable Thermory decking was installed which is made from fast growing abundant Ash trees – a softwood that is baked 3 times to blacken and transform into a strong and durable material, it does not need painting and will not need maintenance during its long lifetime. Corten steel was used to create a beautiful planter along the length of the home, also requiring no painting or maintenance.

With very little work done to the home over the last 30 years this makeover was an extraordinary success.