Talk to anyone involved in a home remodeling project and they most likely will tell you the project’s driving forces are cost and time. When two architects are the homeowners, design and details also get thrown into the mix. And when those homeowner architects design the home addition and serve as general contractor, you’re in a different playing field where passion, experimentation and responsibility take new meaning.
“Designing your own home can be stressful. We wanted it to be right but also timely,” said homeowner Mark Roddy, AIA, LEED AP. “I don’t know how to explain it, but it is totally different than designing a project for a client. In the end, the design reflects our personality and the way we live, which is incredibly rewarding. From the general contractor side, it was difficult in that we couldn’t go to anyone to complain or ask for help-it was just us taking on all the responsibility.On the same note, that is the rewarding aspect, as well. We did think of the project as an experiment or an exploration of ideas.”
Architects Mark and Caren Roddy set out to build an addition to their historic 1928 bungalow located in a hip, revitalized area near downtown Phoenix. The 900-square-foot (83-m2) home met their needs, but when the couple found out they were having a baby, they knew it was time to expand. “The primary goal was to design a cost-effective solution for expanding our existing home using some kind of ‘prefab’ technology. Cost and time were our two major drivers. As designers and builders, we are very interested in ‘off-the-shelf’ and lean construction methods,” Mark explained.
Mark, a design principal with SmithGroup in Phoenix, primarily works on municipal projects and office buildings, and Caren, a project manager for Gilbane Building Co., Phoenix, works on municipal projects and labs. Designing their home addition with Caren serving as general contractor is somewhat of a hobby for the couple. “Our house and other prefab housing ideas are a passion and personal interest for Caren and myself that we play around with outside of work,” Mark said.
For the addition, the couple selected preengineered steel buildings to add a detached garage (324 square feet [30 m2]), as well as a dining room, bedroom, bathroom and library that total 720 square feet (68 m2). The steel structures were selected because the Roddys like the aesthetics, particularly the rust, and the natural look of metal. They also appreciate the sustainable aspects of metal with its recycled content and recyclability. (Other sustainable features are green screens for biomass and shading, low-fl ow toilets and salvaged building materials.)
The structures, 26-gauge uncoated steel Purlin Bearing R Panel, were somewhat modifi ed to accommodate salvaged materials, such as glass. The large-scale windows in the living areas, a favorite design aspect of the home for Mark, provide ample daylighting and views that give a sense of outdoor living.
Other than cost and time, site size and historic guidelines also came into play. The Roddys’ lot is 50-feet (15-m) wide by 135-feet
(41-m) long. Never considering the small site a limitation, the Roddys fully took advantage of the space and additional opportunities it provided. “Before the addition, we had an ample backyard but did not use it much due to the lack of connection in the existing house. With the new addition, we use all the outdoor spaces regularly. In the desert, smaller outdoor spaces are much more usable and comfortable. So compared to our large backyard that didn’t get used much, we now have a dog run, a hummingbird garden, a small lawn area, a pool, and a patio area for dining and barbequing.”
The addition complies with historic guidelines by clearly being identifiable from the existing historic house. Caren noted: “New construction is not meant to look historic or mimic the existing historic structure. Instead, it needs to be concealed from street view, compatible with the existing context, yet identifiable as new.”
This was accomplished by using 5-foot- (1.5- m-) wide glass doors on the dining room as a connector between the existing bungalow and new steel building. The steel siding, with its unique and modern look and patina, also sets the addition apart. Not wanting the addition to completely contradict the beauty of the bungalow, however, Mark added, “To be sensitive to the existing structure, we matched the roof pitch and scale of the existing house while still providing a contemporary modern solution.”
Design Awards judge Bruce Lynch commented: “Particularly fine use of metal as a sustainable building material in residential construction. Outstanding use of the material to accentuate the history of the home.”
Modifying the design a few times to accommodate salvaged materials delayed the project, but the Roddys believe it was for the overall good of the project. In the end, the project took six months to complete instead of three months as originally planned. Schedule delays always are a challenge, but for the Roddys, having a pregnant general contractor and welcoming their son to his new home, a construction site, was something else to face. Their son was born in February 2007, and the home was completed in May 2007.
But any delays, spec changes, frustrations or turmoil during the project don’t even matter now.
“We are very happy with it, and it has changed our daily processes. We spend a lot more time in the kitchen and dining room than we ever did before. We spend more time outside. And we love waking up in the morning to the sunrise and a cool breeze (during spring and fall of course!).”
Roddy Residence, Phoenix
Architects and homeowners: Mark Roddy, AIA, LEED AP, and Caren Roddy, AIA
General contractor: Caren Roddy, AIA
Metal installer: Arizona Steel Construction & Repair, Waddell, Ariz., www.azsteelconstruction.com
Metal buildings: Bunger Steel Inc., Phoenix, www.bungersteel.com
