I was approached by the Woolery family in 2018 to design a long term home for them as they looked to relocate from their 100 year old home in Kansas City, MO into a new space for the growth of their family.  Located in the Rosedale Neighborhood of Wyandotte County, I worked with the county Landbank, client and neighboring property owner to combine (2) 50’x100” vacant parcels into a single lot.  By combining these privately and publicly owned parcels, the project created a mutually beneficial opportunity to eliminate maintenance burden for the county Landbank, remove a delinquent land owner from the neighborhood which fostered an dumping environment, and secure a larger 10,000SF lot for the client at an affordable price.  In total, the land was secured for $5,500, far below market value, and the combining the parcels together allowed for design exception to the Rosedale Neighborhood Development Design Guidelines which severely restricts the design language of new single family houses.

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Sustainability and affordability were strong drivers in the design and development of the home.  Informed by the client’s desire for minimalism, the design moved forward with a simple massing approach.  Taking a simple traditional gable house extrusion and single sloped attached garage, a flexible interior organization was formed.  Common spaces for the family to gather and connect with their surroundings were oriented on a single ground floor with primary transparency occurring on the front and back ends.  Beds and baths lay above this open communal floor on a second floor in the same primary mass, and a concealed full basement would be provided in the same footprint.  While the basement wasn’t finished due to cost constraints, plumbing stubs and piping was provided so that a future code compliant in-law bedroom could be added later.  

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In addition to massing and space planning, cost-efficient low-maintenance materials were prioritized in building assemblies and finishes.  The design originally called for a corrugated metal panel to be used for both exterior wall and roof finishes with the final design leveraging stucco and painted horizontal hardie plank panels relating to the surrounding neighborhood.  

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To simplify the process and further reduce cost for the client, a builder’s drawing set was provided to the contractor for permitting, finish selection and final construction.