Mellow Out

mellow-out-1
Mellow Out
An Encinitas rebuild that ups the ante on energy efficiency.

In drought-stricken Southern California, developer Steve Hoiles of Surfside Projects has made it an imperative to create water- and energy-efficient homes in his numerous rebuilds in the Encinitas area, between Los Angeles and San Diego. And he does it all in his imitable style, an approach he refers to as “pragmatic modernism.”

Take, for instance, the Mellow Yellow House, a two-story, 2,600-square-foot rebuild he developed along with Jamie Miller of UF Architecture and Jeff Adams of Wave Crest General Construction. Just one block away from Encinitas’ Moonlight Beach, the Mellow Yellow House features a highly functional open interior, a direct connection to the outdoors, and maximization of the size of the green spaces surrounding the home.

And, as he puts it, the home is 24 percent more energy efficient and uses 17 percent less water than a newly built conventional home in California.

“It is truly incredible for me to design, build, and live in SoCal, where one is connected to nature and can celebrate it with to floor-to-ceiling glass.” Steve Hoiles, developer, Surfside Projects
A block away from Encinitas' Moonlight Beach, this home has a direct connection to the outdoors and maximizes the green space around the home.
A block away from Encinitas' Moonlight Beach, this home has a direct connection to the outdoors and maximizes the green space around the home.

Hoiles and his partners have made the most of the indoor-outdoor living concept with an impressive ground-floor open living space, with its beautiful natural wood floors unifying the kitchen, dining room, and living room. Tying it all together with a cute courtyard-style backyard (complete with built-in fire pit) is a stunning 90-degree multi-slide door from Western Window Systems.

When the two doors are open, the backyard and the two “wings” of the L-shaped home virtually become one, greatly expanding the total living space and opening the entire first floor to tons of California sunshine and the breezes coming in off the nearby Pacific Ocean.

“Natural light in abundance is an important part of our lives and Surfside Projects’ design goals,” says Hoiles. “It seems clear that because of this ethos, I have a created a symbiotic relationship with Western Window Systems, and we share an interpretation of pragmatic modernism.”

A 90-degree multi-slide door connects the living room/dining room/kitchen to the cozy backyard.
A 90-degree multi-slide door connects the living room/dining room/kitchen to the cozy backyard.

Providing cross-ventilation on the first floor is a Series 600 Sliding Glass Door that opens up on the front side of the living room portion of the open floor plan to a small, grassy area surrounded by native vegetation to provide privacy.

On the smaller second floor, various shapes and sizes of Western Window Systems windows, including a Series 670 Hinged Window facing the street, provide ventilation and natural light. And in the master suite, a stunning modern bathroom includes a walk-in shower complete with a nearly floor-to-ceiling Western Window Systems window in it.

Besides the multi-slide door, the home features energy-efficient and contemporary looking doors and windows from Western Window Systems.
Besides the multi-slide door, the home features energy-efficient and contemporary looking doors and windows from Western Window Systems.

“It is truly incredible for me to design, build, and live in SoCal, where one is connected to nature and can celebrate it with to floor-to-ceiling glass,” Hoiles says.

Dealer: Window Vision Inc.

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