East Bay Rays

Massive walls of glass let this Oakland remodel provide unparalleled views.

A recent collaboration between the principals of two Bay Area architecture firms resulted in the transformation of a modest Midcentury Modern box home into a statement-making contemporary jewel in Montclair, a tiny neighborhood sitting high in the hills above Oakland.

Categories

Classic Line
Remodel

Products

Fixed Windows
Series 600
Multi-slide
Sliding glass door

Location

California

Clerestory windows above the large glass panels in the second-floor bedroom let in additional light.

The fruits of Bridgett Shank and Megan Carter’s endeavor have given the “Plus House” unobstructed, 180-degree views of Oakland, San Francisco, and the bay. “The entire west façade of the building is mostly glazing, and the large opening is an important component in making the indoor-outdoor connection,” says Shank and Carter, of Timbre Architecture and CB Design respectively.

The dining area’s indoor-outdoor connection is bolstered by wood accents and massive sliding glass doors that open an entire wall to the balcony.

Indeed, each floor of the two-story, 1,980-square-foot home features 38 linear feet of glass, with the two first-floor bedrooms highlighted by 7-by-14-foot-wide Series 600 Multi-Slide Doors. Above each door is a set of clerestory windows that let in additional California sunshine to the bedrooms.

The two rooms are separated by a glassed-in stair bay that also separates the two halves of the second floor, one half of which includes the living room and the other the kitchen and dining space. “The stair bay helped us delineate the spaces without separating them with walls,” Shank and Carter said.

Topping the stair bay is one of the home’s most unique attributes: a cupola-like structure that Shank and Carter refer to as a light monitor.

“We wanted to keep the original home’s existing ceiling height intact at 8 feet, 3 inches, but we wanted to make sure the space felt open and light-filled,” the architects said. “The light monitor makes the stairwell space feel larger and it provides the vertical height that we were after. Rather than installing skylights, the windows in the light monitor provide a softer light while still allowing you to see blue sky and clouds. In turn, the living room and dining areas on each side feel more intimate.”

Using big glass, the architects created a cupola-like structure they refer to as a light monitor.

The entire west façade of the house is glass, giving occupants views of Oakland, San Francisco, and the bay.

Adding to the sense of intimacy is the handsome Douglas fir ceiling, which existed before the remodel. The wood motif appears throughout the home, with a maple veneer plywood ceiling on the first floor and teak veneer on the kitchen cabinetry, bedroom closets, and fireplace wall.

Sliding glass doors connect the kitchen to the outdoor patio space.

Of course, it’s the impressive bank of glass on the second floor that’s the true star of the show. Two massive Series 600 Sliding Glass Doors – one for the kitchen and dining area, the other for the living room – flank a giant fixed window above the stair bay. Everything connects to an outdoor living space that runs the length of the house. When the sliders are open, a true indoor-outdoor connection is felt, with cool East Bay breezes coursing through the home and the majestic, unfettered views of the two cities by the bay in the distance.