Vintage Modern Garage

Background

Our clients for the Vintage Modern Garage project contacted us in early spring 2016 to assist with the design for a new large-scale, freestanding workshop to compliment their 1950’s Midcentury Modern residence that they had just recently acquired in the Lakeside neighborhood on the northwest side of Indianapolis.  They were looking for the right architect to match their overall aesthetic initially for the garage.  In addition, they needed oversight of the primary residence renovations, including interiors.  So, HAUS assisted with an overall master plan respecting the Midcentury spirit of the original home and site.

The new garage location was to replace a former in-ground swimming pool that had just recently been removed.  The topography of the site and garage location was a challenge, but these unique opportunities usually help inspire something extra in the end product, and we saw great potential for refinement at this already established property.  This home has an intriguing story that we will let our clients tell later, but they essentially rescued the property from its prior illicit occupancy, with a prior owner extraction involving the DEA.

Before contacting HAUS, client had already hired a general contractor and landscape designer/builder.  One of the biggest project priorities was budget.  They had already begun some design scopes with the contractor and landscape company.  However, they felt they needed more help to achieve strong architectural design concepts to compliment their vision for the Midcentury Modern site.  We are happy that client invited us to help.  Helping achieve a comprehensive design vision is what we do best.

Design

When we design, we keep budget in-mind, but we have to let the ideas flow freely; we know we can always dial-back the scope or complexity.  The key is to be sure to come-up with an excellent idea.  From there, we work-out the details and see how it can fit the budget.  If the design solutions motivate the client, they may also consider increasing the budget.  For many of our projects, it can be a compromise of all those options (size, complexity, quality, timeline, budget).

The workshop design solution maximized the footprint and height allowed per zoning while working to compliment the original primary structure up the hill.  The sloping topography of the site made connections between house and accessory structure challenging, requiring retaining walls which became an integral part of the architectural design solution.  Workshop and lower level of house are essentially aligned, and the former house auto court (original garage was at basement level of house) will become an outdoor garden terrace connecting house lower level to new auto workshop.

The architecture of the workshop compliments the house with the use of a shed roof that pops-up revealing a 3-sided translucent acrylic clerestory wrap that reveals the wood wall + roof structure while flooding the interior with natural light.  Clear glass overhead doors reveal the vintage cars inside while allowing more views and light.  Finishes compliment the original house with gray and stained siding a match to house.  Furthermore, concrete retaining walls compliment house limestone cladding.

The initial phases of this project including most exterior and interior scopes are complete.  Our client is still continuing forward with some details on their own time.  Please check-back as we will be adding to the story.

Project Info – Vintage Modern Garage:

Architecture/Renderings/Photography:  HAUS | Architecture (Chris Short + Paul Reynolds)
General Contractor:  Thrine Construction
Landscape Design/Build:  Start to Finish Landscaping, Inc.

Media Links:

Photo Flip:  100 Fall Exterior Postcards from Houzz

Design Process – Vintage Modern Garage

Stay tuned for more updates, as we will be adding to this story, including the design phase and before-photographs.