Adding a dining room to this California Ranch produced a fully enclosed courtyard between the house and the formerly detached garage. An existing concrete block wall that runs along the front yard made an interesting focal point for the outdoor living room. “We loved this wall and really wanted to make use of it,” says architect Ruth Hasell, “but empty walls often become de facto storage, so we put the fireplace there.” A raised hearth sits in the sightline of the new dining room, where large sliding doors open the interior to the private outdoor space. A post-and-beam “ceiling” made from Douglas fir continues across the courtyard, through the addition, and out the other side to a new pool deck (left). “Although not structural,” explains Hasell, “the trellis serves as an architectural device to unify the three spaces.
Builder: Rafael Diaz, Tustin, Calif.; Architect: Ruth Hasell, AIA, Architect, Tustin; Photographer: Gary Hasell.
