Yosemite Lane // Laura Juarez Baggett Studio

This residence is for a young at heart couple in their 70’s checking off one item on their bucket list: build a new home. Because of their age, designing for aging-in-place was critical, but the parameters of the site and their design wishlist required a two-story structure. The daily use spaces are all on the same floor. The main level was pushed down into the sloped site for better access to the small private lake and existing tree. One can also enter the house from the second floor, opening up to double height views. The entry “cat-walk” doubles as a bird watching platform. The stairs are designed with a low riser height and intermediate landings. Due to a limited budget, materials were salvaged from the previous home, including the ipe deck which was reused on the primary shower floor and wood flooring used on the second floor. While the home is modest in size, it shows what one can do with a limited budget and thoughtful design.