From the Agent:“Nestled on a sprawling 4.65-acre estate, this prairie-style home, designed by award-winning architect Max Levy and featured on HGTV, blends of modern elegance and rustic charm. The residence offers 2,113 square feet, and the property include a four-stall barn, perfectly suited for equestrian enthusiasts, with fenced pastures ready for horses. The property is ag exempt, making it ideal for agricultural pursuits. A 312-square-foot ADU offers versatility for guests or a private retreat. With an additional 5.35 acres available, this estate provides endless possibilities for expansion or creating your dream rural sanctuary.”
The kitchen overlooks a small courtyard nestled between the two wings of the home.
In the news: Trump razes Washington, D.C.’s BLM Plaza, an L.A. community fights to save historic tiles from burned homes, artist Ming Fay’s legacy lives on, and more.
New York’s eviction rates have dropped overall due to free legal aid for low-income tenants. But according to a new report, middle-income New Yorkers are now as likely to be be booted as those living in poverty, sparking calls for expanded protections. (Gothamist)
Ming Fay, the artist famed for his whimsical subway mosaics and papier-mâché sculptures, has died at 82. Blending Chinese symbolism with urban backdrops, his work made nature impossible to ignore—even in the heart of the city. (The New York Times)
Artist Ming Fay, known for his larger-than-life depictions of the natural world, sits for a portrait in his New York City studio. He died at age 82.
Courtesy of Ming Fay Studio
Trump promised to use federal land to build affordable housing when he took office, and now, his administration has created a task force to determine the best sites. But only a fraction of them are near cities that actually need it most. (The Wall Street Journal)
The White House celebrated the removal of BLM Plaza in D.C., calling it an “eyesore of a virtue signal.” The site will be renamed Liberty Plaza, and Trump allies are framing the change as a rejection of “wokeness.” (New York Post)
In the wake of Los Angeles’s Eaton Fire, a grassroots group in Altadena is racing against bulldozers to collect historic Batchelder tiles—salvaging remnants of the town’s architectural history. (Dwell)
Volunteers are saving Batchelder tiles from the rubble of burned homes in Altadena, California.
Eric Johnson fixed a 1,430-square-foot indoor/outdoor plan atop his ’50s Encinitas beach house, disguising the entire project as a single residence.
Eric Johnson appreciates sleight of hand, especially when it comes to design. The educator and designer’s own home in Encinitas, California, appears as a two-level single-family dwelling—one front door, uniform cladding, and few windows on the lower level—but is in fact two homes. Having been in his ’50s beach home for 17 years, Eric wanted more space (and more bathrooms) for his growing family, so he designed a 1,430-square-foot indoor/outdoor plan on top of it, moving in upstairs and using the original space as a rental.
Architecture professor Eric Johnson created a new home for his family atop their ’50s beach home in Encinitas, California. Its living area opens to a covered porch with views of the neighborhood and beach.
Photo by Kristy Walker
“The new house essentially fits over the old one and hovers above it,” explains Eric. He doesn’t mean that his family’s floor literally “hovers,” of course, but that it has its own structural system that ties into the existing home, separated with a cavity between the roof and the new floor that holds mechanical equipment dedicated to the top level. Each home has its own entrance, and Eric kept the office downstairs for himself, which has its own access, and sits adjacent to his standalone woodshop.
In another of a series of surprises, because Eric maintained and lightly updated the interiors of the ’50s home while he and his family lived there, entering the freshly clad building on the lower level is something of a time warp. Below, the designer explains how he preserved their beloved beach home while creating an upstairs addition—or perhaps, more accurately, a house on a house—that works for both his family and the neighborhood.
An 18-foot-long glass slider connects the open-plan living area with the covered porch, essentially doubling the usable space.
Photo by Jeremy Artates
Something Old, Something New
Eric Johnson: My family and I had been living in this house for a while before we decided to add on. Both of my kids were born here. It’s a typical 1950s coastal beach house: single story, two bedrooms, one bath, very little storage. Over time, I removed all the carpeting and refinished the floors, and I redid the bathroom and the kitchen—mostly cosmetic stuff. As our kids were getting older, it started to feel tight, especially when you’re sharing one bathroom with four people. It was time to expand.
The living room in the existing home has a wood ceiling with exposed beams. Johnson wanted to maintain these and other historic details, so he devised a separate structure for the addition that’s attached to the home.
