Los Angeles, CA

Site Size: 3,000 square feet

Project Size: 1,400 square foot house, 200 square foot garage

Program: Architect Jon Frishman spent more than a decade building his own 1,400-square-foot home and studio located on a steep parcel in Laurel Canyon, the increasingly pricey Los Angeles neighborhood bordering West Hollywood. The three-story house contains an office on the bottom floor, kitchen and living areas on the main floor, and a bedroom on the upper level, where an adjoining Ipe deck overlooks the city. It also contains a one-car garage and carport with a retractable roof.

Solution: Frishman purchased the lot in 1997, and after years of construction, the wood- and steel-framed structure was completed in December 2011 for $250,000. At $150 per square foot, Frishman did much of the construction himself while maintaining his own architecture practice. (Before striking out on his own, Frishman worked for Richard Meier & Partners on the Getty Center.)

Though Frishman tore down the existing house, he retained its footprint and many of its structural elements. His design emphasizes the site’s sloping and wooded landscape with expansive glass walls, a steel trellis support system, and a thin glass partition separating interior and exterior slate floors. In addition, Frishman incorporated numerous space- and cost-saving strategies: the laminated glass stairs double as a shower ceiling, a floor hatch in the living room leads to stairs down to the studio below, and air grilles provide passive cooling.

People

Formal name of building: House 1

Location: Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles California

Completion Date: 12/2011

Gross square footage: 1400 SQ FT

Total construction cost: $250,000.00

Owner: Jon Frishman

Architect's firm name, address, phone, and fax number:
Frishman Architecture
323 822 0070

Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit: Jon Frishman

Architect of record, if applicable: Jon Frishman

Interior designer: Jon Frishman

Engineer(s): Gordon Polon Engineers (Structural); Sullivan Partnership (Mechanical)

Consultant(s): Engineer-GEOLOGIC-The J Byer Group Inc; Engineer-CIVIL-Bob Newlon

General contractor: Jon Frishman

Photographer(s): Jon Frishman; 323 822 0070

Renderer(s): Jon Frishman

CAD system, project management, or other software used:
Hand drawings

 

Products

Exterior cladding
Metal Panels: ALUMINUM SHEETS

EIFS, ACM, or other: CEMENT PLASTER

Moisture barrier: BITUTHENE

Other cladding unique to this project: POLYCARBONATE PANELS

Roofing
Other: TORCH DOWN ROOFING

Windows
Metal frame: VISTAWALL ALUMINUM WINDOWS CLEAR ANODIZED

Glazing
Glass: CLEAR TEMPERED GLASS

Skylights: LAMINATED TEMPERED GLASS

Other: GLASS STAIRS, TEMPERED LAMINATED GLASS

Doors
Metal doors: VISTAWALL ALUMINUM DOORS

Sliding doors: FLEETWOOD ALUMINUM

Fire-control doors, security grilles: ALUMINUM TEE SECTIONS WITH TEMPERED GLASS

Interior finishes
Cabinetwork and custom woodwork: ALUMINUM SHEETS WITH ALUMINUM FRAMES; LAMINATED GLASS WITH ALUMINUM FRAMES

Floor and wall tile: DALTILE PORCELAIN TILE

Special interior finishes unique to this project: SLATE FLOORING IPE FLOORING

Lighting
Interior ambient lighting: CABINET UPLIGHTING

Dimming System or other lighting controls: LUTRON DIMMERS THROUGHOUT

Plumbing
TAKAGI FLASH WATER HEATER

Energy
Energy management or building automation system: 95% EFFICIENT FURNACE; STACK EFFECT PASSIVE COOLING; ROOF OVERHANGS

Other unique products that contribute to sustainability
MINIMAL WASTE, THROUGH PROPER TAKEOFFS. LEFTOVER MATERIAL USED FOR OTHER THINGS.