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This weekend’s Silicon Valley Modern Home Tour takes guests inside a spectacular Portola Valley estate and five more sleek homes in Mountain View, Palo Alto and San Jose.
The tour showcases a variety of new or recently renovated houses, from over-the-top estates to family homes. (See below for links to the other properties.) Tickets are $40 in advance or $50 on the day of the tour.
Sustainability and dramatic views are part of what makes the Portola Valley property worth viewing. The 5,600-square-foot home has breathtaking views of the Western coastal range and bay. The architect’s goal was to create private and free-flowing public areas that could accommodate multiple family functions, all while maximizing the views.
The multi-level home was built on a sprawling lot with many native oak trees. The entry was placed between the first and second floors, allowing for a gradual rise in elevation. As visitors climb the half flight of steps leading from the main entry, the dramatic panoramic views are gradually revealed through floor to ceiling, double-height windows.
But it isn’t just about the views. The home’s energy-efficient design includes a heavily-recycled insulated thermal envelope, and solar panels that provide all the home’s energy needs. To boost its sustainability factor, the house also includes energy-efficient lighting, automated shades and a mechanical split-heating system. And the bottom half of home is set into the earth, allowing for stack ventilation, which passively draws cool air from below to the floor areas above.
House details
- Tobin Dougherty Architects
- Builder: Burhen’s Curry Homes
- Designer: Cleaver Design Associates
- Interior Design and tile finishes: Linda Sullivan, Sullivan Design Group
- Wood Siding: Arc Wood Timbers
- Cement panels: Western Specialty, Swiss Pearl
- Windows: Blomberg Windows
- Sunshade: 3FORM
- Front door: Elliot Weiss
- Number of Bedrooms: 5
- Number of Bathrooms: 5
- Approximate Square Footage: 5,600
- Year built: 2012
More houses on the Silicon Valley Modern Homes Tour
Peek inside an 8,000-square-foot Los Altos Hills estate
A midcentury-modern Mountain View home that marries Ikea cabinets with high style
An airy, family-friendly San Jose home where indoor and outdoor spaces flow together
Note: A spelling error in this article has been corrected. Cleaver Design Associates worked on this home.
