Paradise Found A COUPLE BUILDS THEIR SUSTAINABLE HOME JUST STEPS FROM THE HOUSE THEY LIVED IN FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES
by Wendy Manwarren Generes
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butterfly-inspired roof with dramatic angles and clerestory windows, a concrete wall with glass inserts, and a style reminiscent of a bed and breakfast in Maui were at the top of the wish list that Mike and Tami McNerney had for their newhome. It was a short list they’d been making— and editing—for years.
The couple bought their 1,000-square-foot Leucadia home in 2000 from a couple at their church who’d had it built in the 1940s. It was a simple Hawaiian-plantation-style home with lots of tropical landscaping.“We fell in love with the feel of the home and the yard,”Tami says. The three-quarter-acre property provided loads of room for their 100-pound Akita to run and lots of green space for Tami,who fosters and trains dogs and loves to garden. The McNerneys lived in that two-bed, one-bath home for 18 years, keeping a binder of images they liked all the while, intending to remodel at some point. “We always planned to expand—add on, build up, or split the lot,”Mike says,“but we weren’t ever in a rush. We never felt cramped in the little house.” That changed in 2016,when Tami was knocked off her feet at a dog park, broke her knee in seven places, and had to use a wheelchair for four months. The couple quickly realized the limitations of their bungalowwhen Tami couldn’t navigate the narrow hallways or doorways in the chair. Adding onwasn’t going to cut it. The McNerneys needed a home that would allow them to one day age in place. They decided to build a larger single-story home—with muchwider passages—on the same lot, behind their little house. They alsowanted their new home to be environmentally focused.“We wanted to find an architect whowould help us think through a green build,”Tami says.
vitals NEIGHBORHOOD: Leucadia LAYOUT: 2,571 square feet, 2 beds, 2.5 baths, 1 story PROJECT: New construction ARCHITECT: JLC Architecture BUILDER: KR Building INTERIOR DESIGN: E + D Design
PEACEFUL PARADISE Mike and Tami wanted their home to feel like an escape, so Tami created a landscape filled with lush palms, fruit trees, and more. Designer Erica DeLorme created cozy spots where the couple can take in the view—outside, where they sit with Roxy and Jax, their dogs, and inside, on chairs covered in a custom Peter Dunham fig-leaf fabric.
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APR I L 2021
PHOTOS BY SAMANTHA GOH
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