See a Fairway-Side Pool House That Goes With the Flow
This airy California pavilion creates an easy indoor-outdoor flow as it offers shelter from the sun — and falling objects
Los Gatos, California, enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate. The only precipitation that worried one local family was the kind stamped with "Titleist" — falling golf balls are a common hazard when you live next door to a golf course. So much so that the owners built a pool house to shield them from the onslaught.
They asked John Klopf of Klopf Architecture in San Francisco to design a covered space where their family of five could relax, entertain and occasionally work, without obstructing views of the neighboring fairway. Taking his cue from the owners' midcentury modern home, Klopf created a post and beam structure containing a covered seating area bracketed by a changing room and a kitchen with a wall-mounted TV.
"Originally we thought about doing some sliding doors," recalls one of the owners. "But ultimately we decided to keep it as open as possible." Horizontal siding echoes the siding treatment on the main house but is rendered in natural cedar, to blend with the landscape (designed by Sessa + Wadlund in Oakland).
The family spends a lot more time outdoors now. "We're out there relaxing and watching TV," the owner says. "It's almost like having another living room."
They asked John Klopf of Klopf Architecture in San Francisco to design a covered space where their family of five could relax, entertain and occasionally work, without obstructing views of the neighboring fairway. Taking his cue from the owners' midcentury modern home, Klopf created a post and beam structure containing a covered seating area bracketed by a changing room and a kitchen with a wall-mounted TV.
"Originally we thought about doing some sliding doors," recalls one of the owners. "But ultimately we decided to keep it as open as possible." Horizontal siding echoes the siding treatment on the main house but is rendered in natural cedar, to blend with the landscape (designed by Sessa + Wadlund in Oakland).
The family spends a lot more time outdoors now. "We're out there relaxing and watching TV," the owner says. "It's almost like having another living room."
One side of the 14- by 29-foot structure is given over to a kitchen. Ipe flooring here and in the adjacent seating area facilitates drainage and anchors a group of St. Bart's Lounge Chairs from Restoration Hardware (discontinued).
The kitchen has no plumbing — just a refrigerator, some storage cabinets and a concrete counter for dining or working. The opening at the rear was designed to frame the redwood tree; a wooden shutter can close it off to protect against rain (and stray golf balls).
The enclosed end of the pool house contains a changing room and storage area. Klopf angled the soffits under the roof, echoing a detail on the main house.
Horizontal siding reflects the treatment on the main house, but as mentioned, here it's rendered in natural cedar to blend with the landscape. Lush planting beds framed in concrete offer a transition between the pool area, the pathways and the lawn beyond.
Stairs behind the pool house lead to a horseshoe court. Looking up at the pool house ceiling, you can see the weather-resistant fluorescent lights that illuminate the seating area at night.
Seen from afar, the pool house acts like a giant picture frame and makes the property feel more expansive.
The simplicity of the structure suits the landscape, which has a limited palette of plants and materials used repeatedly throughout.
"It was meant to be a big, open space that you could flow in and out of," says architect Klopf. "It's all about indoor-outdoor living — mostly outdoor."