“Whenever I tell people I was the
architect for this house, the first thing
people say to me is; ‘That house is
gorgeous, but it took forever to get it
approved - you must not be very
good with processing permits!’ My
response is always the same - I was
Architect #4 on the project!”
Initially, Steve Yett was brought on
board in the capacity of advisory
consultant to help Architect #2
combat neighborhood opposition to
the project. It wasn’t initially
approved as a two story house, and
would need to be re-designed as a
one story house with a basement in
order to be approved by the Planning
Commission.
“Architect #2 was arrogant and
refused to redesign the house,
saying something to the effect that
the design was perfect the way it
was and that the Planning
Commissioners were idiots - which
might be true - but regardless, you
don’t abandon the client and the
project because of this... Actually,
that was a pretty funky design now
that I think back on it.... There was a
lot of weird wasted space that was
required to make the design work as
a scultural element.
The client then hired a famous
‘Starchitect’ who came up with a very
radical über-modern house design
that kissed the allowable building
envelope from top to bottom.”
architect for this house, the first thing
people say to me is; ‘That house is
gorgeous, but it took forever to get it
approved - you must not be very
good with processing permits!’ My
response is always the same - I was
Architect #4 on the project!”
Initially, Steve Yett was brought on
board in the capacity of advisory
consultant to help Architect #2
combat neighborhood opposition to
the project. It wasn’t initially
approved as a two story house, and
would need to be re-designed as a
one story house with a basement in
order to be approved by the Planning
Commission.
“Architect #2 was arrogant and
refused to redesign the house,
saying something to the effect that
the design was perfect the way it
was and that the Planning
Commissioners were idiots - which
might be true - but regardless, you
don’t abandon the client and the
project because of this... Actually,
that was a pretty funky design now
that I think back on it.... There was a
lot of weird wasted space that was
required to make the design work as
a scultural element.
The client then hired a famous
‘Starchitect’ who came up with a very
radical über-modern house design
that kissed the allowable building
envelope from top to bottom.”
“The client showed me the plans that Architect
#3 came up with - I loved the design; I told her
that she should build it and get it published in
Architectural Digest. I figured my involvement
was over that point.”
“I got a phone call a few months later, and the
client told me that she wanted the house re-
designed in the Xin Tian Di style from Shanghai;
but keeping the Planning Department approvals
in place. I was insistent that she should build
the house as approved. She told me that she
didn’t like the boxiness of the modern design,
and wanted to live in something traditional,
reminiscent of her childhood. And if I wouldn’t
design it, she would find someone else. I gave
her the names and phone numbers of a few
other architects that I thought she should
consider hiring. She called me back a few
weeks later and said that she liked my
straightforward approach better than any of the
other architects she had interviewed and
somehow convinced me to take on the
commission.”
Steve Yett redesigned the project in the Xin Tian
Di style and got it re-approved with relative
ease. The contractor was in the middle of
pouring the foundation when the client spoke
with a prominent local realtor who suggested
that building a house in such a distinctly Asian
style would limit her buying audience should she
ever choose to sell her dream house.
“So there we were, redesigning while the
contractor was building. I am amazed that the
design turned out so cohesive given all of the
changes and adversity that this project
perservered!”
“Carrying on the soap opera tradition of this
project; the project landscape architect quit
when he figured out that it was the client’s
teenage stepson who had a car accident with
his lover resulting in a horrible verbal altercation
between the two.”
“Once we got past all of the drama, the client
made good decisions in a timely fashion. For
instance; it was her idea to install a Christopher
Peacock Kitchen.”
This five bedroom 7,000 S.F. residence has a
timeless elegance that is reminiscent of several
architectural styles all at once. “In the end, the
client and I agreed to call it a ‘California
Cottage.’”
#3 came up with - I loved the design; I told her
that she should build it and get it published in
Architectural Digest. I figured my involvement
was over that point.”
“I got a phone call a few months later, and the
client told me that she wanted the house re-
designed in the Xin Tian Di style from Shanghai;
but keeping the Planning Department approvals
in place. I was insistent that she should build
the house as approved. She told me that she
didn’t like the boxiness of the modern design,
and wanted to live in something traditional,
reminiscent of her childhood. And if I wouldn’t
design it, she would find someone else. I gave
her the names and phone numbers of a few
other architects that I thought she should
consider hiring. She called me back a few
weeks later and said that she liked my
straightforward approach better than any of the
other architects she had interviewed and
somehow convinced me to take on the
commission.”
Steve Yett redesigned the project in the Xin Tian
Di style and got it re-approved with relative
ease. The contractor was in the middle of
pouring the foundation when the client spoke
with a prominent local realtor who suggested
that building a house in such a distinctly Asian
style would limit her buying audience should she
ever choose to sell her dream house.
“So there we were, redesigning while the
contractor was building. I am amazed that the
design turned out so cohesive given all of the
changes and adversity that this project
perservered!”
“Carrying on the soap opera tradition of this
project; the project landscape architect quit
when he figured out that it was the client’s
teenage stepson who had a car accident with
his lover resulting in a horrible verbal altercation
between the two.”
“Once we got past all of the drama, the client
made good decisions in a timely fashion. For
instance; it was her idea to install a Christopher
Peacock Kitchen.”
This five bedroom 7,000 S.F. residence has a
timeless elegance that is reminiscent of several
architectural styles all at once. “In the end, the
client and I agreed to call it a ‘California
Cottage.’”
