Case study, nº 07
A residence on Mountain View Ave.
The Olive Court · Los Angeles · HR Development Inc.
The residence
Mountain View Ave, Los Angeles
The Olive Court
- Configuration
- New two-story single-family residence with attached two-car garage and accessory unit
- Typology
- New construction
- Lot
- 9,588 sf · 0.22 acre
- Residence
- About 4,473 sf residential (4,041 sf building code area plus 400 sf garage)
- Bedrooms
- 5
- Building height
- 29 feet 11 inches
Mountain View is a Mediterranean family house organized around hand and material. Reclaimed antique brick carries inside to arched rooms, a copper hood anchors the kitchen, and a floating stone stair turns around a living olive tree at the center of the plan.
The program is built around family life: a primary suite, children's rooms, and his-and-her offices, with a wine area, an outdoor kitchen and loggia, and a new pool on the tight lot. Exposed wood beams and troweled stucco carry the warmth of the brick across the interior, and the arched openings tie the exterior character to the plan.
The engineering
HR Development coordinated the reclaimed brick to read continuously across exterior and interior, executed the olive-tree stair, and sequenced stone, millwork, the copper hood, and the brick and stucco trades so every material meets cleanly on the compact site. A new pool and rooftop solar were permitted separately and built to the same standard.
The estate
Material craft at every scale
Mountain View is a Mediterranean family house of about 4,500 square feet where the value is in the materials and their execution: reclaimed brick, troweled stucco, exposed beams, a hand-formed copper hood, and a floating stone stair centered on a living olive tree.
Principal rooms
- Reclaimed antique brick, exterior to arched interiors
- Troweled stucco throughout
- Exposed wood beams
- Formal and family living spaces
Kitchen & entertaining
- Hand-formed copper kitchen hood
- Wine area
- Outdoor kitchen and loggia
Circulation
- Floating stone stair around a living olive tree
Suites & offices
- Primary bedroom
- Children's rooms
- His and her offices
Grounds & systems
- New swimming pool
- Retaining walls and patio cover
- Rooftop solar (separate permit)
- Attached two-car garage
- Accessory dwelling unit
The build sequence
How it came together
The order the work was solved — from the structure outward to the final finish.
Continuous brickwork
Reclaimed antique brick set to read continuously across exterior and interior.
The olive-tree stair
A floating stone stair executed around a mature olive tree.
Trades sequenced to meet
Stone shop drawings, custom millwork, the copper hood, and the brick and stucco trades sequenced so brick, limestone, copper, and timber meet cleanly.
Nº 01Exterior Architecture
Brick and arch
Reclaimed antique brick and arched openings establish the Mediterranean character from the street, carried inside without interruption.
Nº 02Pool & Outdoor
The garden pool
A new pool tucked into the compact lot, framed by stone and planting as a private Mediterranean courtyard.
Nº 03Loggia & Outdoor Living
The outdoor room
A covered loggia and outdoor kitchen extend the living spaces into the garden, shaded under timber and stone.
Nº 04Kitchen
The double-island kitchen
Twin islands and a hand-formed plaster hood anchor a kitchen finished in the same brick and stone that run through the house.
Nº 05Living Spaces
The principal rooms
Exposed beams and troweled stucco warm the arched living spaces; every material is continuous across the plan.
Nº 06Dining
The family table
A dining room under exposed beams, set where the brick and stucco meet the warmth of timber.
Nº 07Wine & Bar
The wine niche
A wine and bar area folded into the plan, detailed in the home's reclaimed-material palette.
Nº 08Front Porch And Entry
The threshold
A brick-and-stone porch and arched entry introduce the house's hand-built character before the door.
Nº 09Staircases
The olive tree stair
A floating stone stair wraps a living olive tree at the center of the plan, the organizing gesture of the whole house.
Nº 10Primary Suite
Primary Suite
Nº 11Bathrooms & Powder Rooms
Bathrooms & Powder Rooms
Nº 12Bathrooms
Stone and hand
Marble and stone baths detailed with the same craft as the brick and millwork.
Nº 13Closets & Dressing
The dressing rooms
Fitted closets in custom millwork, warm and tailored to the suite.
Nº 14Office
The studies
His-and-her offices built into the family plan, paneled, private, and quiet.
Nº 15Kid's Room
The children's rooms
Bright bedrooms for the children, finished simply against the home's textured materials.
Nº 16Construction Progress
The build
The reclaimed brick and the olive-tree stair under construction, before the trades met their final line.
