Oak Hill Modern #2 is the second in a series of modern home ranch conversions designed and built by rootARCH, The first in the series was a private residence for the Architect located close by on a neighboring block. Photography by Garret Buell

The original 1-story ranch home prior to renovation was a modest size of 2 bedrooms and 2 baths, approximately 1,800 sf. It is located in a very desirable area of Nashville inside an older satellite city area named Oak Hill. It hosts a diverse architectural population of older established homes ranging in size and affluence including the private homes of country music stars and the governor of Tennessee.
Constrained by the existing footprint due to some existing property easements and recently adopted building restrictions to setbacks, the design stacks a 2nd floor on top of the original homestead and adds a three car addition to the back left. The resulting “L” shape frames the gorgeous rolling back yard highlighted by a wet weather creek that bisects the property.
Obvious and constant visual connections to the outdoors were an important consideration in many of the indoor spaces to allow the home to be opened to expand the livable areas, The natural light that floods the home at different times of the day dramatically transforms the mood throughout the day. The home has three significant outdoor spaces, one being the outdoor deck adjoining the living room at grade; a second floor covered porch named the “sunset” porch due to it’s exposure facing due west; and thirdly, a rooftop patio perch on top of the house that places you in the treetops and clouds accessed from an internal stair inside the home.
Brick from the original home was reused along with the introduction of new modern elements such as burnt cypress siding commonly known as “shou-sugi-ban”. Shou-sugi-ban is the ancient Japanese method of preserving wood and it has a beautiful iridescent visual quality in sunlight in addition to being naturally decay and insect resistant.