Goodrich Lake House

Goodrich Lake House is a 2,900 sq. ft. vacation home nestled in the trees along the shore of a quiet lake an hour northeast of Houston. The building's mass is broken into four enclosed volumes set under a common gable roof form. The programmatic breakdown into smaller volumes allows the owner to share the public rooms with guests while maintaining a layer of privacy for both the primary suite and the 2-bedroom guest house. The public living & dining space is a glass enclosure that shares a roof-line with the adjacent "dog-trot" and provides expansive views to both the uphill forest and the downhill lake. Upon entry, the dog-trot initially constricts space around the occupant and then frames a view to the lake beyond. The resulting negative spaces between the volumes take on different functions including an entry motor-court, dog-trot style covered porch, a fenced pet yard, and a garden with leisure amenities including a lap pool, raised deck, and activity lawn.  Materials & construction systems are modest and details are restrained, allowing the surrounding landscape to remain the focus of the occupants' attention.