house b

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

This home was originally designed for Mr. and Mrs. E. R. Wolf by Albert Komatsu AIA in 1963.  Although an early example of Komatsu’s residential work it exemplified several features found in many of his residential designs in the following years. At the time Komatsu had been practicing on his own for only 4 years.  Still practicing today at 97, Komatsu has been credited with many notable projects in Fort Worth including the Japanese Garden, Fire Station No. 8 on Rosedale Street, the Northwest Branch Library, the YWCA of Fort Worth, the sanctuary at St. Stephen Presbyterian Cathedral and the award winning Summit Office Park. 

Purchased by the current owners in 2021 the house underwent an extensive 2 year renovation with an emphasis on retaining the spirit of the original architecture while bringing the home to a high standard of modern living.  Significant changes included opening up the ceilings, enclosing the extensive front porch and adding a 3 ½ car garage.  Other notable changes included adding a swimming pool and circle driveway (which was part of Komatsu’s original design – just never executed).  The homeowners were fortunate to retain the full set of original house plans and construction notes documenting conversations and details about and during the construction process exactly 60 years ago. 

One goal established at the beginning of the renovation was to replicate the approach used by custom home builders in 1960s and 1970s that includes consistent use of materials and design throughout the house.  Examples include a consistent/single design for all walnut millwork and a consistent use of white oak floors in all rooms.  All windows were rebuilt using cedar for the frames to the original Komatsu specifications.  Sliding glass doors were prevalent throughout the house (there were 7 of them) reduced to 4 as part of the redesign.   The large family room on the west end of the house was converted to a study/den and a separate home gym.  With the addition of the pool there was a need for a pool accessible bathroom.  To meet that requirement the laundry room at the back of the house was converted to a powder bath and the powder bath in the center of the house was converted into a laundry room.  Originally the two guest bedrooms shared a Jack & Jill bathroom but the redesign allowed for the conversion of each bedroom to have an en-suite bathroom.   All original sheet rock was removed and replaced with a level 5 finish with all base boards converted to a full flush design. 

The original 2 car garage was divided in half with one half converted to an outdoor living space with fireplace and the other half converted to a workshop.  A 3 ½ car garage was added adjacent to the workshop along with a new driveway.  Smart house technology is used throughout the home including automated shades, drapes, lighting, faucets, toilet, etc.  Computer and home AV cabling includes fiber optic paired with a CAT8 throughout to support any data intensive technologies in the future.  Whole house sound extends to the pool and outdoor living spaces. 

The original intent of the homeowners was to retain the original outside brick color resulting in a significant and on-going effort to match and clean the brick in areas of redesign or repair.  However, the overall condition of the light colored brick after 60 years ultimately led to the dark finish you see on it today. 

PROJECT SIZE

3 bed, 4 bath, 2 living | 3,250 SF - Conditioned SF |   3,650 SF Total SF 

COMPLETION DATE

Original House 1963  |  Renovation 2023

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM MEMBERS

Albert S. Komatsu

PROJECT CONSULTANTS

Structural Engineer: Lighthouse Engineering 

Landscape Design: Stephanie Alexander Landscape Design

Lighting Design: Shawn Permann

CONTRACTOR

West Oak Properties

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS

Norman & Young

HOUSE PRODUCTS FROM TOUR SPONSORS

Binswanger Glass | Glazing

Sub Zero Wolf  | Appliances