556 Edenton Street House by The Raleigh Architecture Co

Front Elevation of 556 Edenton Street House

Developed in tandem with 554 Edenton Street, the 556 Edenton lot had similar challenges that inspired the shared green space. A basement takes advantage of the sloping topography.

The Modern, 2300-square-foot home sits back on its lot at the same distance from the sidewalk as its neighbors. Beyond the living room at the front of the house, the double-height space in the kitchen recognizes the spatial hierarchy of the heart of the home.

A 2’x10’ skylight washes the space with light. Two stairs provide vertical circulation to the house’s three levels. Custom fabricated in black metal, the staircase that originates in the kitchen becomes a bold visual element in that space.

On the first floor, the living area, dining space, and kitchen occupy one open space. The master bedroom and bath and two additional bedrooms and bath occupy the second floor. The third floor features a glass-walled home office that opens onto an outdoor terrace with views of the downtown skyline.

The home’s cantilevered form creates a covered front porch, acknowledging the importance of public outdoor space in most historic, Southern homes. A screened-in back porch on the ground floor gives the family a more private outdoor space.

Exterior materials include Corten® steel as a nod to the industrial history of this area of the city and North Carolina cypress as a warm, indigenous contrast.

“Edentwin: Compact Modern Duo as Urban Infill Housing”

Challenging standard single-family infill development by sharing space, resources, and mutual values with each other.

Edentwin consists of two adjacent single-family houses – one 1800 SF, the other 2300 SF — perched above East Edenton Street, a three-lane, one-way thoroughfare that connects old residential neighborhoods to the east with downtown Raleigh, NC. The site plan is organized around a shared central courtyard that visually and spatially connects the houses and families to one another.

Small buildable areas and tight zoning restrictions influence the compact linear footprints and projecting forms. Front porches, shaded by the cantilevered second floor, link the homes to the community and reinforce the existing vernacular and street front edge. Conceived of as “fraternal twins,” the homes share common traits but retain their own identities.

The challenge of locating two houses in close proximity became the project’s greatest asset. Designing the homes simultaneously allowed for careful consideration and also orchestrated views between each property.

Large expanses of glass on the first floor connect the public interior spaces to a shared central exterior courtyard. Clerestories and smaller windows in the second floor bedrooms maintain privacy from nearby neighbors and street traffic. Sharing a central courtyard in lieu of dividing the overall yard maximizes the useable green-space for recreation and relaxation.

Central light wells in each home create interior volume and provide abundant light to the lower levels. Steel staircases connect the double-height spaces and provide a visual anchor at the heart of each home. Edentwin challenges standard single-family infill development by sharing space, resources, and mutual values with each other.

Both houses are constructed of simple building materials and techniques, assembled in a-typical ways. Metal pan-formed concrete foundations support 2×6 exterior wood stud walls and engineered lumber floors. Roof overhangs are achieved with little steel reinforcement by implementing structural fascias and LVL joists.

A sealed crawl space and spray foam insulation provide an efficient thermal envelope that is heated and cooled by ground source heat pumps. Reclaimed slate roof shingles were repurposed as siding for 554 E. Edenton, and low-maintenance rusted steel panels clad 556 E. Edenton. Locally sourced cypress siding wraps the lower level walls.