Houzz Tour: Outdoor Spirit in St. Louis
Doug Moore and Brad Fratello wanted three things for their new home: a pool, privacy and a floor plan they could live with for the rest of their lives. They bought three vacant lots in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood of St. Louis, which gave them room for a pool. The yard backed up to a windowless commercial building, and that gave them the privacy.
Finally, they called in Sarah Gibson and Brent Crittenden, owners of the design-build team UIC (Urban Improvement Company), to help with the floor plan. Gibson and Crittenden designed a layout for Moore and Fratello’s needs, both current and future.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Brad Fratello, a professor at St. Louis Community College; Doug Moore, a writer for the St. Louis Post Dispatch; and their dog, Lulu
Location: Forest Park Southeast neighborhood of St. Louis
Size: 2,900 square feet (269 square meters); 3 bedrooms, 3½ baths, plus an attached apartment with 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom
Year built: 2012
The home is L shaped, with the patio, pool and garage in the middle. The cedar porch rises above the concrete, offering extra seating. A roll-up garage door creates an entrance to the living room and provides an easy transition between the indoor and outdoor areas.
On the left part of the house, colored HardiePanels in 2-by-4 and 2-by-8 sections create the appearance of brickwork. “The two colors of red give the facade some depth and animation,” Gibson says.
The house has two entrances from the street, one to the main house (seen where the red and green exteriors meet at the porch) and one to the attached studio apartment (far left). Moore and Fratello wanted to rent out the apartment without giving up their privacy, so while the apartment has three large windows facing the street and a front porch, it does not have a view into the main house or the yard.
Unlike most homes in the neighborhood, the lot doesn’t have alley access, so Gibson built an understated passageway for entry to the garage. An overhead door lowers to ensure privacy and block the backyard from the street.
More Houzz Tour: Outdoor Spirit in St. Louis
Houzz Tour: Outdoor Spirit in St. Louis
