Tahoe Truckee | Residential Design · Land Use Planning · Permit Plans
BASQUE HOUSE
BASQUE HOUSE
Northstar Truckee California
GARAGE ADDITION
GUEST-SUITES ADDITION
ENTRY / MUDROOM ADDITION
MASTER EN-SUITE ADDITION
DINING ROOM ADDITION
3900+ SF
6 BR
4 BA
2 CAR GARAGE
Project Team
Designer:
MASTRIDICASA
Contractor:
CMJR Construction Inc
Structural Engineer:
Shear Force Engineering
Photography:
Dave Donnelly
A family legacy home expanded with care, practicality, and respect for the original structure.
Set within Northstar-at-Tahoe, the existing home had served the family for years, but the way the family used it had outgrown the original plan. The clients needed more functional space, better arrival, improved snow-country access, and room for guests without losing the character of the home they already loved.
MASTRIDICASA worked with the clients, builder, structural engineer, and Northstar Property Owners Association Design Review Committee to develop a solution that added a new dining room, primary en-suite, two-car garage, interior entry connection, mudroom, additional bedrooms, bunkroom guest suite, and a centralized outdoor entertaining area.
The project required careful planning. The original house was positioned on the parcel in a way that made future expansion difficult. Setbacks, coverage limits, design review requirements, budget, existing structure, and construction access all shaped the final design.
Through several iterations, the design found a path forward: expand the home, improve how it lives, preserve its legacy, and meet the review requirements without making the new work feel forced.
The result is a more capable mountain home — better for family, guests, winter access, and the next chapter of life at Northstar.
EXISTING CONDITIONS
The original home had good bones and a strong sense of place, but it was built before today’s development guidelines and no longer fit the family’s needs.
Access was one of the biggest issues. The house was reached by a narrow, steep walkway from a small parking area at street level. In Sierra winter conditions, that kind of arrival can become more than inconvenient. It can shape daily life.
The clients needed an attached two-car garage, interior connection, proper entry sequence, mudroom, added bedrooms, guest space, and more functional gathering areas. The challenge was finding room for all of that on a constrained site while preserving as much of the existing home’s character as possible.
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PROPOSED CONDITIONS - DRC APPROVED
DESIGN CHALLENGE
This was not a simple addition.
The existing home sat on the parcel in a way that made expansion difficult. Setbacks, impervious coverage limits, existing nonconforming conditions, design review guidelines, budget, access, and structural constraints all had to be solved together.
An easier path would have been to reduce the scope. But the clients had clear priorities, and the project deserved a serious attempt to make them work.
MASTRIDICASA studied multiple design options before arriving at a solution that met the family’s needs, respected the original home, and received approval from the Northstar Property Owners Association Design Review Committee.
This is the kind of work that depends on patience, coordination, and practical problem-solving.
The approved design reorganized how the home receives people, stores gear, supports guests, and connects to the outdoors.
The new garage and entry sequence created a more practical arrival from the street. The mudroom gave the home a better transition zone for mountain life. New bedroom and guest-suite areas expanded capacity, while the dining room and outdoor entertaining spaces improved how the home gathers.
The goal was not just more square footage. The goal was a home that worked better for the family, the site, and the realities of Northstar living.
CONSTRUCTION BEGINS
Construction began after a long winter and a delayed snow melt, which shortened the available building season.
The early work required careful preparation of the existing house, along with major site improvements to support the new garage, driveway, retaining wall, additions, and outdoor spaces.
For the new construction portion, a twelve-foot retaining wall and driveway bridge became critical pieces of the project. Those elements shaped access, structure, grading, and the layout of the new improvements.
Mountain projects often begin with the unglamorous work first. That is usually where the success of the project is decided.
A better arrival for a mountain home that needed to work harder.
In snow country, the way you arrive at a home matters.
The original house had charm and history, but it did not have the kind of protected, practical arrival sequence the family needed for long-term use at Northstar.
The foyer became just as important as the garage.
Rather than simply attaching new square footage, the design created a clearer transition between outside and inside — a place to land before moving into the rest of the home. Mudroom function, circulation, weather protection, and connection to the existing structure all had to work together.
The result is a more useful beginning: a home that is easier to arrive at, easier to live in, and better prepared for the realities of mountain life.
NEW ENTRY FOYER / GARAGE
The garage addition changed how Basque House meets the mountain.
The new garage addition gave the home enclosed parking, better storage, and a more capable point of entry through winter weather, gear, groceries, guests, and daily use at Northstar.
This was not just added square footage. It was a better beginning.
An outdoor gathering space shaped for the next chapter of the home.
REAR PATIO
The rear patio gives the Basque House a more useful outdoor center for family, guests, meals, and quiet time outside.
Connected to the expanded living areas and surrounding landscape, it helps the home move more naturally between inside and out while supporting the relaxed, practical rhythm of mountain living.
VIEW FROM THE GOLF COURSE
A larger home that still needed to feel like it belonged.
From the golf course, the addition had to read as part of the original home, not a separate idea attached later.
The expanded residence adds major function while staying grounded in the Northstar setting, the existing structure, and the surrounding landscape. The result is a home that feels more capable without losing its sense of place.
PRIMARY SUITE WITH REVISED SCREENED DECK
More privacy, more comfort, and a better relationship to the outdoors.
The primary suite addition gave the Basque House a more private and comfortable retreat within the expanded family home.
The revised screened deck adds another layer of usefulness, creating a protected outdoor space that can be enjoyed without feeling fully exposed to weather, insects, or surrounding activity. It gives the suite a quiet connection to the mountain setting while maintaining separation from the more active guest and family areas of the house.
This part of the project was about balance: privacy without isolation, outdoor connection without exposure, and new comfort without losing the character of the original home.
