Located in the desirable Bay Area suburb of Los Altos, this ranch-style tract house had some charming exterior style, but lacked a usable interior plan. The lot is located at the end of a cul-de-sac, which results in a very generous rear yard. Our goal was to add a bedroom and bathroom to the house, enhance the ease of entertainment in the public space, and develop the rear yard space as a series of exterior "rooms". We removed all interior walls in the public areas of the house, as well as the attic space. The result is a spacious warm modern living space ringing an updated kitchen at the center. The new curving entry court wraps around an existing Japanese maple tree. The new Family room wall is curved to suggest enclosure of the main public exterior "room".