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The Ranch Mine builds casiTa guesthouse in Phoenix backyard

A massive pivot door enables an interior room to open onto a covered patio in casiTa, a guesthouse in Arizona designed by architecture firm The Ranch Mine.

Encompassing 974 square feet (90 square metres), the guesthouse sits on an urban lot in a residential area in Phoenix.

The Ranch Mine built the casiTa guest house in Phoenix

It was designed for the backyard of the Foo house, also designed by local studio The Ranch Mine. The uppercase "T" in the project's name – casiTa – alludes to the building's T-shaped floor plan.

The guesthouse accommodates the client’s out-of-state family members who like to visit for stretches of time.

"They were getting so many visitors – especially during the fall, winter and spring months, when the Phoenix weather is fantastic compared to most other places," the architects said. "They needed a space for long-term guests."

A wide roof hangs over the patio to create a sheltered outdoor spot

While its current location has a desert climate, the building was designed for adaptation to a variety of settings with small modifications, such as the inclusion of an indoor fireplace or customised finishes.

Low-maintenance materials were used for exterior walls, including board-formed concrete, light-toned stucco and steel.

On the east elevation, the home's flat roof extends outward, shading both a generous patio and glazed walls that enclose part of the home. The underside of the roof is clad in stained plywood in a custom pattern.

Inside the guesthouse has concrete flooring

Inside, the house consists of an open-plan space for living, dining and cooking, and two symmetrical bedrooms that flank a bathroom and laundry area.

Neutral colours and simple finishes are found throughout, such as white drywall and concrete flooring.

The door pivot out to open the room to the patio

Rooms are fitted with contemporary decor selected by the clients, including a streamlined grey sofa and a wooden dining set. In the bedrooms, natural light streams in through tall, rectangular windows.

The house is able to extend outdoors due to a massive pivot door measuring 12 feet in width (3.7 metres) and 750 pounds in weight (340 kilograms).

"The door opens up the living area with a simple push to the patio covered by the cantilevered roof, adding an additional 255 square feet of living space," the team said.

Stucco and steel is used to clad the exterior

Established in 2010, The Ranch Mine has completed a number of modern-style dwellings in the Phoenix area.

Others include the O-asis home, which is built around a central courtyard, and the Pleats house, whose cladding takes cues from the ribbed exterior of cacti.

Photography is by Roehner + Ryan.


Project credits:

Architect: The Ranch Mine
Builder: Identity Construction
Landscape architect: The Green Room Landscape Design

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