This  planned gut remodel plus addition in the St. Thomas neighborhood of Campbell quickly turned into demolition and ground up new construction of a 3,824 sq ft single family. The owners were looking for an informal, understated, welcoming home in a natural setting with low maintenance, drought resistant plants and simple materials.  The style of the home could be called a combination of mid-century modern and Australian minimalism. The single story floor plan is contained under two shed roofs sloping in opposite directions, with  North facing clerestory windows enhancing the double height areas of the  living and family rooms. From the street a  short path of offset concrete pavers leads to a cedar plank porch featuring  an indoor-outdoor bench.   While the entry itself is understated and the door effectively hidden behind cedar batten siding, a side window offers a glimpse of the interior.  Once inside, the vaulted living room with dramatic ten foot tall sliding doors opening to the back yard is revealed, yet  shielded from the entry by the oak batten clad entry hall.  The living room, dining room and kitchen are the heart of the house, their scale increased by their connections to immediately adjacent decks and patios.  These rooms are bright and animated by light coming in from different directions, including two large skylights and a North facing clerestory window.  While these three spaces are connected, subtle changes in floor levels and flooring materials clearly define them as individual areas. Office, laundry and closets form a buffer zone between the living room and bedrooms and help with acoustical privacy.  The family room, accessed from the entry directly to the left, acts as a transition space between the public, high ceilinged living / dining/ kitchen area and the bedroom wing, arranged along the North side of the lot.  Directly adjacent to the guest suite and with access to its own patio, the family room can also serve as a second living room for visiting family.  The large kitchen is designed for entertaining and connects to a large walk-in pantry - almost like a service kitchen - which in turn leads directly to the garage.  The yard itself is composed of a series of outdoor rooms including expansive decks, shaded dining areas, an intimate fire pit and a dark bottom pool with integrated hot tub.  The pool house is primarily intended as a secondary kitchen and entertainment room and is a legal ADU that could house long term guests.