An Idea From the Homeowner’s Father Made Building on This ‘Unbuildable’ Silicon Valley Lot Possible

When architect Ana Williamson signed on to design this home in Palo Alto, California, she knew it was going to be difficult.

"We were introduced by a colleague who had passed on the project because the site had a number of challenging characteristics," she recalls. "There was the narrowness of the lot coupled with the density of protected trees, which all straddled two flood zones."

The site is in Crescent Park, a neighborhood not too far from downtown Palo Alto’s busy shops and restaurants. The original owners had been longtime residents, and they watched as the area transitioned from a relatively quiet collegiate town into an epicenter of technology. They used the 50-foot-wide lot as their garage and backyard, which explains the grove of redwood trees that could not be touched. These trees are what drew the current residents, Ming Hua, a vice president at Meta, and her husband, who also works in the tech industry, to purchase the land.