Three Interior Courtyards Let a Family Maintain Suburban-Level Privacy in San Antonio

From the street, Susan’s House resembles any modest single-family home. But upon closer inspection, the varying orientations of its rooflines are a subtle hint to something different inside.

The 1,900-square-foot home was built for architect Mary English’s sister Susan. Susan wished to move to San Antonio’s historic Lavaca neighborhood so she and her family could easily bike to the city’s River Walk, museums, and parks. While they appreciated the neighborhood’s close proximity to downtown, they assumed that a trade-off would be a private backyard like the one they enjoyed at their former home in the suburbs.

A desire to maintain private exterior space in an urban context was part of the inspiration behind the home’s surprising and delightful incorporation of not one, but three interior courtyards. This unusual move—one that came naturally to co-architect Xavier Vendrell, who, originally from Barcelona, “was born, raised, and educated in the tradition of courtyards,” English says—was also a response to the conditions of the site. “The lots in this section of the historic Lavaca neighborhood are narrow and deep,” English says. “And the traditional typology of the neighborhood results in little opportunity for a relationship between interior and exterior.”

English and Vendrell took advantage of the lot’s depth by stretching the home across it and creating space for the three courtyards as well as a front porch—a requirement of the neighborhood’s historic design guidelines. Through the solid wooden front door, the home opens to the first of its three courtyards, designed as an outdoor foyer with storage space for bikes. From here, a second wooden door leads into the residence’s interior, revealing the home’s long lines and open plan. “This second door accesses the interior of the house with courtyards, crossed and diagonal views, and transparencies,” says English.