Magnum Mania!

I don't know what it is called, but on the wing of the house that is to the left of the front doors and balcony, there is a double roof area....do you know what I mean? It looks like a second roof that only covers part of the wing.

What is this and what is it's purpose?

Hi Jodykmg365,

I don't have a clue but maybe eeyore or Steve have an answer.

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Where is the study in relation to the house? I always thought it was in the corner, by the juncture of the wings, but you can exit the study (to the enclosed yard) though a side door next to the fireplace, no?

Solar Panel?

I never even noticed that before. Perhaps that is the location of the kitchen and it is some type of roof extension to allow fresh air ventilation?????

We have a section of roof that is raised like that, although flat, to allow the placement of clerestory windows around the living room. It might be for something like that, but I don't see any windows there. Clerestory windows let in alot of light without leaking like skylights tend to do. They are great if you live in a rainy, think Oahu, climate.

Just an idea

I feel stupid, I had to look that up.

For those like me: clerestory windows

Seems like a reasonable assumption to me. The height doesn't seem to be much, only about a foot higher total, but added to the other, I assume sunrise side of the roof, I'm sure it would have a dramatic effect. Plus, in a tropical climate, pre-air conditioning construction, it's probably a good way to circulate air. I like it!

Sorry about that

I learned the term when we did some remodeling. It's amazing what ripping the roof off a house and throwing half the house away will teach you. Even more than new vocabulary.

Things like, never, never do this again

MPS wrote:

Things like, never, never do this again

LMAO! Amazing how something like a house can turn into such a money pit when a remodel is happening!

oh god....another cement slab guess-athon

This roof thing should be a lot easier to figure out though.

The ventilation idea sounds plausable. It would really be a good guess if that was where the attic was, but I doubt that because it is such a small space and not the main part of the house.

Thanks for all the replies.

Jodykmg365 wrote:The ventilation idea sounds plausable. It would really be a good guess if that was where the attic was, but I doubt that because it is such a small space and not the main part of the house.

I'm thinking high ceilings and ceiling fans. An attic would trap the heat, the high ceilings would let it rise away from the living area and the fans would move it out, keeping air circulating.

I have puzzled over this roof detail myself. For years I thought the room below had a vaulted or beamed ceiling. The eave of the roof lines up with the wall between the loggia and that room. However, the series finale to Hawaii Five-O "Woe to Woe Fat" shows the characters walk into that room and it clearly has a flat, fairly low ceiling (as well as a fireplace).

The ventilation idea seems plausible, but perhaps it is simply an architectural detail to "break up" visually what would be a very large expanse of roof. The Spanish Colonial Revival style in which the estate is designed is known for assymetry in massing and detailing. Bottom line: it looks nice!

I think it would be more articulated if it was a clerestory window?
That being said, Frank Lloyd Wright did this a fair bit:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ol-imag ... andes2.jpg

It's definitely a full height brick wall- it probably has large double doors that open to the corridor- the corridor then opens to the veranda and grounds, so you get a sort of layered building. If it's cold, you can close it all up and heat the brick room, when it's hot, open all the doors and you get cross ventilation. That would be fairly logical, but as Pahonu says, if it has a low ceiling, maybe it's an attic?!

I'm an architect, but more a modernist than into Spanish mission revival. If you're interested in Hawaiian modernism though, check out Vladimir Ossipoff's work. He's probably Hawaii's most noted architect.

Some good photos of the estate here:
http://www.pbase.com/goislands/image/7678654

Good guess on this being a clerstory but usually windows are involved!
My guess would be that the particular room located under this roof was designed and built with a ceiling higher than the surrounding spaces.
There were many interesting things done architecturally to older buildings for aesthetic purposes. Back then labor was cheap and materials were costly. Without being able to examine it up close it is hard to say for sure.