Scope of work:
- Complete remodel to the existing 997 SF house (1 bedrooms, 1 bathrooms, kitchen, dining and living room area)
- Addition of 1,303 SF (including first floor extension and master bedroom on the second floor). The finished bedroom count is 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
- New detached ADU of 435 SF (including 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom)
Location: Toluca Lake
Background
This was one of the first projects we worked on when we started our practice. We met the developer at another job and he took a chance with us and invited us to collaborate with him and his architect friend. The project was a complete first-floor remodel and addition, a new second floor, and a new detached ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit).
We were grateful to have collaborated with an experienced architect in residential design. We learned about home layouts, window placements, and sizing around the home, space planning, flow, among other things that we still use with all of our projects.
This project was also our first experience going through plan check at LA City and navigating all the clearances and approvals from other departments.
Design Elements
The original style of the house was a California Bungalow and we changed to a modern farmhouse style, a style that is very prevalent in the area.
We redesigned the house to shift the office and bedrooms towards the front of the house so the living room and kitchen open up towards the back yard. The master bedroom with its own balcony and another bedroom takes up the second floor. There are large sliding glass doors and windows that let light in and views towards the back. The living room, living room, and kitchen have a nice open concept flow.
We carried the same open concept floor plan and large openings to the ADU. Despite a compact footprint, the space feels much larger thanks to the tall ceilings, sliding glass doors, floor-to-ceiling windows, skylights, and the absence of interior walls.