Would this be too weird for you?

Is there a way (with an architect) to keep the castle feeling and exterior, but improve on the layout? ie, perhaps the master doesn't stay in the location it was. If the shell is the same, or modified on the same footprint, but the interior walls are completely different and interior spaces redefined, it could still be a castle, just not the same castle.

You see, the master bedroom is an enormous circular room. It cannot be anything other than the master. And because it's circular, if you were to put in a master bath and big walk-ins, you'd lose the round feeling of the room. You would chop it up. Which would be dumb. Because it is a wicked cool room. Truly, the most beautiful master bedroom I've ever seen. Just poorly designed for today's modern standards that require a bath and huge closets.

There is no other place for a master in the house. It's only 1,200 square feet. A strange but beautiful home anchored by two huge rooms: the round master bedroom on one end, and a church-like living room at the other. I can't extend off the master bedroom because there's historical caves on one side, an illegally close neighbor's house on another, and zoning requirements impeding expansion on the third. To expand logically inside the house would mean giving up the second bedroom, which was my son's room and after that, the kids room for a family that rented the house. That would be a big sacrifice.

It is a difficult house. Always has been. But people love it anyway.

You love it. "People" love it. The IS a way to rebuild it with 90% of everything that you like about the house, but adding in some modern touches to make it more livable. But you will need to talk with a very experienced architect who has sympathy for renovations rather than new construction. Rebuilding the home is going to require slight changes due to more restrctive codes in place and you would need to have an experienced builder on board for that as well.

I don't know the layout, but the large master could be kept while repurposing adjacent rooms or even a small addition could be added to give you the storage space and needed bath. Maybe the turret could become two stories without destroying the home's proportions and have the bath, closet, and sitting room below the actual bedroom. which would then have even more spectacular presence. Etc.

There are ways of doing this while thinking outside the box, but you need the right person for the job. Um, and cash. You'll need money above what the insurance settlement provides. Can't get around that.

This sounds like a fascinating home and I would love to see any "before" pictures as well as any "during" or "after" pictures as the renovation/rebuilding progresses.

I'd have to ask myself, Clint style: Is there a bigger market for multi-turreted cottages with round bedrooms than modern homes in the Hollywood Hills? Well, is there punk?

Worthy - I've been asking myself that question: is there a bigger market for multi-turreted cottages than modern homes? I don't have an answer. There are always going to be hopeless romantics drawn to a home like the castle. Then there will be the crowd that settles for nothing less than mid-century modern. I keep thinking the ultra-streamlined, modern look will run its trendy course. It seems to have staying power.

Livewire - I have an experienced builder on board. Two different architects have been up at the house. Each one was stumped. There is no place to do a small addition (that is legal) off the master bedroom. The builder says when the walls come down, it will be easier to visualize...I don't know about that.

What you are suggesting is a sleeping loft, right? An interesting thought. I'm not much for walking downstairs to use the loo in the middle of the night, though. And I would seriously miss waking up in that big beautiful room, from which vantage point you see all the way to the other end of the house, through stained glass doors and a gothic arch into the living room, where there are more gothic windows. As impractical as it is, the layout is open and flowing.

When I think about all the decisions that need to be made, sometimes I think it would be better (and easier) to just take all the insurance money and sell the damn property to someone else who wants to take on the responsibility for rebuilding it. Except the house is almost paid off. So this would probably be a foolish thing to do. It is a great piece of real estate and was always a good rental.

I don't have any advice and it sounds like qualified people have provided some good stuff.

I am so tremendously intrigued by your description of your castle! I'm so sorry about its' loss to fire. Please, please.....if you have any pictures, please post them. It takes a special house to continue to gain admirers even after it's gone.

I vote for castle, too! Do you have any pictures? I love fairy tale style, so anything castle or cottage, sounds lovely, to me :)

How big is the master bedroom, i.e., what is the diameter of the circle?

I'd love to post a photo. If only I knew how to do it. I'm looking around on this page, and I don't see anything that says "upload photo."

That is cool!!! Rebuild it :)

ooooh. You are so lucky to have had such a house in your life. Thank you for the photo! That is one of the most magical houses I have ever seen.

Well, I guess I would feel that a rebuild would be a different house, not the one pictured here with its' history and personality.

So.....I would probably start fresh rather than try to recreate something so special. Maybe time for a different and new special?

It would be such a shame to lose that and replace it with yet another "modernistic" home.

I for one would dearly love to see a sketch of the original floor plans with dimensions. Who knows, maybe someone on this site will have a flash of inspiration and see some way you could restore it while modifying to give you the masterbath and walk-in closet.

But for me, even if I couldn't add in a master bath and closets, I'd still restore it.

Do you have any other pictures?

SUERO - The dimensions for the master are 20' x 20' x 8'. On top of that is a wooden cylinder that looks like -- I don't know -- the Monticello, or something. The upper cylinder is about 8', and at the peak, 16'. Not exact dimensions, but close enough.

BEVANGEL - We've got floor plans on a PDF. I'll try to take a screen shot and post here...later.

What a cool house! You need to find a good interior architect to take what you had before and make it even better.

Could you make the Bedroom smaller with a circular walk in closet and bath using the circumfurence (a circle within a circle or half circle?)

Suzyq - Ingenious thought. The only problem with this is, if we were to build a circle within a circle, we'd lose windows directly to the exterior. Circulation/ventilation is needed, especially during the summer.

As much as I love MCM and modern....

You need to rebuild this house so that the Kebler elves have a place to live.

OK, I'm not connecting your verbal description with your photo. You say you've got a 314 sf bedroom (20' diameter) and a (presumably same sized) living room on the other end. But those photo turrets aren't anywhere near that big. And this is a 2-story house. 600 sf per floor? That doesn't jive with 300 sf of bedroom and 300 sf of living room plus other stuff in between.

????