Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: A Compact Bungalow Makes Room for Growing Kids
When their 1927 Spanish bungalow began to shrink as their kids grew, the Roskins added square footage and more entertainment space
There’s nothing like a fast-growing teenager to make you feel like your house is shrinking. That was the case for Jen and Marc Roskin. Their son Sam, 14, and daughter Molly, 12, had been sharing a bunk bed in a 100-square-foot bedroom for years, until growth spurts kicked in. That’s when the 1,200-square-foot 1927 Spanish bungalow in Manhattan Beach, California, started to seem like it had taken the “Drink Me” potion. “The kids were getting bigger; their friends were getting bigger; the house was getting smaller,” Jen says. “We needed to do something about it.”
Charred cedar, a durable choice in the salty ocean air, wraps the second story and rear addition, which includes two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a master suite (above the garage seen here), a laundry room and a hallway study area.
The public spaces on the ground floor take advantage of an open-concept layout that extends to an outdoor courtyard with radiant heat floors. The Roskins spend a lot of time out here, throwing sleepover parties for their kids’ friends or hosting cocktail parties for grown-up friends. “The house is built to entertain,” Marc says.
The NanaWall stays open all day, almost year around. “It’s pretty much the last thing to close at night,” Marc says.
A polycarbonate wall on a stairwell separates the master suite from the rest of the home.
The NanaWall stays open all day, almost year around. “It’s pretty much the last thing to close at night,” Marc says.
A polycarbonate wall on a stairwell separates the master suite from the rest of the home.
The living room opens to the courtyard as well, and has a TV that can extend out so the family can watch movies while lounging outside. Marc uses this living space to watch cuts from TV shows and movies he’s directing or producing, such as the in-production film Geostorm, starring Gerard Butler.
The sectional was custom-made with Sunbrella outdoor fabric.
The sectional was custom-made with Sunbrella outdoor fabric.
Jen gets the kids up and ready for school, using the big, open island to serve breakfast. She can look out the pass-through window on the left to the alleyway to see if the kids’ carpool has arrived.
Sweet designed all the kitchen cabinets, which house a Miele steam oven, a regular oven and a warming drawer. Jen chose a sleek white kitchen because she felt it’d be easier to see where the messes are. Plus, no grout lines means no cleaning dirty grout.
Sweet designed all the kitchen cabinets, which house a Miele steam oven, a regular oven and a warming drawer. Jen chose a sleek white kitchen because she felt it’d be easier to see where the messes are. Plus, no grout lines means no cleaning dirty grout.
The family room offers views to the front street. The Roskins often hang out in here and listen to Molly play the piano, which belonged to Jen’s grandmother.
Large skylights lift the height of the space and bring in natural light. They also act as thermal chimneys that suck hot air through operable windows.
A lot of the furnishings were existing, but Jen re-covered many herself. For example, she replaced the cotton fabric on two vintage 1950s chairs with leather.
Large skylights lift the height of the space and bring in natural light. They also act as thermal chimneys that suck hot air through operable windows.
A lot of the furnishings were existing, but Jen re-covered many herself. For example, she replaced the cotton fabric on two vintage 1950s chairs with leather.
White tile in a herringbone pattern creates a feature wall behind the bed in the master suite. The bed and dresser were custom-made years ago.
The Roskins chose concrete floors because they hold radiant-heat systems better than hardwood. To add an element of warmth, Sweet suggested putting hardwood flooring on the ceiling.
The Roskins chose concrete floors because they hold radiant-heat systems better than hardwood. To add an element of warmth, Sweet suggested putting hardwood flooring on the ceiling.
An open-layout bathroom has a spa-like feel. Half-inch-by-2-inch porcelain tiles cover all the surfaces.
On a typical weekday, Marc heads out surfing in the morning with Sam. They use the outdoor shower on the way back, then Marc usually heads to the home’s sauna before going to work. He grew up in Chicago, where his father took him to Russian bathhouses. From an early age he knew if he was ever able to build a house, he’d put a sauna in it. “It’s good for the body, gives you longevity — and a good schvitz is a good schvitz,” he says.
Four to five people can fit comfortably in here. One person can lay on the top bench and get “worked on,” Marc says, which includes whipping, brushing and exfoliating with wet oak leaf bundles.
Operable windows let light in and allow for quick venting. Marc enjoys jumping between the outdoor shower, the sauna and the steam room in the guest bathroom. “It’s like a day at the spa,” he says. “It makes for interesting Sunday football games with friends. It kind of frightens them but …”
Four to five people can fit comfortably in here. One person can lay on the top bench and get “worked on,” Marc says, which includes whipping, brushing and exfoliating with wet oak leaf bundles.
Operable windows let light in and allow for quick venting. Marc enjoys jumping between the outdoor shower, the sauna and the steam room in the guest bathroom. “It’s like a day at the spa,” he says. “It makes for interesting Sunday football games with friends. It kind of frightens them but …”
Sam has a bedroom with a balcony, while Molly has a room with a view of mountains and planes landing and taking off at Los Angeles International Airrport.
Marc’s office doubles as a guest bedroom. The wall of cabinetry is actually a Murphy bed.
Here’s a look at the Murphy bed, which Sweet custom-designed.
Here’s the outdoor shower Marc and Sam use every morning after surfing.
This plan shows a section of the house, which is split-level, and the general layout.
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Who lives here: Jen Roskin, co-owner of jewelry brand MB Surplus; her husband, Marc, a Hollywood director and producer of films and TV (Burn Notice, Leverage, Flyboys); and their kids, Sam and Molly
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Size: 2,600 square feet; four bedrooms, four bathrooms
The previous home was a “Spanish stucco box, poorly detailed, nothing to salvage other than the concrete,” says designer Robert Sweet, who took the home down to the subfloor and then added square footage by way of a new story and rear addition.
The long and narrow lot dictated a long building with modern, clean lines for an airier and more open feeling. “If I wanted Spanish style with big curved doors, I didn’t have room for that,” Jen says.
The new white stucco portion seen here replaced the original footprint. “It maintains that smaller-scale view from the street to help tie it into the original scale of the neighborhood,” Sweet says. “It seems more modest than it is. After that it opens up, and there’s a lot more house to it.”