Owners Find Their Bliss in a Wine Country Ranch House
Going from cramped and dark to open and bright, a California home lands 600 extra square feet and a gorgeous new outdoor living room
When a San Francisco couple was looking for a second home in Sonoma, California, they saw past the dark and awkward spaces in this 1940s ranch house, the former home and office of a beloved local doctor. They knew a renovation, master suite addition, back courtyard and pool would make it the retreat of their dreams. The results were so fantastic, the pair left their city loft behind to live here full time.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who works from home
Location: Sonoma, California
Size: 1,900 square feet before the remodel; 2,500 square feet after
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who works from home
Location: Sonoma, California
Size: 1,900 square feet before the remodel; 2,500 square feet after
Because the home had also served as a doctor's office and residence, the entryway was quite odd. "It was like the Winchester Mystery House," architect Amy Alper says. "You walked into this very tiny space with three doors to choose from." The cramped hallway foreshadowed the rest of the home, which was divided into small rooms.
AFTER: "For those who have lived in the area for a long time, while they noticed the construction, they did not see anything other than the beloved doctor's former house being refreshed with an elastomeric finish to the stucco and new energy-efficient windows chosen to resemble the old," Alper says.
AFTER: Alper opened the kitchen, dining room and living room to create one large, light space.
A new skylight plays a large role in brightening things up. It’s also operable, bringing in fresh air and letting out heat. The kitchen has an updated traditional style, combining shaker cherry cabinets and Richlite counters, contemporary pendant lights and glass backsplash tiles.
Another neat trick: Two rows of fluorescent lighting tucked into the ceiling cove add ambience to the kitchen while meeting California’s codes requiring more fluorescent lighting than incandescent.
Another neat trick: Two rows of fluorescent lighting tucked into the ceiling cove add ambience to the kitchen while meeting California’s codes requiring more fluorescent lighting than incandescent.
Alper set the bar countertop 42 inches high to hide any kitchen mess from the dining area. Translucent glass doors break up the long expanse of lower cabinets. New oak floors were stained to match existing hardwoods.
Curved doors just off the dining space open to the outdoors.
Curved doors just off the dining space open to the outdoors.
AFTER: The structure at the far left is the back of the original house (shown in the previous photo) with its new roofline. The existing two-car garage, with a second story for storage and a ground-floor office, is on the far right, at the end of the new fiberglass pool.
The master suite addition in the middle feels like it's always been there. The new L-shaped layout creates a courtyard that serves as an outdoor living room.
The master suite addition in the middle feels like it's always been there. The new L-shaped layout creates a courtyard that serves as an outdoor living room.
And here is the master suite addition's view to the courtyard. It's not hard to understand why the owners fell in love with Sonoma and have moved here full time.
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Amy A. Alper, Architect