This house was a very small mid-century bungalow with previous additions that resulted in a large but chaotic layout. The owners wanted to convert the house to a super-efficient, and charming Craftsman-style, 6 bedroom home for their large family and work at home. We achieved the space needs by moving a few walls for a more efficient, organized layout, setting up spaces for overlapping uses, and making a small upstairs addition. Every bit of square footage was optimized to meet the goals of the project without making the house huge or adding unnecessary cost. Much thought was given to the entry sequence near the front door. A large flow-through mudroom with storage for each family member, and adjacent laundry, make it easy for children to be taught to keep their things organized and to contribute to household chores. A mail station and central home admin area at the mudroom help keep clutter down at other areas and minimize home management tasks. A garage door near the kitchen gives quick access to bulk items. The existing house had too much view to the street from the living room through large corner windows, and too little entry transition, to the extent that the family did not feel comfortable using the living room much without shades drawn. We raised the window sills and brought the new windows in from the corner of the house, allowing plenty of light while protecting privacy and a sense of enclosure in the living room. We enlarged the front porch to create a more graceful transition from the public to private space. We located the front door so that the circulation from entry into the house would allow for furnishing the living room with a sitting circle that is not intruded upon by people walking through the room. Sight lines through the living spaces were an important consideration in the design. The owners wanted discreet spaces for living room, kitchen, dining and family room, but also wanted the living spaces to feel connected and to be able to easily watch their children. Being able to see the children playing in the yard while getting things done inside the house was also important. While largely working with the existing structure, we opened walls and rearranged the use of spaces to make a series of connected living spaces with long views through them. The character of the remodeled house is a contemporary Craftsman with classic materials and cool, consistent colors. A few arches echo through the house to frame spaces and soften the feeling of the rooms. Photography: Kurt Manley https://saikleyarchitects.com/portfolio/bungalow-expansion/

This small and stylish space is made ultra-efficient by combining an office, ample storage, and a full-size tilt wall bed for overnight guests. Tesoro™ Tuscan Moon finish with Tesoro™ Linen slab door and drawer fronts are the spotlight of this design, as well as stainless steel decorative hardware and LED Puck lighting.

Client downsizing into an 80's hi-rise condo hired designer to convert the small sitting room between the master bedroom & bathroom to her Home Office. Although the client, a female executive, was retiring, her many obligations & interests required an efficient space for her active future. Interior Design by Dona Rosene Interiors. Photos by Michael Hunter

This traditional fireplace acts as a wood burning stove but allows the warm glow of the fire to show. It has a fan and catalytic converter making it energy efficient.

Laura
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern detached two-car garage workshop remodel in Los Angeles

This house was a very small mid-century bungalow with previous additions that resulted in a large but chaotic layout. The owners wanted to convert the house to a super-efficient, and charming Craftsman-style, 6 bedroom home for their large family and work at home. We achieved the space needs by moving a few walls for a more efficient, organized layout, setting up spaces for overlapping uses, and making a small upstairs addition. Every bit of square footage was optimized to meet the goals of the project without making the house huge or adding unnecessary cost. Much thought was given to the entry sequence near the front door. A large flow-through mudroom with storage for each family member, and adjacent laundry, make it easy for children to be taught to keep their things organized and to contribute to household chores. A mail station and central home admin area at the mudroom help keep clutter down at other areas and minimize home management tasks. A garage door near the kitchen gives quick access to bulk items. The existing house had too much view to the street from the living room through large corner windows, and too little entry transition, to the extent that the family did not feel comfortable using the living room much without shades drawn. We raised the window sills and brought the new windows in from the corner of the house, allowing plenty of light while protecting privacy and a sense of enclosure in the living room. We enlarged the front porch to create a more graceful transition from the public to private space. We located the front door so that the circulation from entry into the house would allow for furnishing the living room with a sitting circle that is not intruded upon by people walking through the room. Sight lines through the living spaces were an important consideration in the design. The owners wanted discreet spaces for living room, kitchen, dining and family room, but also wanted the living spaces to feel connected and to be able to easily watch their children. Being able to see the children playing in the yard while getting things done inside the house was also important. While largely working with the existing structure, we opened walls and rearranged the use of spaces to make a series of connected living spaces with long views through them. The character of the remodeled house is a contemporary Craftsman with classic materials and cool, consistent colors. A few arches echo through the house to frame spaces and soften the feeling of the rooms. Photography: Kurt Manley https://saikleyarchitects.com/portfolio/bungalow-expansion/

This 2,000 square foot vacation home is located in the rocky mountains. The home was designed for thermal efficiency and to maximize flexibility of space. Sliding panels convert the two bedroom home into 5 separate sleeping areas at night, and back into larger living spaces during the day. The structure is constructed of SIPs (structurally insulated panels). The glass walls, window placement, large overhangs, sunshade and concrete floors are designed to take advantage of passive solar heating and cooling, while the masonry thermal mass heats and cools the home at night.

Adrienne DeRosa, Houzz Contributor.
Inspiration for a farmhouse medium tone wood floor kitchen remodel in Cleveland with open cabinets, stainless steel cabinets, metallic backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

This project combines two existing studio apartments into a compact 800 sqft. live/work space for a young professional couple in the heart of Chelsea, New York. The design required some creative space planning to meet the Owner’s requested program for an open plan solution with a private master bedroom suite and separate study that also allowed for entertaining small parties, including the ability to provide a sleeping space for guests. The solution was to identify areas of overlap within the program that could be addressed with dual-function custom millwork pieces. A bar-stool counter at the open kitchen folds out to become a bench and dining table for formal entertaining. A custom desk folds down with a murphy bed to convert a private study into a guest bedroom area. A series of pocket door connecting the spaces provide both privacy to the master bedroom area when closed, and the option for a completely open layout when opened. A carefully selected material palette brings a warm, tranquil feel to the space. Reclaimed teak floors run seamlessly through the main spaces to accentuate the open layout. Warm gray lacquered millwork, Centaurus granite slabs, and custom oxidized stainless steel details, give an elegant counterpoint to the natural teak floors. The master bedroom suite and study feature custom Afromosia millwork. The bathrooms are finished with cool toned ceramic tile, custom Afromosia vanities, and minimalist chrome fixtures. Custom LED lighting provides dynamic, energy efficient illumination throughout. Photography: Mikiko Kikuyama

Example of a mid-sized classic porcelain tile sunroom design in Richmond with a skylight

The original home was a tiny 1000 square foot house that had been built in the 40's and never had been updated, typical of many of Los Angeles' post-war neighborhoods. By converting the attached single-car garage into living space and strategically re-configuring walls, we accomplished an open floor plan that dramatically increased the spaciousness of the house, while sticking to a limited budget. To minimize the environmental impact of our project, we donated and reused materials as much as possible, and chose new finishes such as bamboo and cork floors, and Kirei board. The durability and recycled content of materials were also considered in their selection. Energy efficiency was also a concern. Thus appliances and heating systems were selected for their efficiency, and LED lighting was installed in the kitchen. Photo by: Brandon Shigeta

This house was a very small mid-century bungalow with previous additions that resulted in a large but chaotic layout. The owners wanted to convert the house to a super-efficient, and charming Craftsman-style, 6 bedroom home for their large family and work at home. We achieved the space needs by moving a few walls for a more efficient, organized layout, setting up spaces for overlapping uses, and making a small upstairs addition. Every bit of square footage was optimized to meet the goals of the project without making the house huge or adding unnecessary cost. Much thought was given to the entry sequence near the front door. A large flow-through mudroom with storage for each family member, and adjacent laundry, make it easy for children to be taught to keep their things organized and to contribute to household chores. A mail station and central home admin area at the mudroom help keep clutter down at other areas and minimize home management tasks. A garage door near the kitchen gives quick access to bulk items. The existing house had too much view to the street from the living room through large corner windows, and too little entry transition, to the extent that the family did not feel comfortable using the living room much without shades drawn. We raised the window sills and brought the new windows in from the corner of the house, allowing plenty of light while protecting privacy and a sense of enclosure in the living room. We enlarged the front porch to create a more graceful transition from the public to private space. We located the front door so that the circulation from entry into the house would allow for furnishing the living room with a sitting circle that is not intruded upon by people walking through the room. Sight lines through the living spaces were an important consideration in the design. The owners wanted discreet spaces for living room, kitchen, dining and family room, but also wanted the living spaces to feel connected and to be able to easily watch their children. Being able to see the children playing in the yard while getting things done inside the house was also important. While largely working with the existing structure, we opened walls and rearranged the use of spaces to make a series of connected living spaces with long views through them. The character of the remodeled house is a contemporary Craftsman with classic materials and cool, consistent colors. A few arches echo through the house to frame spaces and soften the feeling of the rooms. Photography: Kurt Manley https://saikleyarchitects.com/portfolio/bungalow-expansion/

Customer in Tomball, Texas had 2 units and was wanting to convert into 1 Efficient Unit. (Would not recommend, if this was a 2 Story home )
Inspiration for a large traditional backyard landscaping in Houston for summer.

Photo: Lucy Call © 2013 Houzz
Living room - 1950s living room idea in Salt Lake City

California Closets can work with you to create an efficient home office workspace that makes work feel less like work. As the line between work and home becomes increasingly blurred, it’s more important than ever to have a comfortable and functional home office where we can focus on the things we need to get done.

Keith and Amy loved their home in quiet Wake Forest neighborhood on a large corner lot on a cul-de-sac. Over time, Amy had developed allergic reactions to unknown allergens in their home. As her condition worsened, it became impossible for her to spend much time in the home, and they were forced to move out and find temporary housing accommodations. After months of talking with other home improvement providers and indoor air “experts” and trying other solutions to no avail including having their HVAC ducting cleaned, they turned to Paradise Found Construction and our expertise and experience in transforming indoor environments in homes into healthy and clean living spaces. Because many of the improvements we undertook to create a cleaner environment also provided energy savings, we had our work certified under the 2012 National Green Building Standards (NGBS) and were award a Bronze level certification for the home. We conducted a thorough investigation and testing regimen that included bringing in our team industry leading air quality and HVAC experts, we developed a comprehensive plan of action that would solve their “sick home syndrome”. We removed all of the carpeting and pad from the home and thoroughly cleaned all surfaces and filtered the air with advanced HEPA filtration units. There were a few areas of mold in the crawl space which we mitigated as well. We thoroughly air sealed the home, paying particular attention to the ground level and attic floor system. Since the HVAC systems and ducting had become re-contaminated, we cleaned both units and all associated duct work. To eliminate unhealthy air being drawn into the home from the crawl space, we completely sealed and conditioned the crawl. In order to provide a controlled entry point for clean fresh air into the home we installed an energy efficient stand-alone Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV). We installed wood flooring in all of the living areas that did not have wood flooring, and finished all of the flooring using a NO-VOC water-based floor finish. All of the painted surfaces of the home were sealed and painted with NO-VOC latex paint. To further improve the energy performance of the home in addition to thoroughly air-sealing and sealing and conditioning the crawl space, we installed 100% LED lighting in the home. We improved the water efficiency of the home by installing low-flow EPA WaterSense rated toilets and shower heads, converted all of the bathroom and kitchen faucets to be more water efficient. Upon completion, Amy and her family was able to move back into their cozy and clean “new home”, and are once again able to enjoy and be comfortable in their home.

Client wanted to avoid the downtime, mess and cost of replacing their cabinets so we choose to reface the cabinets, replaced the countertops, added a tile backsplash and a built in with added storage and function. Updated the lighting, sink and faucet as well.

this room which was originally a tiny kitchen was converted to a home office. while small, it is efficient and ergonomically designed for comfort and efficiency.

Photo by Mike Casey Cramped, uncomfortable, and out of date: when the owners of this home approached us about renovating their kitchen and adjoining sunroom, these were high on their list of complaints. OPENING UP THE KITCHEN Our plan kept the kitchen in the same location but took down the walls between both the dining room and the sunroom to create an expansive multi-purpose space with spectacular views to conservation land along the back of the property. We removed the powder room and in its place created a window-lined hallway to the living room—opening up direct access between these two previously disconnected spaces. We then built a new half bath between these two rooms, with a door along the back hallway. The result is a more private powder room that is easier to access than before. Significantly improved cabinetry provides ample storage for both human and canine needs. An island countertop is functional and pleasant, enabling the owners to prep for and clean up from dinner all while enjoying the view of the woods behind their house. CREATING COMFORT We also completely rebuilt the sunroom, thickening the framing to allow for extra insulation and raising the roof to accommodate a higher ceiling and tall windows that let in as much natural light as the skylights they replaced, but much less of the solar gain that had made the room so intolerable in the summer. We improved visual connections between spaces and admitted more natural light by converting the framing of the main stairway from full to half walls. We also insulated the attic and replaced an aging, inefficient central air conditioning system with ductless minisplit heat pumps, which can also be used as supplemental heat. All in all, this was our kind of project: we made the home more attractive, more comfortable, and more energy-efficient—all over the course of a single, well-integrated project.