The owners of this San Francisco three-story hillside residence hoped for a brighter outlook for their MCM home. The original enclosed interior staircase prevented light from penetrating the adjacent rooms. A redesigned open steel staircase with floating treads now allows light from above to filter down through all levels. The primary bedroom located at the rear facing a hillside was expanded with large sliding doors that open out to a new deck, creating a relaxing private retreat for the parents while flooding the bedroom with natural light. San Francisco required the original look of the front facade to be maintained for historical purposes, and the back of the expanded primary closet cabinetry that now faces outward was painted black in order to maintain the appearance of the original window design. The family of four now enjoys much brighter days and a more open feel in their reconfigured house, including a new family room on the lower level, which they can enjoy together. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Chuang-Ming Liu, Ethan Taylor, and Yegvenia Torres-Zavala Contractor: A.L. Martin Construction Inc. Structural Engineer: ZFA Structural Engineers Photography: ©2017 Scott Chernis Completion Year: 2017

It was important not to interrupt the dynamic of this home's historic Church Hill neighborhood, and so all the exterior changes were kept to the back of the house, with the front remaining mostly unchanged. Although the front of the house doesn’t give away its secrets, the back of the house is an unexpected but delightful surprise. Embracing the new rear addition is the home’s original brick wall. Architectural design as well as Commission of Architectural Review requirements put a lot of emphasis on keeping the original masonry intact, which was no small feat. It took a lot of planning, some delicate demolition and talented carpentry to ensure this piece of history remained. In addition to the brick wall, other original aspects of the home were carefully preserved including the windows, floors and much of the trim work. Meanwhile all new, modern plumbing and fixtures were installed and custom cabinetry with inset routed “handles” were fabricated by Polosko Woodworks. Inside the home is even more appreciation of the original masonry with exposed brick walls in the primary bath.

It was important not to interrupt the dynamic of this home's historic Church Hill neighborhood, and so all the exterior changes were kept to the back of the house, with the front remaining mostly unchanged. Although the front of the house doesn’t give away its secrets, the back of the house is an unexpected but delightful surprise. Embracing the new rear addition is the home’s original brick wall. Architectural design as well as Commission of Architectural Review requirements put a lot of emphasis on keeping the original masonry intact, which was no small feat. It took a lot of planning, some delicate demolition and talented carpentry to ensure this piece of history remained. In addition to the brick wall, other original aspects of the home were carefully preserved including the windows, floors and much of the trim work. Meanwhile all new, modern plumbing and fixtures were installed and custom cabinetry with inset routed “handles” were fabricated by Polosko Woodworks. Inside the home is even more appreciation of the original masonry with exposed brick walls in the primary bath.

It was important not to interrupt the dynamic of this home's historic Church Hill neighborhood, and so all the exterior changes were kept to the back of the house, with the front remaining mostly unchanged. Although the front of the house doesn’t give away its secrets, the back of the house is an unexpected but delightful surprise. Embracing the new rear addition is the home’s original brick wall. Architectural design as well as Commission of Architectural Review requirements put a lot of emphasis on keeping the original masonry intact, which was no small feat. It took a lot of planning, some delicate demolition and talented carpentry to ensure this piece of history remained. In addition to the brick wall, other original aspects of the home were carefully preserved including the windows, floors and much of the trim work. Meanwhile all new, modern plumbing and fixtures were installed and custom cabinetry with inset routed “handles” were fabricated by Polosko Woodworks. Inside the home is even more appreciation of the original masonry with exposed brick walls in the primary bath.

Holly Hill, a retirement home, whose owner's hobbies are gardening and restoration of classic cars, is nestled into the site contours to maximize views of the lake and minimize impact on the site. Holly Hill is comprised of three wings joined by bridges: A wing facing a master garden to the east, another wing with workshop and a central activity, living, dining wing. Similar to a radiator the design increases the amount of exterior wall maximizing opportunities for natural ventilation during temperate months. Other passive solar design features will include extensive eaves, sheltering porches and high-albedo roofs, as strategies for considerably reducing solar heat gain. Daylighting with clerestories and solar tubes reduce daytime lighting requirements. Ground source geothermal heat pumps and superior to code insulation ensure minimal space conditioning costs. Corten steel siding and concrete foundation walls satisfy client requirements for low maintenance and durability. All light fixtures are LEDs. Open and screened porches are strategically located to allow pleasant outdoor use at any time of day, particular season or, if necessary, insect challenge. Dramatic cantilevers allow the porches to project into the site’s beautiful mixed hardwood tree canopy without damaging root systems. Guest arrive by vehicle with glimpses of the house and grounds through penetrations in the concrete wall enclosing the garden. One parked they are led through a garden composed of pavers, a fountain, benches, sculpture and plants. Views of the lake can be seen through and below the bridges. Primary client goals were a sustainable low-maintenance house, primarily single floor living, orientation to views, natural light to interiors, maximization of individual privacy, creation of a formal outdoor space for gardening, incorporation of a full workshop for cars, generous indoor and outdoor social space for guests and parties.

The owners of this San Francisco three-story hillside residence hoped for a brighter outlook for their MCM home. The original enclosed interior staircase prevented light from penetrating the adjacent rooms. A redesigned open steel staircase with floating treads now allows light from above to filter down through all levels. The primary bedroom located at the rear facing a hillside was expanded with large sliding doors that open out to a new deck, creating a relaxing private retreat for the parents while flooding the bedroom with natural light. San Francisco required the original look of the front facade to be maintained for historical purposes, and the back of the expanded primary closet cabinetry that now faces outward was painted black in order to maintain the appearance of the original window design. The family of four now enjoys much brighter days and a more open feel in their reconfigured house, including a new family room on the lower level, which they can enjoy together. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Chuang-Ming Liu, Ethan Taylor, and Yegvenia Torres-Zavala Contractor: A.L. Martin Construction Inc. Structural Engineer: ZFA Structural Engineers Photography: ©2017 Scott Chernis Completion Year: 2017

It was important not to interrupt the dynamic of this home's historic Church Hill neighborhood, and so all the exterior changes were kept to the back of the house, with the front remaining mostly unchanged. Although the front of the house doesn’t give away its secrets, the back of the house is an unexpected but delightful surprise. Embracing the new rear addition is the home’s original brick wall. Architectural design as well as Commission of Architectural Review requirements put a lot of emphasis on keeping the original masonry intact, which was no small feat. It took a lot of planning, some delicate demolition and talented carpentry to ensure this piece of history remained. In addition to the brick wall, other original aspects of the home were carefully preserved including the windows, floors and much of the trim work. Meanwhile all new, modern plumbing and fixtures were installed and custom cabinetry with inset routed “handles” were fabricated by Polosko Woodworks. Inside the home is even more appreciation of the original masonry with exposed brick walls in the primary bath.

It was important not to interrupt the dynamic of this home's historic Church Hill neighborhood, and so all the exterior changes were kept to the back of the house, with the front remaining mostly unchanged. Although the front of the house doesn’t give away its secrets, the back of the house is an unexpected but delightful surprise. Embracing the new rear addition is the home’s original brick wall. Architectural design as well as Commission of Architectural Review requirements put a lot of emphasis on keeping the original masonry intact, which was no small feat. It took a lot of planning, some delicate demolition and talented carpentry to ensure this piece of history remained. In addition to the brick wall, other original aspects of the home were carefully preserved including the windows, floors and much of the trim work. Meanwhile all new, modern plumbing and fixtures were installed and custom cabinetry with inset routed “handles” were fabricated by Polosko Woodworks. Inside the home is even more appreciation of the original masonry with exposed brick walls in the primary bath.

We added a full two-story addition at the back of this house, maximizing space by including a small bump-out at the side for the stairs. This required demolishing the existing rear sunroom and dormer above. The new light-filled first-floor space has a large living room and dining room with central French doors. Modern stairs lead to an expanded second floor with a new primary suite with an en suite bath. The bath has a herringbone pattern floor, shower with bench, freestanding tub and plenty of storage.

This two-bedroom detached accessory dwelling unit (DADU) responds to a small footprint creating a new 800 square-foot structure in the backyard of an existing house. The size led to designing the home vertically, as a small two-story dwelling. To create a taller, more dynamic living space, the ceiling is vaulted following a gabled roof line. Two bedrooms, located mostly below grade to maximize the amount of rentable square footage, have window wells to bring in ample natural light and provide required window exits. The main floor consists of a vaulted living and kitchen spaces with a small bath and entry. The landscape surrounding the new dwelling creates an inviting setting, both distinguishing and complementing the unit from the primary home within the same property.

This 1940s Georgian Revival home sits beside a lush backyard, where an old birch tree is the natural centerpiece. Inside, the layout reflects its era, with compartmentalized rooms and a vintage primary suite. The renovation required a delicate balance—protecting the beloved birch and landscaping while replacing the aging porch with a contemporary addition that breathes new life into the home.

This two-bedroom detached accessory dwelling unit (DADU) responds to a small footprint creating a new 800 square-foot structure in the backyard of an existing house. The size led to designing the home vertically, as a small two-story dwelling. To create a taller, more dynamic living space, the ceiling is vaulted following a gabled roof line. Two bedrooms, located mostly below grade to maximize the amount of rentable square footage, have window wells to bring in ample natural light and provide required window exits. The main floor consists of a vaulted living and kitchen spaces with a small bath and entry. The landscape surrounding the new dwelling creates an inviting setting, both distinguishing and complementing the unit from the primary home within the same property.

The team at Ceballos Contracting completely re configured this space, extensive plumbing work was required to expand the shower, cap off an old tub deck, reposition the vanity plumbing to install new wall mounted faucets with a 10 inch backsplash. The shower measures 10 feet in length with 4 feet in width. There are benches on both sides of the shower, the tile was cut at a 45 degree angle so that no schluter edging or pencil moulding was needed, just a clean, fluent look at the way around. The shower glass is broken up into three panels, the center is the door, the other two are wrapped around the benches.

The former primary bathroom consisted of two small rooms with doors everywhere—so chaotic and cramped that we removed everything and started over. This required relocating plumbing and HVAC returns as well. To expand the original shower stall, we borrowed a small closet from an adjacent bedroom, creating a much larger footprint. Custom tile work includes a warm gray porcelain floor and a stunning blue mosaic marble shower pan with a built-in seat. The custom white oak vanity echoes the kitchen’s color scheme and features a tall linen cabinet on the right and a center countertop cabinet with interior electrical outlets to neatly hide toothbrushes and other appliances. The abundant storage creates an exceptionally neat and streamlined space.

The team at Ceballos Contracting completely re configured this space, extensive plumbing work was required to expand the shower, cap off an old tub deck, reposition the vanity plumbing to install new wall mounted faucets with a 10 inch backsplash. The shower measures 10 feet in length with 4 feet in width. There are benches on both sides of the shower, the tile was cut at a 45 degree angle so that no schluter edging or pencil moulding was needed, just a clean, fluent look at the way around. The shower glass is broken up into three panels, the center is the door, the other two are wrapped around the benches.

This two-bedroom detached accessory dwelling unit (DADU) responds to a small footprint creating a new 800 square-foot structure in the backyard of an existing house. The size led to designing the home vertically, as a small two-story dwelling. To create a taller, more dynamic living space, the ceiling is vaulted following a gabled roof line. Two bedrooms, located mostly below grade to maximize the amount of rentable square footage, have window wells to bring in ample natural light and provide required window exits. The main floor consists of a vaulted living and kitchen spaces with a small bath and entry. The landscape surrounding the new dwelling creates an inviting setting, both distinguishing and complementing the unit from the primary home within the same property.

Home is about creating a sense of place. Little moments add up to a sense of well being, such as looking out at framed views of the garden, or feeling the ocean breeze waft through the house. This connection to place guided the overall design, with the practical requirements to add a bedroom and bathroom quickly ( the client was pregnant!), and in a way that allowed the couple to live at home during the construction. The design also focused on connecting the interior to the backyard while maintaining privacy from nearby neighbors. Sustainability was at the forefront of the project, from choosing green building materials to designing a high-efficiency space. The composite bamboo decking, cork and bamboo flooring, tiles made with recycled content, and cladding made of recycled paper are all examples of durable green materials that have a wonderfully rich tactility to them. This addition was a second phase to the Mar Vista Sustainable Remodel, which took a tear-down home and transformed it into this family's forever home.

Details from a spa inspired primary bathroom in Charlotte with an expanded walk-in shower and maintenance free porcelain tiles
Bathroom - large transitional master white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and brown floor bathroom idea in Charlotte with a hinged shower door

The former primary bathroom consisted of two small rooms with doors everywhere—so chaotic and cramped that we removed everything and started over. This required relocating plumbing and HVAC returns as well. To expand the original shower stall, we borrowed a small closet from an adjacent bedroom, creating a much larger footprint. Custom tile work includes a warm gray porcelain floor and a stunning blue mosaic marble shower pan with a built-in seat. The custom white oak vanity echoes the kitchen’s color scheme and features a tall linen cabinet on the right and a center countertop cabinet with interior electrical outlets to neatly hide toothbrushes and other appliances. The abundant storage creates an exceptionally neat and streamlined space.