Rightsizing the remodel of a San Diego family home

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[["images-card",{"images":[{"url":"http:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/dpcbzfiye\/image\/upload\/v1658350809\/hlufeszxzsxxmporczzf.jpg","id":"6527179"}],"caption":"The new banquette installed in one corner of the kitchen was the perfect alternative to a dining room for this family. Patterned tile and alderwood cabinetry nod to the Spanish eclectic style of the home. "}],["images-card",{"images":[{"url":"http:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/dpcbzfiye\/image\/upload\/v1658350852\/qissfnpj5l7gwqx6jkz4.jpg","id":"6527181"}],"caption":"Folding Outswing doors open up the entire back wall of the family room, doubling the living space. When the doors are shut, the clerestory windows above let in fresh coastal breezes."}]],"markups":[["a",["href","https:\/\/www.asquaredstudios.com\/","target","_new"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.andersenwindows.com\/windows-and-doors\/doors\/big-doors\/folding-outswing-door\/","target","_new"]],["em"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.andersenwindows.com\/windows-and-doors\/doors\/big-doors\/","target","_new"]]],"sections":[[1,"h2",[[0,[],0,"Asquared Studios turned the limitations of a small urban lot into opportunities for a perfectly scaled forever home. AIA partner Andersen Windows takes a look."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Thirty-nine square feet was all "],[0,[0],1,"Asquared Studios"],[0,[],0," added to the San Diego home\u2019s footprint. And yet, they completely transformed it. Architects and principals Tony Garcia, AIA, and Jessie Whitesides, NCARB, created a design that\u2019s allowing a family of three to live their best lives today and tomorrow."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Of course, transforming the Spanish eclectic-style home, built in 1927, into a forever home suitable to today\u2019s living standards was not without its challenges. But a thoughtful process and high-impact interventions, including a redesigned layout and a strong indoor\/outdoor connection, proved the path forward. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Here\u2019s how this remodel came to life. "]]],[1,"h3",[[0,[],0,"Working within the existing footprint"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Before renovation, the home featured a compartmentalized layout that made it dark. One bedroom connected directly to the next, instead of connecting to a hallway, and an addition added to the back of the home in the 1950s had a sloped roof that was at odds with the flat roof of the main house. At the same time, the home had some charming Spanish eclectic characteristics, like an arched picture window, a barrel ceiling, and a fireplace flanked by windows in the living room. The homeowners wanted to keep the home\u2019s style but create a more open layout, bring in light and air, and create a better connection to the outdoors. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"They considered enlarging the footprint with a major addition, but the financial cost, along with concerns about efficiency and sustainability, brought them back to the drawing board. \u201cPeople often make assumptions about what\u2019s needed to live,\u201d Garcia said. Instead of taking those assumptions at face value, Garcia and the homeowners took a hard look at priorities and concluded \u201cthe existing perimeter was as much as they needed.\u201d "]]],[1,"h3",[[0,[],0,"Uncovering space and improving flow"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Taking down walls helped create larger communal spaces. The living room now flows into an enlarged kitchen that flows into an enlarged family room. Instead of devoting a whole room to dining, they created a banquette in the kitchen, adding 39 square feet in the process. The banquette is compact but still large enough to seat 12 \u2014 a perfect solution for the couple that loves cooking and hosting dinner parties. The new space also offered the opportunity to brighten up the kitchen with the addition of three corner windows. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Garcia found two additional feet of height above the finished 8-foot ceilings. Raising the ceilings to roof level has created a feeling of spaciousness that\u2019s furthered by the elevation change between the new kitchen and family room, which is situated a few feet lower in the 1950s addition. The higher ceiling also allowed for a row of clerestory windows, which let in coastal breezes and give the homeowners the fresh air they were hoping for."]]],[1,"p",[]],[10,0],[1,"h3",[[0,[],0,"Making the most of outdoor living"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"While the remodel was largely contained to the original perimeter, the walls of the 1950s addition were rebuilt. This opened the door to creating a strong indoor\/outdoor connection between the family room and backyard. "],[0,[1],1,"A five-panel Folding Outswing door"],[0,[],0," was added, so the back wall of the room can be opened completely."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Opening the door effectively doubles the size of the family room, which connects to a deck outside. With the deck raised to the level of the living room and made with wood similar in tone to the interior flooring, the transition to the outdoors is seamless physically and visually. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Garcia designed distinct spaces that make the most of the modest-sized lot, including a lounge area adjacent to the family room, the \u201cspool\u201d (as Garcia calls the small-scale splashpad\/pool), and an outdoor kitchen. The space features design touches that evoke the historic Spanish eclectic style, like aquamarine window and door frames, Spanish tiles to match those used in the house, and grilles on several patio doors."]]],[1,"p",[]],[10,1],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The enlarged public spaces, new windows and doors, raised ceilings, and clever efficiencies \u2014 such as the banquette and a guest bath that\u2019s accessible from both the pool deck and family room \u2014 are highlights of a design that makes the most of its 1,630 square feet."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[2],0,"Interested in solutions for indoor\/outdoor living? "],[0,[3],1,"Find out more about Andersen\u2019s big doors"],[0,[],1,"."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[2],1,"AIA does not sponsor or endorse any enterprise, whether \npublic or private, operated for profit. Further, no AIA officer, \ndirector, committee member, or employee, or any of its component \norganizations in his or her official capacity, is permitted to approve, \nsponsor, endorse, or do anything that may be deemed or construed to be \nan approval, sponsorship, or endorsement of any material of construction\n or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in\n any material or product."]]]]}