Before

After

Before and After

Palm Springs, CA

The owner of this spacious 1920s estate wanted to update it while preserving many of the original details. We tore down the middle of the house to create a welcoming entry courtyard with a steel-and-glass front door. We kept the original fireplaces, vaulted the ceilings, relocated the garage to a side auto court and added a remote master suite with a spectacular view of the mountains. We incorporated outdoor rooms, breezeways and porches to shelter the homeowners from the desert sun. The result: a contemporary estate with the elegance and style of a 1920s Hollywood hacienda.

McKinley Park, Sacramento, CA

A young couple liked their McKinley Park street and the charm of their one-story brick house, but they needed more space for their growing family. With a narrow, deep lot, the only place to go was up. We added a second story over the entire existing house and changed the rooflines to make the addition look like part of the original structure. We also added a porch so the family could watch the goings-by of their neighborhood.

Livermore, CA

This 1980s classic was anchored by a massive fireplace clad in cement rock, along with fake stone pillars throughout the interior. The kitchen was buried toward the front of the house and only a few windows faced the back yard and pool. We opened up the view with 8-foot tall French doors, relocated the kitchen and nook to the rear of the house and replaced the stone wainscot with two-toned stucco. Now the owner enjoys more natural light along with views of the pool and property from inside the home.

Rancho Mirage, CA

The new owner wanted more space for guests than this two-bedroom, one-bath house could accommodate. He also wanted a classic desert look with courtyards, long overhangs, Spanish-influenced elements and drought-tolerant vegetation. We expanded the footprint to add four more bedrooms, additional garage space, a casita and covered outdoor seating areas. Inside walls were removed to open the house to the redesigned back yard.

McKinley Park, Sacramento, CA

The owner of this home needed more space than the original one-story, two-bedroom, one-bath house provided. We added a second story with a master suite, guest bedroom and a guest bathroom. Since the house sits on an irregular lot and projects into a five-way intersection, it was visible to the neighborhood from three sides. The goal was to design the expansion to look as though it had always been there – satisfying the owner’s need for more space, yet maintaining the look and feel of the established neighborhood.

Roadtrip Bar & Grill, Capay Valley

Although this dilapidated former bar and gas station was not on the Historic Register, the owners wanted to respect the history of the site. We rehabilitated the structure and added on to create a bar, restaurant and market. The owner also wanted the look to be contemporary, but not too stark. Our solution was to use two-tone stucco and aluminum storefront windows with steel canopies to tie the two building together. We also designed an outdoor entertaining area with steel shade structures and native plants to expand the area of the bar and restaurant.

University Art, Sacramento

As this longtime Sacramento art supply store grew over the years, the owners combined adjacent buildings to create more display space. A new owner wanted to consolidate the look of the façade to establish a single focus, while maintaining the feel of midtown. We designed a large central entrance structure with a perforated metal canopy, relocated the front door and cashier island, and reconstructed the side awnings to create the appearance of a single building. New interior skylights brighten and unify the entire space.