Our modern beach shack project located here on the Santa Barbara Mesa has been progressing well. After a brief pause while we worked with the owner to include additional changes to the kitchen and the rest of the house the project is coming to a close.

Here is the street elevation as the stain was going on the cedar siding. You can see the thin windows wrapping around the upper floor bringing light in from all sides and the mitered glass corner window in the lower right providing views out into the garden.

Below is the current view of the rear of the addition. Here you can see the master suite on the upper floor with the deck providing views out to the ocean. On the ground level is the garage which can be used for a number of uses, we included big sliding glass doors on the back wall to help connect this space to the back yard

Here is the view from the living room, the view doesn’t look like much right now but the landscape plan includes plans for a new fence and plenty of planting

This is the new stair leading to the master suite upstairs. We designed this with a thin steel stringer and open treads to try and bring as much light thru the space as possible. To the left you can see the beginning of the installation of the pivoting glass front door.

The master bath tub sits within what we call a wet area meaning that the shower is also within this space. The shower is not enclosed in glass which helps make the space feel larger. There is also the big bonus of being able to see the ocean from the shower.

We are very excited to see this project coming to completion for the owners, hopefully soon they will be moving in and getting a feel for their new home!

We’ve been visiting the construction site of our Santa Barbara Mesa Beach House design and wanted to share a few photos of the progress.

Below you can see the stages of construction that have happened over the course of a few months.

Above you can see the portion of the existing house that remains and the formwork for the foundations of the addition. The addition is happening mainly in the front yard so access hasn’t been a problem.

After the foundation and slab were poured and cured the framers start their work on the ground floor. Below you can see the corner window element and the how all the structure works together to achieve this.

The next time we visited they had the second floor framing underway and the start of the roof framing. The project seems like it goes at warp speed during this phase and suddenly the form of the house is apparent.

We always knew that there would be a ocean view but you never really know until you get up there. In this case what a great surprise to find beautiful views looking out toward the channel islands from the master bedroom.

Here is the current view of the project from the street, quite a change for this little house. Check back in for more photos soon!

Doing the work to bring this home to life…

A view behind the scenes of the documentation process of our  Santa Barbara Mesa Modern Beach Shack project.  The project is an addition of a master bedroom and bath to the second floor, a new living room and entry and a dining room and kitchen remodel, This is where we carefully craft the details that make our projects unique and special. We filter thru the thousands of choices and options on behalf of the client to specify the materials, finishes and fixtures for the project. The doors, windows, sinks, faucets, lighting etc. are all determined, noted and detailed within the drawings. This allows the contractor to accurately price the work and gives the client confidence that the budget will stay as quoted and the project stays on schedule.

Our Santa Barbara Mesa Beach House received final approval from the City of Santa Barbara Single Family Design Review Board based on the quality of design, details and materials. The Board is made up of 7 qualified members living in Santa Barbara; Architects, Landscape Architects and members of the public. It is a distinguished group with a difficult job.

It wasn’t without some controversy however as a vocal member of the neighborhood presented her negative feelings about the second story of the proposed project. We absolutely understand her concerns for privacy and maintaining views, we are big proponents of these issues ourselves however there must be a balance with property rights. These properties are zoned for 2 story houses up to 25 feet tall! This project is only 17 feet tall! We did reach out to her and all the adjacent neighbors early in the design process however she declined to be involved.

A 2nd floor addition can be a touchy issue but most issues can be hammered out by involving the neighbors early in the process. We like to meet with those who will be most affected, present the design and try to address privacy and view issues. I doubt anyone wants to look thru their neighbors windows and see what they are having for breakfast… it just makes for better neighbors and better neighborhoods if we can work together before going in front of a design board. Several members of the Santa Barbara Single Family Design Review Board applauded our process of working with the neighbors and the client’s willingness to change the project to ease the impact to the neighborhood as well as improve the property in a modest but attractive way. It makes it easier for the Board to approve a project if they see that the neighborhood has been involved and issues have been addressed.

Next stop is the Building Department!

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